Southwest Airlines Loves Bags
Name
Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Executive Summary
This paper discusses the case study in chapter seventeen on Southwest Airlines. The case study is titled, “At Southwest Airlines, “We Love Your Bags”. The case involves how Southwest Airlines promotes their brand and their services via various communications methods and advertisement campaigns. In this paper, we will discuss the case and create a situation analysis of the case. We’ll also go over the case study questions. Finally we will wrap up with a summary of the findings.
Situation Analysis
In the case, Southwest is shown as coming from a small Texas-based airline to one of the largest in the country. They currently fly to 69 cities around the United States. The company has proven itself with low fares and great customer service. They have a “have fun” corporate philosophy that helps to build customer loyalty and ease the tensions of air travel. Their current national advertising campaigns focus on the fact that the first two checked bags fly free with them when most airlines are charging for checked baggage. These campaigns poke fun at the other airlines and try to show that Southwest cares about more than just nickel and diming their customers.
The company has integrated non-traditional promotional advertising as well. They currently use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to reach customers on the web. They also have IPhone and Android applications that integrate with their “Ding” promotion. This promotion “dings” customers with the same sound you hear when the captain on a plane turns on the seatbelt sign. The promotion gives customers alerts when new low fares are available.
Southwest also accommodates pet lovers by allowing passengers to bring small pets into the actual airline cabin with them in a pet carrier for only $75 each way. This reaches out to a specific demographic and shows that Southwest knows that traveling might...