Social Conversations Taking Flight [Infographic]

by Samantha Wright June 17, 2016 Follow @IAmSamW

June 17, 2016

In 2015, an IATA study claimed that people were more likely to book an airline based on fares and convenient routes. While cost and comfort are front of mind for passengers, more frequent flyers are visiting social media to try assist with the final decision. Flight prices are highly competitive and a friend referral is far more reliable than the promise of a potential perk during a television advert.

Don’t believe me?

Airlines have become far more aware that their public persona or the perception of their service is likely going to translate to bookings. Virgin Atlantic was the first to jump on the “experience” bandwagon by offering ice creams during the long haul flight from the UK to USA as a snack. Other airlines have embodied various content marketing techniques to improve the inflight experience for passengers in the hope that they will tell their friends about their pleasant experience.

Qatar Airlines leveraged off their sponsorship of Spanish football team Barcelona to produce an extremely entertaining inflight safety video that not only keeps eyeballs on screens but also entertains football and non-football fans alike:

IcelandAir is probably the leader of promoting a positive experience for passengers while also promoting their homeland. They too have an entertaining inflight safety video but also incorporate it into their food packaging: any polystyrene coffee or tea cup comes with tidbits about Iceland as well as some basic language tips. The company has also been known to partner with other corporates to further promote the “word of mouth” marketing technique so many are now turning to. A recent partnership with Uber saw them gifting their stop over experience to a host of likely Uber users while also giving them a taste of what to expect when flying with IcelandAir.

So why does it matter?

Utilizing a tracking tool from Influencer Marketing Platform, Webfluential, I tracked the conversation around some of the world’s major airlines for little over a week. Whether adding a conspiracy theory to the list of reasons why planes go missing or to wax lyrical about great (or not so great) service, the world sure does love talking about airlines and many of these conversations traveled further than some of the airlines do.

Based on the figures below could we argue that referral plays as big a role as price and convenience when it comes to choosing your next carrier?