Southwest Airlines:
Southwest Airlines is an airline located in The United States. It prides itself as the world’s leading and largest low-cost carrier. Southwest was established in 1967 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It currently has airports in 4 states, and as of 2018, it flew more domestic travelers than any other airline in The United States. Southwest has more than 66,000 employees and operates more than 4,000 flights per day in peak travel season. With so many working pieces in use every day, it is essential for Southwest to utilize marketing intelligence to connect with its consumers. By doing this, Southwest can ensure that they are aware of their current wants and needs as well as their tastes and preferences.
Netnography:
Often referred to as social listening, netnography has become increasingly popular as digitalization becomes more readily available. Netnography occurs when businesses use online platforms to “listen” and observe their consumers and their natural day-to-day tendencies. Companies can utilize netnography to help provide for their consumers and improve their own businesses.
Southwest and Social Listening:
Southwest Airlines has discovered that netnography, social listening, is critical to their business model. The airline utilizes a social team in which they manage social media platforms to continue to help their customers around the clock. As the social business manager of Southwest concluded, “The great thing about our social team is that we are equipped to really help customers with every step of the travel process” (Ashley Mainz). Southwest has a room called “The Listening Room.” The walls are covered with monitors that show real-time updates from Southwest’s consumers on social media platforms. Data tools allow the Southwest social media team to sort through different comments easily. A red frown face displays every time a negative comment appears, and a green smile face displays every time a positive comment appears. When the Southwest team receives a red mark, they quickly work to resolve the issue.
Netnography Use:
The Southwest airline team utilized this strategy when a passenger from Chicago airport had a negative experience. The passenger tweeted about his problems within the airline, and it immediately gained a chain of comments in reaction. Adam Scott, a social team member at Southwest, jumped into action. The customer had a problem with the lack of staff at the ticket counter in Chicago. Scott reached the station manager in Chicago and immediately addressed the issue. He recognized a glitch in the system, allowing too many employees to break at once. The social team addressed the problem quickly and resolved it to support their consumers. “Scott tweeted back to the customer, ‘Hey, thanks for the catch, we’re going to get some people out there right away.’ The customer replied back with an appreciation saying ‘I just saw a couple of people come up to the desk. The line is starting to move, appreciate you doing that’” (Auris). Southwest’s ability to utilize netnography effectively allows them to communicate in real-time with their consumers and create a positive brand image.
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