Marketing ‘more important than ever’ post-Brexit says easyJet

EasyJet’s group commercial director Peter Duffy believes marketing is more crucial than ever, as consumers face uncertain times post-Brexit and increased terrorism risks in Europe.

https://vimeo.com/182985238

Marketing is more important than ever to convince audiences to keep travelling, as they face uncertain times following the Brexit vote and an increased terrorism risk, according to easyJet’s group commercial director Peter Duffy.

The budget airline unveiled its new ‘Why Not?’ campaign yesterday (15 September), which was created by VCCP, in a bid to encourage people to take more trips to Europe.

The campaign will hit TV screens on Saturday (17 September) and will run across video-on-demand, cinema, print, out-of-home, digital display and social. It also includes an experiential element, where easyJet allows consumers to “briefly explore” different European cities.

There was much uncertainty in the travel industry in the weeks following the EU referendum result, with easyJet swiftly releasing a statement that revenues per seat in the second half of 2016 will be “at least” 5% lower than last year. British Airways owner IAG also issued a profit warning after its share price fell 19% to 425.6p.

Meanwhile, numerous terrorist attacks in France and Germany are also likely to dampen consumer demand.

As a result, Duffy tells Marketing Week that the new campaign hopes to “lead customers through [these] difficult times”.

“While it is challenging, consumers don’t need to change their behaviour. They still need to see their families, go on business trips or go on holiday. The [new Why Not?] campaign was a deliberate feel-good act demonstrating our brand values and benefits,” he says.

“After any difficult incident there is a reduction in consumer confidence and sales, and so it takes a set of marketing activities to begin to stimulate the market again.”

“Marketing has never been more important than it is at the moment and we’ve never been more focused on using it.”

Peter Duffy, group commercial director, easyJet

As the brand faces an increasingly competitive travel market, easyJet is keen to deliver on its “brand promise” and make the customer experience the best it can be, Duffy adds.

“We are increasingly focusing on how we make the [brand] experience really good for customers. It’s about making sure that it’s easy to travel with us and affordable. Our new digital services are all aimed at simplifying the process and taking the stress out of the situation.”

Recommended