Ch. 5 Developing a Global Vision

Delta Airlines has developed a global vision for themselves and continues to be as innovative as possible within their multinational corporation. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry’s leading trans-atlantic venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights with 20 different airline carriers. 

The airline strives for creating one product, one message. By developing a single product, Delta Airlines market their company to people world wide the same way regardless of race or ethnicity. They do however, offer perks from flying that does appeal to different people, such as the Delta Lounge or their Delta rewards card. Unlike other products or services, airline travel is an industry that market experts don't foresee a decline in, on the contrary airline travel is expected to grow annually by 2.5%.  

Delta Airlines does not need to make product adaptions based on its location because their product is solely their airlines. It has been shown that people who use airline travel have the same expectations as others in different locations, like safety, reliability and cabin space. All other external factors such as the type of passengers that fly Delta would be out of the airlines control. 

Apart of their global vision Delta Airlines in 2015 made a $450 million dollar investment that connects two complimentary networks (Delta and China Eastern). This move marks a significant step in the airlines’ collaboration and partnership that will allow Delta and China Eastern to compete more effectively on routes between the U.S. and China, provide more travel options for customers in both countries and make joint investments in the customer experience. The chairman for China Eastern spoke about the partnership, “The cooperation between China Eastern and Delta is a strategic cooperation between two excellent airlines which connect the world’s two top economies as well as two top air transportation markets.  We’re fully confident in the prospect of the cooperation,” said Shaoyong Liu, the Chairman of China Eastern.

Ch.4 The Marketing Environment

  

Ranked third for the second year in a row, Delta has both the third-highest on-time arrival rate at 85.9 percent and the third-lowest number of mishandled bags at 2.08 per 1,000 passengers each month. In a competitor analysis, other airlines are not as well known or have a large loyal customer base. Part of Delta's international connectivity, "Skyteam alliance" partners with many other airline carriers including but not limited to; KLM, Air-France, and Delta-Virgin. Some feedback they have received in regards to their leisure travelers, consumers of Delta Airlines are more concerned with the price rather than the destination. In response to this feedback Delta Airlines focuses on retaining customers by improving comfort and reducing prices.  

Delta Airlines understands the growing trends of social media and how it has made profound changes in the way we obtain and consume information. Generation Y (millennials), the largest living generation, is targeted along with generation X as opposed to Baby Boomers who wouldn’t necessary use technology as much as the generations listed above. Delta is known to be innovative and taking bold digital strides focusing primarily on five directives, integrate across channels, customer engagement, embrace technology and data, create marketing metrics and innovate/ explore.

Delta uses a single marketing channel, as opposed to having owned and earned medias as separate channels. They claim, having a single marketing channel allows them to be more consistent in content, copy and tone of voice. As opposed to using a digital strategy first, they focus on in flight, in the airport, on the phone and online as their target internal variables. Leading with WiFi on board targets business travelers along with their boarding pass available to customers on their mobile devices.

A goal that the Bob Kupbens, Delta’s VP Marketing and Digital Commerca said, “So much of what we’re delivering on the marketing side is a function of some technology implementation.” This can be seen from their consistent innovation initiatives, for example Delta tested selling tickets on Facebook. Even though their Facebook innovative idea wasn’t as successful as they had anticipated, it gave them valuable information when trying to attract customers on popular social media sites.  

Delta publicly stated in 2015 that they pledge to reinvent air travel. They first started with listening to what flyers wanted with the intent to act. Small improvements in the onboard experience, like interior upgrades and entertainment free of charge were among the beginning changes. 

One of their most ambitious and innovative program is called “Innovative Class.” Innovative Class keeps empty seats beside a number of thought leaders in business, art and technology.  By applying through Delta's LinkedIn page, passengers eager to spend time talking shop with these individuals during their flights got a chance for the coveted seats. Delta called it "a mentoring program at 35,000 feet." Along with their creative and innovative marketing strategies, Delta made Fortune’s 2015 list of 50 most admired companies. Year after year Delta and their marketing team continue to impress the airline community with their consistent innovation, which they pride themselves on. They value  and want to make air travel most enjoyable for new customers along with their loyal travelers. 

Ch. 18 Social Media and Marketing

Delta has a very large social media presence and actively working to always increase their user base and social media followers. Some examples of Delta's multiple social media platforms are: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Google+ and more. 

They are constantly increasing their use of online technology to increase and enhance their brand. They understand market trends, that millennials spend more than two hours a day on their smartphones and use an average of six apps during the day. Twitter is a great example of this, on their Twitter page you see “slang” and “hashtags” along with jokes that millennials would understand and appreciate as opposed to the more professional pages they have like Facebook.  On their Facebook page, Delta primarily uses it to promote products and services and to manage their reputation.

What I found personally interesting was their blog page. So much information presented in a clean format. The layout was visually appealing, the articles were interesting and my personal favorite, the video of where your bag goes once you check it in-so cool! Through their social media Delta accomplishes the three social media objectives: Listen and learn, build relationships and awareness and improve customer service. 

Overview of Marketing (Brief History and Mission Statement)

Delta Air Lines is one of the largest airlines in the world and the oldest airlines still operating in the United States. Their headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia with their largest hub located also in Atlanta, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

It is truly amazing the evolution that Delta Air Lines has gone through considering it originally started as a crop dusting operation called Huff Daland Dusters, Incorporated in 1924. Today the airline employs nearly 80,000 people and 12,000 mainline pilots. Delta is one of the few airlines to fly to all six inhabited continents operating more than 5,400 flights per day.

Delta founder c. e. Woolman said it best: “now, Delta is growing and growing fast. Yet we will never have any monopoly. We will always compete with planes of similar speed and comfort and identical fares. If we continue to grow, it will be because we can expand without losing the ’difference’ that made delta’s reputation...”

The company prides themselves on their core values that they believe makes their airline the best in the world and rises above their competition. These core values are: Honesty, integrity, respect, perseverance, and servant leadership. Delta goes on to explain how their core values are applied through their employees every day duties. They strive to always tell the truth and keep deals, never hurt anyone, try harder than all their competitors-never give up and finally, care for the customers, community and each other.

Delta Air Lines believe in giving back to communities around the world and locally. Delta employees believe they have a civic obligation where they live, work and serve so they give back 1% of net income each year to the community. Delta believes in investing time, energy and money to world wide causes. Some examples that Delta participates in are: American Red Cross; Delta is one of the top corporate #3 nationally ranked donors of blood to the American Red Cross a partnership they have had for 75 years. They also raise millions of dollars for organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and many more.

Delta not only gives back to their global and local communities they celebrate diversity and care about the environment. On Deltas website it is mentioned multiple times how they value diversity and embrace diverse people, thinking, and styles. They hold their employees up to a high standard where they must reflect diversity of the customers they serve. The airline is also always looking for new ways to reduce our environmental footprint committed to operating in a sustainable manner.

Delta Air Lines mission is,  "No one individual can create an airline. An airline is a team. It must be a friendly, courteous, cooperative and efficient team, bound as closely as a devoted family."- c. e. Woolman. 

"The World's Most Trusted Airline."