From Go Air to Go First – Will the rebrand help the airline get back in the game?
Amid the COVID-19 turbulence that has hit the aviation industry severely, Go Air, the aviation foray of Wadia Group, has undergone a brand revamp for the first time in its 15 years of existence. Go Air is now rebranded as Go First. The move comes ahead of the airline’s IPO, which as per media reports, aims to raise Rs 3,600 crore from the market.
Also read: GoAir appoints aviation veteran Sanjiv Kapoor as Advisor
In its print campaign, which appeared in several mainline newspapers, Go Air spoke about its ultra-low cost, which does not meddle with one’s travel plans. Besides that, it also communicated that the airline will be have the next generation young fleets from point-to-point destination. The purpose of rebranding the 15-year-old airline is “to fully embrace the ultra-low-cost airline model” to gain a definite advantage over the other airlines. The brand also wants to present a young identity and target the young travellers through this rebranding exercise.
It takes a lot of time and effort to keep a customer happy when it comes to a service brand, be it Airlines or Hospitality, especially during challenging times. What is it that will excite a traveller to choose a particular airline over the others? The experience will be a combination of tangible and intangible benefits, which will deepen the experience of a regular traveller. Normally an airline and at least the low-cost domestic airlines should basically look at the 5C’s – Convenience, Cost, Courtesy, Comfort and Cuisine. If they are able to score well on all these parameters, then they will keep their customers happy. The 5C’s are what the brand has to deliver consistently and that is what will help the brand to stand out amongst the others, especially in the highly competitive airlines business where price and prompt service matter a lot to the travellers.
In the past, we have seen Indian Airlines merging with Air-India and the new entity was called Air-India. While the rebranding was several years back, but there are many travellers who still remember it as Indian Airlines. How much as it helped the airline after rebranding is a case in point that one can keep debating as the airline brand was struggling in the Indian skies during that period. Air-India continues to struggle to stay afloat today.
According to Go First’s new Vice-Chairman, Ben Baldanza, “The combination of attractive airfares, a squeaky-clean flying experience, well-sanitized flights and on-time performance are what Go First is designed to deliver. And that is exactly at the core of our brand and service.” Baldanza, who has been an advisor to the company since 2018 and director since 2019, took over as the Vice-Chairman of the GoAir board in March this year.
The rebranded identity has contemporary graphics and a bolder, brighter blue. As young India changes the way it travels, seeking speed, convenience, and yet demanding value, Go First is determined to be part of the socio-economic momentum to chart its next phase of growth.
Due to the pandemic, the travel industry is going through a very tough time. So, is it the right time for the rebranding exercise? Only once normalcy returns and people are able to travel easily and without fear, will one be able to gauge the effectiveness and the impact of this entire rebranding exercise and the experience that the airline is delivering to its travellers. Any rebranding exercise requires a large budget outlay for the communication and for engaging with the audience. So, it will take some time before we get to know as to how this rebranding has helped Go Air to strengthen its brand equity with its new product offerings.
To gauge how effective the branding exercise will be, Adgully spoke to some industry experts to get their views. Commenting on the rebranding, Ambi MG Parameswaran, Brand Strategist & Founder, Brand-Building.com, said that he was surprised to see the brand name change announced by Go Air during a national lockdown. “It is likely that they went in for this during this lean period so that when skies open up, they are ready with a new look airline. That said, I am not sure what their strategy will be since they are a No. 4 operator after Indigo, Spice and Vistara. I suspect they are looking at a strategy rejig to become an aggressive low-cost airline. Let us wait and see how this story unfolds.”
Giving her expert opinion as someone who has been part of several rebranding exercises, Ashwini Deshpande, Co-founder, Director, Elephant, remarked, “When I noticed the Go Air rebranding announcement in newspapers, I did a double take. Is a budget airline transforming into exclusive First Class only airline? That was a bold move I thought. And then I read the finer print.
A budget airline is becoming an ultra-low-cost carrier, but calling itself First! That was hard to process. There are certain values, features and price tags attached to the word ‘First’ in airlines parlance. An ULCC that would charge you for water, seat allocation and check-in baggage, calling itself First is an oxymoron. It is like announcing the dish as Butter Chicken and then declaring it has no Butter in it or perhaps no Chicken either!”
She further said, “I was also puzzled with the positioning. Promising the passengers that they come first after 15 years of flying makes me wonder what came first all these years. If I were to evaluate it as a visual identity change exercise, colour looks a bit fresher. ‘GO’ in big bold capital letters comes across as rather authoritative. The rays seem balanced but generic. Maybe there is some big business strategy behind the change that will reveal itself in time. But as of now, it looks like an exercise done in a hurry.”
During these times, brands are very cautious when it comes to any marketing spends or repositioning of brands. But Go Air had a different thinking on the rebranding front as they are working towards their IPO. Sharing his point of view on the rebranding, Vikram Gaikwad, Co-Founder & CCO, Underdog, said, “In times like this it is very onerous for the travel industry to hold out as everyone is busy bracing themselves to adapt to the new normal and that’s where I think a re-branding exercise like this helps an airline like Go Air to get back into the game with renewed confidence and perseverance. Go First seems to be ready to get in there with a new brand identity, which will help them put out their message clearly to their customers.”
On a personal note, I will always prefer Go Air over Go First in nomenclature and even in terms of design. I think they could have definitely done better as it doesn’t do justice to the category they operate in and makes them look like a budget airline, which I am pretty certain they are not. But at the end of the day, it is just another opinion and we will know in due course if this new avatar works for them or not.
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