Technological Issues

In the early 2000’s, there was a rapid influx of technological advancements and issues that altered the way in which people and companies adapted to and used technology. Some of the technological issues and advancements included;

Fuel Costs as a Technological Issue

The rise of the electronic and technological era in the early 21st century and the effects of the oil crisis had pushed aviation companies to enhance their technological advancements in order to make profits from high fuel costs and attract customers despite high ticket prices. The oil crisis has caused dramatic improvements in fuel efficiency in all industrial sectors. The aviation sector, airlines and aircraft manufacturers have made significant efforts to improve fuel efficiency through advanced jet engines, high lift wing designs, and lighter airframe materials (Popular Mechanics, 2009).

Over the years, the aviation industry has celebrated and retired numerous iconic airline models that reshaped the industry and flying experience. New aircraft designers might seek to consume less fuel, generate more power, and take advantage of lighter-weight designs from engine developers. For example, the Boeing 747 went into service in the early 1970s, at a time of major societal change (Smith, 2020). It drove exponential growth in air travel, tourism, and connections between people around the world. In the peak of the economic and oil crisis, a fully-loaded 747 cut the cost of flying a passenger by half - making flying instantly more accessible for all. The Boeing 747 strategic design makes the engine quieter, more powerful, and with better fuel efficiency (CNN Travel, 2019)

Similarly, the Airbus A380 became a world-leading yet polarising aircraft. Although being the largest commercial airplane with renowned space and incredibly smooth ride, the overall commercial failure of the model comes as a shock to airlines who have capitalized on its features (The Point Guys, 2019). With the ability to seat 800 passengers, the A380 also features less turbulence, cleaner air, luxurious seating cabins, four engines, affordable efficiency, and constant durability in harsh climates (Engine Alliance, n.d). In addition, the A380 cockpit is much quieter and comfortable, efficient, and less fatigued compared to its biggest competitors (The Point Guys, 2019). When comparing the A380 and 747 cockpits, it is immediately evident that the A380 is more technologically advanced as it has two large screen monitors and a simple dashboard control system. Whereas, the 747 has no monitor screen and a very outdated and complex dashboard.

Figure 22: World famous A380 cockpit (left) vs 747 cockpit (right)

How Emirates Airlines leveraged the technological issue of Fuel Cost in their AIMC

Despite the economic strains of the oil crisis and the rapid rise of society’s need for entertainment due to the ease of television and the internet, Emirates Airlines has been able to keep up with technological burdens and also be a trailblazer for in-flight technological advancements. Emirates Airlines has always aimed to be ahead of the game in offering top-tier comfort and innovation. This led to the airlines being the first to sign up for the Airbus A380. However, not all airlines have succeeded at utilizing the A380. Emirates Airlines is one of the rare airlines to have chosen a strategy of only operating two aircraft types. The main reason that this strategy works for Emirates is its operating model (Hayward, 2021). Emirates' business strategy involves funneling large masses of people to its palatial home base in Dubai and dispatching them to various destinations around the world. This operational strategy is something that has not been achievable for many of its competitors. As a result, Emirates and its centrally located-Dubai base have become a gateway — connecting Europe and North America with Africa and Asia (Zhang, 2016).

More so, Emirates Airlines maximized their A380’s by making them the leading star of their branding and advertising campaigns. Not only are the key features, such as the double-decker design, exquisite first-class bar area, luxurious comfort, and unexpected spaciousness of the economy class, of the A380 extremely appealing to a wide range of flyers but the affordability for such features while being compared to their competitors makes it a worthwhile expense.

In addition, Emirates Airlines takes its stellar services and features to new levels by offering the world’s leading in-flight entertainment system. ICE (Information, Communication, Entertainment) is the in-flight entertainment system operated by Emirates. Introduced in 2003, ICE is available on all new aircraft and now features 4,000 channels to all passengers. ICE provides passengers with a direct data link to BBC News and the ability to email. The ICE system includes movies, music, and video games. ICE offers over 600 on-demand movie titles, over 1000 hours of music. ICE can be accessed in more than 40 languages (Zhang, 2016).

Figure 23: Emirates Airlines ICE

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Emirates Airline’s campaigns centered around their iconic A380 and ICE features depict the elegance, comfort, and space of the cabin. An advertising campaign featuring Jennifer Aniston shows her navigating the luxurious first-class all the way to the spacious economy class, where it is so comfortable she decided to stay there. The campaign thoroughly captures the essence and feeling of experience Emirates through their innovation and attention to technological details.

Copy Platform for the advertisement above:

The issue to address:

Flying on a plane, especially in economy, can be seen as tiring, uncomfortable, and boring for long periods of time. However, Emirates A380 is a one-of-a-kind that makes dreams and comfort come true, even in the economy.

Communication objective:

To gain awareness from those who have a preference for comfort, luxury, and travel at ease.

Target audience:

Travelers who want to travel for money’s worth. They value comfort no matter what seating class their ticket is. Targeting individuals who prefer luxury but also families with kids who travel in the economy but require comfort and space. Adults whose income is middle to upper-middle class.

Compelling benefit:

Allows passengers to travel in comfort and ease with luxurious entertainment, food, and space whether in the economy, business or first class.

Creative strategy:

Utilizes authoritative figure, Jennifer Aniston, who is a renowned celebrity and is a trustworthy opinion leader. The advert also uses comic relief and humor to appeal to the viewers. The humor is used to showcase the plane's comfort and services. The video campaign also focuses on many visual cues that highlight the luxurious services and features available on the flight.

Storyline:

Jennifer embarks on a fun journey with a young boy as she takes him from the first-class cabin back to his family in the economy. During their time together exploring, the audience is exposed to the luxurious bars, double-decker stairs, entertainment services, and spacious economy. More so, for the sense of humor, the boy tells Jennifer how he dreams of being a pilot but only on the Emirates A380 as it is the best. When asked to return to her seat in first class, Jennifer states that she is more than comfy in the economy section. At the end of the advert, the young boy says that when he is a pilot, the flights will be even faster to which Jennifer says “That’s a shame, it’s so nice up here”.

Figure 24: Emirates Airlines A380 Advert featuring Jennifer Anniston

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Emirates Airlines in-house team & WPP’s Team Air

How Etihad Airways leveraged the technological issue of Fuel Cost in their AIMC

With the development of first and business class seats, we began to see reclining Business class seats and enclosed private partitions in First class in the early 2000’s. Soon, Singapore Airlines and Emirates introduced luxuries like booking a chef-prepared meal onboard, transforming First/Business Class seats into proper beds, and hot showers. But nothing prepared the aviation and traveling community when Etihad Airways launched “The Residence by Etihad”. It was a total innovation in luxury commercial flights that challenged all other First Class Cabins. It is a luxury living space (125 square foot residences) available on certain Airbus A380 flights in and out of Abu Dhabi. It consists of two separate areas: a lounge and a proper bedroom. More so, each Residence book comes with a personal butler trained by Savoy. The Residence provides a full suite with a lounge area with a TV and a separate sleeping chamber with a bed, but in comparison, Qatar Airways first class only provides an elongated seating space that faces towards a TV-screen. Although spacious and modern like most of its competitors, it is no match to The Residence by Etihad Airways.

Figure 25: Etihad Airways “Residence” (left) vs Qatar Airways First Class (right)

Even from its early years, Etihad Airways has been recognized for its premium class and services, being awarded various titles such as Best First Class Award, Best First Class Seat, and Best First Class Catering titles in various years from 2010 onwards. Etihad Airways. Etihad has successfully positioned itself as a customer-service focused and innovative airline by providing special treatments as part of their key unique selling proposition and brand positioning such as;

Complimentary Six Senses Spa preflight treatment for all its First and Business Class passengers.
Complimentary limousine transfers for every passenger booked on a First or Business Class ticket departing from select cities.
Christian Lacroix-branded amenity kits and sleepwear. The perks that were exclusive to First and Business class are now available to Economy class passengers, at a price.

In their first major global campaign advertisement, you can see the way in which Etihad blends imagery that evokes elegance and luxury through innovation while backing their service with the fact that they are credible in their statement due to their awards (mentioned above). The advert focuses on the ability for Etihad to reach all places in the world, truly being a leading airline for exciting destinations as they name various locations and add easily recognizable imagery to match. Throughout the advert, the narrator and music create a voice and ambiance of elegance, calmness and luxury- key to their branding imagery and messaging.

Figure 26: Etihad Airways first global campaign video

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Similarly to Emirates Airlines celebrity endorsements, a few years later, we see Etihad Airways catch-up to Emirates Airlines in 2015 (present era). In comparison, the Flying Reimagined advert that features talented actress Nicole Kidman, is more driven by creating a poetic, innovative and elite ambiance in their A380 Airbus.

Copy Platform for the above advertisement:

Issue to be addressed:

People do not need to settle in life, or just survive to make ends meet. Etihad wants people to indulge in the best while they have the opportunity too since life is priceless and will end.

Communication objective:

To gain awareness from those who have a preference for comfort, luxury and travel at ease.

Target audience:

The advert is speaking to those who do not feel content with the life they have. They want to achieve more, explore more, and have more, by experiencing and creating what hasn’t been done before. Targeting travellers who are ready to spend lots of money for a first-class experience. Targeting upper-class income.

Compelling benefit:

You are getting world-class and elite experience with a team of highly-trained and skilled individuals.

Creative strategy:

Using poetic and emotive language and wording. The music and speed of speech is slow and dramatic to build up a mysterious and luxurious ambiance. The words used focus on innovation, perfection, luxury. Visuals are detail rich and high-quality. The music used is quite traditional to the Arab region and connects viewers to the culture of UAE.

Storyline:

Throughout the advert, we are given intricate visuals of Nicole Kidman in various cities around the world, in the famous Etihad first-class Residence, fancy gourmet food, innovative technology, and more. The video aims to capture the pure luxury and elitism of the Etihad first-class experience.

Figure 27: Etihad Flying Reimagined advert featuring Nicole Kidman