Strikes, IT failures, customer unrest: can BA pull out of this nosedive?
The Guardian
The carrier is trading on past glories with glitzy ads that fail to reflect years of cost-cutting. But the firm insists it is investing for change.
The recent TV advert celebrating British Airways’ 100th anniversary was framed as a love letter to Britain, narrated by national treasures such as artist Grayson Perry, astronaut Helen Sharman and a phalanx of sporting stars.“We love you, Britain,” gushes Oscar-winner Olivia Colman. ,The problem for BA is that neither Britain, nor the rest of the world, appears to love it back.
With strikes looming, and amid operational failures, high-profile rows and customer dissatisfaction, BA will have to hope that its multibillion-dollar investment in quality of service will soon start to pay off.
According to branding guru Mark Borkowski, glossy celebrity-fronted advertising campaigns won’t do the trick on their own. “If a brand is going to change, it has to change from the top, from people really wanting to do it, and most of the posturing BA has done about who and what it is just isn’t authentic.
According to branding guru Mark Borkowski, glossy celebrity-fronted advertising campaigns won’t do the trick on their own. “If a brand is going to change, it has to change from the top, from people really wanting to do it, and most of the posturing BA has done about who and what it is just isn’t authentic.
“The advert initiatives don’t match the brand and what it delivers. They just make us realise what BA once was and no longer is. You can’t advertise yourself out of a bad reputation.”