I have always believed that marketing is nothing but propaganda, a propaganda without fear. One of the basics of propaganda is what is known as KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. The past week saw IndiGo do away with its Fast Forward service in its current form. While a separate counter at the airport will continue, the service won’t include the promise of baggage coming out first.
Of the multiple add-ons on offer for IndiGo, none offers “bags out first” with this change coming into effect. The service offerings are interesting after the change. A priority check-in and anytime boarding would cost INR 325, there is a Seat + Snack combo, ability to add a meal combo (with juice / coke served in glass) and a 6E prime service which includes Priority check-in, anytime boarding, seat selection (except XL seats) and a snack combo which starts INR 899 as per the airlines website.
Airlines in India have been experimenting with ancillary revenue over the years and the same is true with food. As in the case of IndiGo where its new announcement actually curtails a service, similar to its new menu which was a curtailment of menu.
With many first time fliers, are airlines looking at regulars for these services? On the ground – in other industries, the cross-selling of services happens mostly with new customers and that is because they are unaware of the services.
For an airline, a fast forward is for those who know the mess at the counters, a pre-booking of the meal is a wise spending decision if the meal will come early and the choice of seat is important for someone on the move.
This takes me back to KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid which is clearly missing in the booking flow and the messaging. SpiceJet in its early days of SpiceMAX was to the point with what 4 things one would get if you paid for the service. A plethora of services on offer is actually a bad proposition and confusing for the customer. Sadly, SpiceJet of today is a small percentage of what it once was and IndiGo does not technically have a competitor in the country. With that set to change over the next two years and Air India Express coming up with formidable competition – the winner will be the one who can KISS!
I have said this multiple times in isolation but it is time to say it again! You cannot beat IndiGo by copying IndiGo and only IndiGo can defeat IndiGo. Ponder over the two statements and you would know the importance of KISS!
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