Southwest expands and rebrands

Published September 17, 2014 at 9:27 am

As a brand builds on its success over time, there may come a time when it has plans for expansion. Brand expansion can be a big move for a company, and as such, requires careful consideration. Marketers must be strategic when developing ways to appeal to new audiences while retaining loyalty and satisfaction with the original customer base.

A recent Adage article discusses the brand refresh that Southwest Airlines is undertaking as it plans to expand outside the United States. To accomplish this move successfully, Southwest is taking numerous steps, including making changes to its airport signage, tagline, and even the look of the planes themselves.

As Adage details, one of the key components of the company’s branding strategy has been an emphasis on its customer service and hospitality. However, as the airline develops its expansion plan, it intends to incorporate a more “professional and mature” element to its branding.

If you have plans to expand or alter your brand in any way, it’s worth giving this move careful consideration before implementing a new campaign. When you’ve already built a strong brand loyalty, changing may have an effect opposite of what was intended.

As Southwest’s chief marketing officer Kevin Krone told Adage, “We’ve always had a strong brand and we’ve had so much to work with, but we wanted make sure we protect the brand and treat it in the right way going forward.”

Expansion into new areas can be done successfully but you must be sure not to lose the things that created your customer loyalty in the first place. Automated marketing solutions can help you implement your next branding campaign across multiple channels.