On Time in Style

When low cost airlines first started operations in India the main differences between these and existing airlines was that they cost less and did not serve food on board. The existing airlines were then given the tag of full service airlines to distinguish them from the low cost airlines. Over the years the number of low cost airlines increased, the full service airlines also joined the bandwagon by introducing low cost services of their own. However most of the advertising in this category was all about communicating the low fares and there seemed to be little effort in brand building. Today the need is to not just to distinguish low cost ones from the full service ones but to also distinguish and differentiate one low cost from the other, after all air passengers have got used to the low cost concept by now. What do air passengers expect? Punctuality, surely! This applies to all airlines, full service or low cost; Indigo Airlines in their current TV campaign have addressed the importance of being on time.



The TV commercial has been executed very stylishly and it does not give one an impression that it is a low cost airline; it is truly an attention grabbing commercial and to my mind it surely stands out in a situation where every domestic airline is crying out for attention. The message conveyed single-mindedly is that everything about Indigo Air is “On Time”. Thus the airline has projected itself as a reliable airline. The commercial is a good effort in image building and I think it has been successful in removing any negative feeling associated with a low cost airline.