Jet, Kingfisher in global brand push

Mumbai: In times of adversity, strong brands survive. And aviation brands such as Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Lufthansa are testimony to this.

Little wonder then, that Indian aviation biggies Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines are planning to make a splash in the international arena with mega brand campaigns.
Sources said that their advertising kitty is pegged at over Rs 100 crore each. Recently, Jet and Kingfisher, India’s two biggest private carriers, awarded their advertising accounts to two of the largest international advertising networks.
Jet Airways roped in Interpublic Group (IPG) to handle its advertising. IPG is setting up a separate wing called Altitude, under the McCann World Group in India, to help Jet fly high. Hot on the heels, Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines roped in WPP Plc-owned JWT.

The airline’s international operations have had a sound start. In fact, the Naresh Goyal-owned airline was second only to Singapore Airlines in a ‘Best Airline’ survey in the United Kingdom.
Sudheer Raghavan, chief commercial officer, Jet Airways, said the company is now developing a huge brand campaign. “When Jet went international, our initial focus was on the Indian diaspora. Now that we have established some amount of critical mass there, our brand communication should now help us address the broader spectrum,” he added.

26/08/08 Nirmal John/DNA MONEY/Sify


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