Giving low-cost an other look
We helped XL, the UK based travel and leisure group, create their repositioned brand. In an industry split between cheap fares with a travel experience that cuts every possible corner and expensive fares that include various perks that don’t justify the price-tag, XL offers an alternative. Holiday travel has gone through an accelerated process of commoditisation. Passengers are no longer excited by low fares as these are now the norm. Additionally, passengers are increasingly aware that a cheap airline ticket often comes with the expensive price of an experience so bad, it either brings you exhausted to your destination or eclipses any positive holiday memories on the way back.
“Having an aircraft as a canvas is a designer’s dream,” Says Niqui Harwood, who created the new identity together with designer Andrew Morris, “but when XL approached us, we knew we wanted to create something truly special. They have a great product, and a bafflingly dedicated team. We wanted to give them a brand that can leverage those invaluable assets, bring across who they are and help them stand for something.”
“We wanted to give our product an identity that will embody our strong commitment to customer experience, and not just a generic airline identity,” says Alyna Trotman, In-flight Director, XL. “Our new identity conveys that in a way that is both meaningful and beautiful.”“We believe that truly great brands are created when the best authentic qualities of the client are brought out through the marketing communication efforts – from the basic brand identity to every touch point.” says Uri Baruchin, lead consultant on the project. In order to leverage the authentic power of the XL spirit, Brandinstinct conducted a series of workshops with senior management and key employees who influence the brand. The workshops uncovered the psychological needs that are addressed by holidays, and how the holiday experience is affected by the flight.
“’Holiday’ and ‘travel’ are incredibly robust notions. Unfortunately, we find the airline industry adopts universal themes and applies them in an overused, generic and clichéd manner. We wanted to unearth the unique worldview of the XL audience, and were driven by finding specific concepts that leverage the brand
to tap common values between the company and its customers.” says Daniel Gomez, consultant.The result of this process is a brand identity that is larger than the sum of its parts.“One of the pre-requisites of the brief was to keep the colour blue from the old identity. This was challenging, because blue is probably the most commonly used corporate colour in the world,” says Andrew. “Our solution was to create a series of blue shades combined in a unique graphic language that is immediately recognisable, ownable, and echoes the soothing watery textures of XL’s beach destinations”.
The industry is currently split between low-price low-experience fares and the ‘premium carriers’, who battle to justify their inflated price-tag. XL are positioning themselves to deliver a clear alternative. The design solution had to avoid being middle-of-the-road, and define a balance that consumers could easily identify. The airline has taken on the challenge in a manner that that can finally put great value and great design on equal footing.” Martin Lock, Managing Director for XL.com summarises: “Thanks to the collaborative process, we feel the new brand solves a lot of operational design challenges without compromising the creative output. I was very impressed by the chemistry between the strategy and design people on the Brandinstinct team. We also found our team at XL Airways was constantly kept updated on developments and we were able to give feedback which was helpful to the end designs.”