It’s about a month since Vanessa Hudson was given control. Apart from a glossy PR video depicting the new CEO smiling and laughing with some members of the Qantas team, it doesn’t feel as though Hudson is leveraging the significant opportunity that came with succeeding the ever-perky, Irish mathematician who eventually caved to public opinion and left earlier than anticipated.
There is no denying the Qantas brand has taken a hammering in recent years. Ghost flights, questionable executive remuneration schemes, Chairman’s Club access for the PM’s son, lost luggage, cancelled flights, disgruntled cabin crews and purported lobbying of the government over Qatar’s landing spots.
If you were to look for a common thread fuelling the public’s dissatisfaction, much of it would boil down to one thing: Trust. And as any good marketer knows a lack of trust is catastrophic for any brand. But when you’re the national carrier with Virgin nipping at your heels domestically and Qatar pushing hard for greater international access, declining trust can be terminal.
Against such a backdrop, it’s odd Hudson et al has adopted such a bullish stance with the ACCC over the issue of ‘ghost flights’. Yet, this is precisely what’s playing out. In a media statement, the airline acknowledges it has let customers down. It even goes as far as to say “mistakes were made”. But, here comes the sting. The statement concludes “airlines can’t guarantee specific times”. Handy to know the next time you need to be interstate for a meeting, right?
If loyal Qantas customers were expecting some sort of flight path to redemption, they’d be sadly disappointed, Rather this is increasingly feeling like a runway to perdition.
What Qantas needs most now is to regain the trust of those who have had to endure the Airline’s many mistakes since Australia emerged from the lockdowns of the pandemic.
For a new CEO this is the opportunity of a lifetime to admit where her predecessor got it wrong and outline how the brand will win back the trust of the nation. Don’t expect some quick sugar-hit, though and a beautifully produced 60-second TVC won’t cut it.
Brand building is strategic. Patience is pivotal.
Interestingly, when recent news emerged that Qantas has decided to fight the ACCC over the hotly contested matter of ‘ghost flights’ its share price went up. This should not be cause to rejoice. Although, it does highlight the perennial challenge with different stakeholders. Whilst Qantas employees, frequent flyers and erstwhile travellers tired of how Joyce ran the airline, institutional shareholders applauded it.
Qantas needs to focus on re-engaging its 32,000 strong workforce and get its 14 something million frequent flyers trusting it again. Becoming embroiled in a lengthy and ongoing tussle with the ACCC may get some of the financial community high-fiving the Airline’s C-Suite, but few others will be inspired by its litigious behaviour.
A final, peculiar twist to ‘Life After Alan’ is Hudson’s choice of advisor to magic up some sort of way of boosting trust for Qantas. BCG (Boston Consulting Group) has been tasked with getting the Airline out of a terminal-trust-death-spiral. It’s an unusual choice. Management consultancies tend to ‘think’ their way around a problem, whereas creative agencies are more predisposed to ‘feeling’ their way through an issue.
What the Qantas brand needs most now is the latitude to emotionally reconnect with all those who have felt wronged by it in recent years. A functionally-led, emotionally-bereft, consultant driven construct is unlikely to spark the healing process required to rekindle favourable feelings amongst customers and employees.
It’s been a while since I’ve heard anyone refer to Qantas as ‘Our airline’. Yet, this shouldn’t preclude Qantas’ leadership team from pursuing such an ambition. Now is the time for greater transparency, more genuine engagement and substantially higher humility.
Australians want to feel good about Qantas. They want to feel that ‘Spirit of Australia’ when settling back into their seat at a foreign destination as they commence the long trek home. Surely that’s the domain of creative mindsets not the capabilities of Suits at BCG?
Customers don’t want more of the same antics from the last few years.
Customers don’t want obstinance.
And, Customers definitely don’t want to see a protracted, drawn-out dispute with ACCC getting caught up in the minutia of whether a flight was cancelled or it just “not being on time”.
Hudson. Qantas. Sit up and take note. Get out of the Lounge and acknowledge it is time to fly high again.
Nick Foley is director of Intangify
