Brand Management Assignment: Analysis On Qantas Brand Report Card

Question

Task: Use the information in the Brand Report Card by Kevin Lane Keller please select a brand from the list and write a brand management assignment answering the following 10 questions.

Using this link; https://hbr.org/2000/01/the-brand-report-card
Brand is; QANTAS
1. How does the brand excel at delivering the benefits customers truly desire
2. How does the brand stay relevant
3. How is the pricing strategy based on the consumers’ perception of value
4. Is the brand positioned properly
5. Is the brand consistent with their marketing program
6. Does the brand portfolio and hierarchy make sense
7. Does the brand make use and co-ordinates a full repertoire of marketing activities to build brand equity
8. Do you believe the brand understand what it means to the consumers e.g. “who am I
9. Do you believe the company who owns the brand or the brand itself offers proper
ongoing marketing programs to support the brand
10. In your opinion do you see evidence that the brand monitor’s its sources of brand equity

Answer

A 1: A business needs to add value to its services to become a brand. The first step towards generating brand value identified herein brand management assignment is the business strategy focused on differentiation. The scenario is not different in the case of Qantas – the leading Airline service of Australia. The company is an international service provider today. Though Qantas enjoys significant revenue from across the border, their root has always been firm in the native country, that is in Australia. This outward business strategy focusing on the local market and gradual expansion to the global market is one of their most potent weapons towards success. Their endless endeavor in excelling the local market has resulted in their present position as the most trusted airline service in Australia. The company has used this image as an essential marketing strategy for the international business partnership. Like any successful brand, they have focused on customers' convenience beyond the primary and conventional airline services. The company's slogan is 'The Spirit of Australia' (Thakshak, 2018). This slogan also bears evidence of their long-term goals. They have emphasized cultural representation through their business. The key business strategy of the airline depends on representing the hospitality of Australia. Thus, the company gains immediate psychological support from its shareholders and market, unlike their peers or rivals in the airline industry. Just as Starbuck wanted to represent a culture of coffee, Qantas also focused on cultural representation through commercial benefits. They have a customer-centric focus on business strategy for different market segments, including the corporate, upper-middle-class, and middle-class passengers. The brand has vertically integrated other parts of its services, appealing to the customers with their easy and convenient structure.

A 2: The key factors that make Qantas relevant are primarily intangible. Their service has been unquestionable in the domestic flagship carrier industry and beyond the borders where the company serves. These markets include the US, Europe, Asia, Middle East, and South Pacific regions. Variety and dynamism in their services make them more relevant to the changing markets. The company provides all kinds of aircraft and covers multiple segments of distance nationally and internationally (Thakshak, 2018). Qantas takes minute care of their customers' interests according to demographics. They have introduced modern technology in their services to match the demands of new generation customers. The company is known for its active part in research and development with a generous amount of investment. Their freight service is one of the most popular in the supply chain industry and corporations in Australia. The relevance of Qantas also comes from its dynamic pricing with varied loyalty programs for both individual and corporate customers. Since the dawn of its operation in 1920, the company has enjoyed sustainable growth without hurried strategic decisions. Intense analysis of the market is another major key to their success and relevance in the industry. Like all successful brands, Qantas has consistently upgraded its marketing and promotional strategies. They have been a significant sponsor for Australian events of Tourism Exchange and other similar programs that promote the nation's cultural superiority through hospitality.

A 3: Qantas maintains its cost-leadership besides differentiation successfully. Apart from their loyalty programs and customer-centric pricing for the target market of corporations, middle class, and upper-middle-class, they depend on dynamic pricing based on the four Ps of Marketing Mix. The company has widespread shareholders like the Pendal Group, AllianceBernstein LP, Norges Bank Investment, BlackRock, Wellington Management, etc. Qantas reflects on delivering desired share value to these shareholders. For this purpose, the brand maintains cost-leadership in its pricing strategy. They believe that the demand is inelastic mainly for the kind of services they offer. Except for some macro-environmental factors like the recent Covid-19 pandemic, the market usually stays in the same score. So, their common strategy is uniform pricing. Their services range from standard or 1st class to international business and international and premium economy class (Thakshak, 2018). For strategic pricing, the company also creates value in the subjective in-flight time of the passengers. In the case of freight service, the company makes a difference by sophisticated tracking updates. Hence, their product-based pricing attracts both domestic and international markets. The company is very particular about the demographic differences among its customers. Thus, they maintain both physical and digital systems of booking services. The brand is very clearly vocal about contemporary social issues in their native land and foreign markets. For instance, Qantas sponsors national games and speaks about equality in society through their advertising campaigns. Thus, the company's promotional strategy determines its price structure and acceptance in the market. These approaches are highly dependent on the consumers’ perception of value.

A4:Positioning in a dynamic market with a highly competitive environment is a continuous process. Qantas has been able to attain sustainability through its unique understanding of customers' perceptions about value. With desired Return of Investment (RoI), Gross Benefits, Debt-free Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, Reinvestment Growth, Customer Advocacy, and Employee Engagement, the company has made a mark in its growth and sustainable returns. Capacity Discipline and Dual Branding Strategy helps the company survive the fuel price hikes and remain moderate in their pricing margins (Heiets et al., 2021). The company’s Group operating margins are usually more market concerned than their peers across the borders. Some evidence of the same reflects through the company's new services like the introduction of Dreamliner Fleet, restructure of London network and hub, and introduction of the direct airline service between London-Perth. The company changes and modifies its aircraft according to its vertical integration strategy to ensure updated customers' satisfaction and security. By repeated testing and actions, the company can achieve the best possible cost-cutting at its expense. Thus, they generate minimal frills in the production process. Reduced frill again, delivers sustainable revenue and positioning. Some key driving forces in their strategic service include long-term objectives like understanding the geographical influence on customers' demand, rapid growth in digital commerce and data-driven decision-making, changing customer preferences with growing options, resource management, climate changes, etc. This contemporary approach in the product, marketing, and pricing strategy makes the brand more popular.

A 5:Qantas is not only sustainable but also highly flexible in its marketing, pricing, and productivity approaches. Flexibility adds to their consistency in the market globally, besides the national market. Despite steady growth in revenue and profit, the brand never grows static or stagnant. They are continuously researching and developing business strategies with a customer focus. They deliver some primary goals about striking the right balance between business continuity and change management for their peers and for any other brand in that matter. They focus on the dual-brand status by simultaneously analyzing and improving the Group Domestic Unit Revenue growth and the Domestic Margin. This approach also helps the brand deliver value to its shareholders (Heiets et al., 2021). Qantas has a sophisticated and disciplined approach to its capacity management. They grow and aid the Small and Medium Enterprises centering around the aviation industry for consistent profit and image-building in the domestic market. This strategy naturally adds to the Australian Gross Domestic Production (GDP), making the brand a major determinant of the nation's economic development and policies. Their continuous endeavor to extend the network and establish national and global leadership simultaneously helps the company retain a consistent appearance and relevance in the market. Qantas is also known for its significant investment in digital commerce for a smooth and hassle-free experience. The brand is also focusing on their business in the growing markets in Asia for a different global approach than their competitors. Fleet renewal, network, and Hub evaluation give them sustenance in changing business environments.

A 6:The brand value of Qantas also depends on its range and hierarchy of services. They do not rely on a single product line. The company has a vivid and customized product range for different markets. They believe in investing in customers, brands, data, and digital to create a unique sense of hierarchy and portfolio. The recent additions in Qantas' services include the Global Lounge Programme, Technology-enabled Journey, and Innovative Onboard Products. All of these product lines are developed with minute customer preferences in mind. The products bear the touch of modern and conventional hospitality to appeal to the consumers' psyche or their sense of value. Their unique marketing and advertising approaches with socially sensitive requests make the customers aware of their services and products (Heiets et al., 2021). Lending voice to social causes makes them connect easily with the new generation customers and the corporate entities. These strategies also help them in building a portfolio that attracts more shareholders of global repute. Thus, the brand consciously works on the collective conscience of the market to add to its popularity in terms of brand image. Naturally, the success in their portfolio is a blended approach with differentiation through unique ways and cost-leadership with the steady growth of revenue. Despite global reputation and profit, the company never tries to overburden its objectives to cover multiple services ranges. Their service and product strategy remain grounded in practical and plausible solutions. A7:Qantas works intelligently in building equity through its marketing activities. Their mission and vision statement, along with the slogan that reflects the superiority of Australian hospitality, make the immediate appeal to the market. It is also their way of promoting global cultural exchange in the current multi-cultural open market economy wave. They rely on both 'pull' and 'push' of marketing. By pull, they work on creating demand for a product before its launch. By push, they integrate the supply chain and utilize all possible resources to bring the product to the market and succeed in its sales. For both of these functions, the company relies on integrated marketing. Digital, modern, print and conventional ways of marketing in an integrated business environment help the brand achieve this goal. Qantas makes use of its human resources in this approach of equity. The company is one of the top ten corporations in terms of labor market preference in Australia. Best talents find it easy to work with them and deliver the best possible productivity (Csereklyei, & Stern, 2020) (Csereklyei, & Stern, 2020). Learning and development are always one of the most invested sectors of this company. Training and education sessions for internal and external stakeholders make them one of the most popular companies in stakeholders' engagement. The brand works in an exemplary way to promote fair work opportunity and ender equality as 35% of their workforce comprises women employees. As an employer, Qantas excels in compensation packages by adding labor welfare attributes to it. Parental leave, mental health care leave, and assistance, a voice against domestic violence are unique employer attributes. This culture of diversity and engagement brings better equity to them in turn.

A8:The record of Qantas as an employer and strategist in the dynamic market reflects on their managers' understanding of their objectives and the possible outcomes. By investing and developing training and education programs, the managers show their collaborative approach and leadership qualities. They create more leaders and maintain a fair administrative structure to promote a positive culture in the organization. Their understanding of the consumers' perspective about their products makes them more sensible about internal and external environments. They have been able to get the pulse of their target customers, and this understanding reflects in their human resource and marketing strategies. The company has a repeated presence in the global issues of sustainability and equality with an obvious message through advertising content (Csereklyei, & Stern, 2020). They align their products and service mainly according to the demographics, with special reference to geographical and political influence over social perceptions that directly reflect customers' demands and preferences. These minute considerations of customers and markets make Qantas a trustworthy brand for global consumers. For instance, when the brand supports the LGBTQ community through their advertising, they make their stand very clear for the worldwide audience (Winten et al., 2020). The best part about their leadership is their honesty in projecting who they are. Though honesty often comes with a penalty, for Qantas, it has always brought profit till now.

A 9: The brand has been getting proper support owing to its able and farsighted leadership and active employee engagement. They believe in collaborative decision-making. The very basic strategy of the brand makes them a sustainable entity in the market as they have never shown and hurried approach for a quick profit. Thus, their initial services only focus on the Australian market. They do an intense survey with the customers through integrated real-time communication channels for more accurate feedback on their services. After feedback analysis, they extend their service to other operating nations. Thus, they manage to earn shareholders' trust, adding more to their equity. Examples of this approach include Investment grade credit rating, generating ROIC return, a disciplined framework for financial calculations in a balanced scorecard approach, etc. The brand continuously tracks records of shareholders' returns and thus remains informed about each node of their vertically integrated system. Based on the results of these analyses, they offer buy-back to the shareholders, making it more attractive to invest in their business. Qantas utilizes the customers' data insights that they collected for the last 30 years (Winten et al., 2020). Their partnership with the retail business is strong and earns them support along with redeeming options. New ventures like Qantas Premier Credit Card and Qantas Insurance add further support through a diversified earning stream. Their penetration is remarkable with the as high engagement of the population as half of the Australian population in their program. The scenario makes an intense depiction of success in their loyalty business. As a result of this farsighted leadership, the company generates more than 80% profit pool from less than 2/3rd capacity share, as per their recent annual report.

A10: Given all the successful strategies adopted by Qantas, there is little doubt about the brand’s approach in monitoring the sources of brand equity. They perform in-depth studies on brand auditing and tracking. They keep a detailed brand inventory to track their marketing strategy and potential outcomes from immediate and remote stakeholders. Periodic brand audits reflect in their detailed report of progress in annual evaluation sheets. Integrated communication and employee engagement help the managers get an accurate picture of the brand's marketing success. Like other successful corporations with multinational extension, Qantas also diverts and controls customers' perceptions in the desired ways to make their products and services more desirable to the market. The best part of the strategy is the competition with their achievements each year. This approach helps them in steady growth. Strategic partnership and shares make them the most profitable airline business in Australia, leaving the key competitors behind. The company's core profit remains highest, while the shareholders like the Virgin Australia Domestic, Jester group, Tigerair Australia add to their profit margin in variable proportions (Winten et al., 2020). Their prioritisations for the coming sessions include diversification and growth, focus on people, culture, leadership, Qantas and Jester's alignment with Asia's growth, maximizing domestic growth, and building resilient Qantas International, etc., suggestive of their evaluation and monitoring of sources for brand equity.

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