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WestJet’s Approach to Social Media

From The Ground Up

Prepared by Jonathan Bagg

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Award-winning use of social media

Best Viral Campaign 2014Christmas Miracle Video

Best Customer Service 2013

Best Activity Generating Brand Awareness 2014Best Activity Generating Brand Volume 2014Best Use of Social Media 2014

Simpliflying Best Airline on Social Media 2014 (Finalist)

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Current Presence and Reach

Facebook (Page Likes)

Twitter (Followers)

0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000

Likes/Followers

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Current Presence and Reach

YouTube (Subscriptions)

Instagram

LinkedIn

0 10,00020,00030,00040,00050,000

Followers/Subscribers

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Branded Participants• WestJet has blurred the lines between corporate

entity, employee and loyal customers to create a we’re-all-in-this-together community (a.k.a WestJetters).• Components of an internal and external brand

religion.• Together, they share the stories of WestJet. From

everyday service, to CSR and employee initiations.• This has a strong humanizing effect. Something

its many of its competitors have difficulty with.• Provides a strong sense of authenticity to its

brand and CSR initiatives.

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Employee participationEmployees empowered to contribute positively to the company reputations, guided by a not-overly prescriptive social media policy.

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Employee participation“It is in a company’s own best interests to behave ethically and talk candidly. Shinning that kind of light on a company where people work hard, believe in what they do, in a manner of which they can be proud will pay dividends to that organization.” (Holtz, 2009)

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Executive involvement• CEO is often a part

of communications activities, but actively shares the limelight.

• WestJet takes time to highlight regional events/activities.

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Customers engage with brand

Many customers see themelves as WestJetters

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Customers engage with brandLoyal customers are a part of the fun experience.

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Customers engage with brand

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Voice: Keeping it personal

Personal touch gives a sense that every guest is important.

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CSR and Emotional Appeal• Provides fuel to an engaged social

audience.• Underlying this is the actual CSR, but

also good creative and video production to capture emotions, not just numbers.• Extends interaction with stakeholders

beyond brand-based messaging.• Demonstrates WestJet’s values.

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Good CSRAlso tells the stories of its passengers.

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• Christmas Miracle: 41M+ views for first video, 3M+ for second.• Entertaining, feel good – provides

positive exposure well beyond customer base.• Drives revenue: bookings in the

period following the Christmas Miracle video increased 77 per cent and revenue increasing 86 per cent from the prior year.

CSR and Emotional Appeal

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Use of humour

• Keeps many looking forward to the next time “WestJet does it again”.

• Speaks to people wanting to have fun and associates fun with the brand. No frill flying doesn’t have to mean no fun flying.

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Use of humour

The April Fool’s videos, which are associated with a single-day sale, bring in millions in revenue.

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Embracing the Negative• Social environments are inherently

challenging for airlines.• Delays due to weather, equipment

issues and security concerns can be outside the control of an airline.• Cost of flying, while relatively low, can

still be a sizeable portion of individual’s discretionary income and business budgets.• Result = high attribution to airline when

things don’t go as planned for travellers.

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Embracing the Negative• WestJet’s social team is quick to provide

customer service through social outlets, often resolving issues through these channels.• Uses its fun and friendly tone to

acknowledge everything can’t always be perfect and show they are human.• WestJetters Read Tweets a prime

example.

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Embracing the Negative

Most issues responded to within minutes.

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Embracing the Negative

When service can’t be perfect or conditions are less than ideal, they make exceptions.

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Making sure feedback goes full circle

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Embracing the Negative• Great, sincere and humouristic effect of having employees and leaders read real tweets – both good and bad.• Call to action encouraging people to engage them on social with the WestJet hashtag.

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Responding to issuesWestJet Flight 2154 – January 10, 2015.

Vancouver to Puerto Vallarta.

Transponder is squawking the hijack code according to public radar tracking service.

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Responding to issues –Flight 2154

• At least20 additional tweets were issued directly to followers with #WS2154.

• Many more without the #.

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Responding to issues Flight 2154

Quick response gets noticed.

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Responding to crisis• Pearson and other airports shutdown due to Polar Vortex

on morning of January 7, 2014. Causes domino effect across the system that would last days.

• Not WestJet’s decision, but some attribution nonetheless, especially with jammed customer service lines.

• Airline takes ownership and commits to doing whatever it takes, including chartering additional aircraft (that’s expensive).

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Polar Vortex Continued.

Regularly updated blog.

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Responding to crisisWhen people know you’re doing your best, they tend to be less negative.

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Operational informationConsistently provide useful information for passengers.

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Engaging promotionsGive publics an incentive to participate.

Limit one-way advertising.

Don’t force people to spam their own networks to participate

#BlueTag offers exclusive to social. An added incentive to follow.

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Lessons• Have enough resources and train them to use

social. Have a social media policy in place.• Promote your culture and values in all that

you do. • Create really good content. Capture the

stories and emotions behind charitable activities, not just cheque presentations.• Get a variety of voices involved in your effort,

including the front lines and customers.• Speak to your publics in their language.

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Opportunities• Integrate single sign-on into booking engine.• More interactive campaigns to strengthen

relationships. (For example, encouraging people to share images, which WestJet can retweet).• Opportunity to more actively put a spotlight

on customers.• Is there an opportunity to create more

French content?• Move to 24/7 customer service coverage on

Twitter.