Christi McNeill

Surprise and delight

This video is from

BlogWellSan FranciscoJune 20, 2011

socialmedia.org/blogwell

SocialMedia.orgCase Studies

This presentation is from

BlogWellDallas

February 19, 2014socialmedia.org/blogwell

What Is It?

• The act of surprising Customers with the sole intention of creating delight!

– Freebies and Goodies

– Above and Beyond Service

– Memorable Experiences

Quick Question:

What is the most delightful thing Southwest Airlines could do for you on your next flight?

Tweet the answer to @SouthwestAir use hashtag #BlogWell

Why?

• Opportunities exist everywhere!

• Something unexpected makes people curious and interested

• Empowers Employees to be decision makers and do the right thing.

• Minimal investment but huge return!

History of Valentine’s Day @ Southwest

• Heroes of the Heart

• Gate decorating

• Free cocktails

• Valentine’s flair

LUV is in our DNA!

Valentine’s Day 2014

Southwest has always been known as the LUV airline. In fact, our NYSE symbol is LUV. Our home base is Love Field.

How can we continue to “own the holidays” in fun and relevant ways for our Customers?

How can we guarantee that our Customers feel the LUV?

The Project:

Planning began in December 2013. We knew we needed to find a way to surprise and delight our fans and Customers

• We approved the budget to surprise Customers in DAL, HOU, and DEN with $500 Southwest Airlines Gift Cards.

• We secured the multimedia resources to bring these surprises to life.

• Wrote storyboards and concepts, but really had no idea how our Customers would react…but they loved it!

The Video

• The traveling mom, the military hero, the married couple, the long distance lovers…all stories captured in just 24 hours of filming in 3 cities.

• Life happens on our planes!

The Launch

• We posted the video at 6am Friday morning to Facebook.

• Our Facebook fans had the opportunity to win Southwest Gift Cards as well – this just sweetened the deal for online fans!

• We pitched the story to news media all across the nation and secured several placements.

The Results

• Our highest video views in a single day – ever!

• Overwhelmingly positive response from our fans and Employees.

• Sense of pride and ownership from Employees.

A Few Quick Tips…

• Have the right people in the right positions to make decisions.

• Equip your field reporters

• Look for story ideas

• Plan ahead (have a budget and resources set aside for activations).

Learn more about past and upcoming BlogWells

socialmedia.org/blogwell

This video is from

BlogWellSan FranciscoJune 20, 2011

socialmedia.org/blogwell

SocialMedia.orgCase Studies

This presentation is from

BlogWellDallas

February 19, 2014socialmedia.org/blogwell