Interesting to see how a company blog and responses to it can really impact a brand image. Southwest Airlines is a good example of this with the recent blog comments over its decision to put a bikini model’s picture on the side of one of its planes.
To see the blog comments back and forth go here and always keep in mind that a corporate blog and the comments, if they’re open, are considered fair game for coverage via the news.
One sample post to Southwest’s blog on this blog-brouhaha:
I agree with some posters, that i find this tacky and somewhat offensive. I am a twenty-something male, and I would not want to have to watch this plane pull up to the gate traveling with my young child, or mother, grandmother, etc. I know Southwest is known for its fun, laid back qualities but this is just completely inappropriate to plaster all over the side of the plane.
The whole thing is in poor taste, and I’m acutally sort of let down that Southwest, a company I really admire, would stoop this low.
And the great irony, as mentioned, is that Southwest would (rightfully) not permit anyone dressed this way to fly in their aircraft so as to not offend other customers. But somehow they don’t seem to mind offending their passengers from the outside of the aircraft.
Jim Dawson — Wed, 02/11/2009 – 14:57
