Media coverage of party steering wheel could damage Sunwing’s brand image, some experts say. As for the passengers, they aroused discontent and mockery, damaging their reputation.
A priori, drunk people who defy the sanitary rules on an airplane, it is not very flattering for the carrier Sunwing. “It can lead to questions. How come we allowed these people to charter a plane? Under what conditions? Did they have the right to do so? », Explains Jean-Jacques Stréliski, professor in the marketing department of HEC Montreal.
Future passengers may wonder about the application of security measures on board Sunwing aircraft. It’s hard to say if the company’s brand image will suffer or if the event will deter customers.
“Only the future will tell. There is an investigation and for the moment, Sunwing’s reaction has been correct following the events, ”he continues. Refusing to bring them back to Montreal is a very good way to catch the ball and assure the public that the situation is taken seriously.
It sends a clear message from the airlines: get by. They are in trouble and stuck in Mexico.
Jean-Jacques Stréliski, professor in the marketing department of HEC Montreal
The whole will affect the credibility of the influencers and television personalities present on board, summarizes Mr. Stréliski. “These people did not come out of the woods. Potential sponsors may decide not to partner with them. ”
Loss of control
The strong indignation caused by this air show splashes the brand image of Sunwing, judge Martine St-Victor, general manager of Edelman Montreal. Allow a group of party deprived of chartering an aircraft is already problematic. “We give the impression that the time of a flight or a trip, we live in a parallel world where the pandemic and its restrictions no longer exist. Airlines are having a hard time, but have spoken in solidarity with healthcare workers.
Passengers were given access to alcohol and were able to move freely around the plane without a mask.
Not being able to enforce the rules on an airplane when we are all making efforts at home, it gives the impression that we cannot manage the overflows.
Martine St-Victor, General Manager of Edelman Montreal
The controversy and media attention will not scratch the Sunwing brand, thinks Stéphane Mailhot, of Havas Montreal. “Ultimately, if they had reacted badly, we could have had a crisis management problem. But they decried the situation. A certain air solidarity was established when other carriers refused to bring the group back to Montreal.
“Yes, that may raise questions about the ratio of flight attendants to passengers with customers. They quickly made it known that this is a chartered, non-commercial flight. ”
Tarnished passenger image
What about the career of passenger influencers?
This controversy does not bode well, says Mailhot. “Besides, I don’t know why they are called influencers. They do not all seem very well known. ”
Whether they are pseudo-influencers or not, the controversy will have tarnished their image.
“When you use influencers, you want them to associate their own person with a product. It is certain that being publicized like that will not be well seen. ”
“The thing that shocks people the most is that it’s happening at a time when everyone is locked up and hospitals are overflowing. From the point of view of public opinion, this is very damaging. ”