Airline magazines an effective means of consumer engagement

What’s a flight without the obligatory airline magazine tucked into the back of the seat in front of you? Of course, for many it’s merely a way to pass the time between take-off and the firing up of laptops. However, a quality airline magazine should hold your attention a little longer than that. Successful airline publications know their readers and what their interests are, catering for them by providing content that is not only informative, but presented in an attractive and engaging manner.

Shaun Pozyn, head of marketing for British Airways in SA, points out that the airline’s high life magazine (in SA high life South Africa) has proved to be a successful component of the brand, and the magazine’s success is due largely to the mix of local and international content it provides its readers. The magazine publishes its 50th edition this month.

Far from having a hit-and-miss approach, successful airline magazines take a strategic view, consistently reflecting the airline’s identity. They have an important role to play in the development of long-term relationships with customers. For high life South Africa, the key has been to bring together renowned contributors and photographers from all over the world; however, its distinctly African flavour and attitude ensures that it resonates with local readers.

The magazine is seen by more than 3m people every year, who spend an average of 35 minutes reading the publication. The approach of producing relevant content has paid dividends for British Airways, with readers reporting the magazine has made them feel more positive towards the brand –  32% have revealed that it has improved their perception of the airline and 39% have admitted to telling others about the content they read in the publication and recommending the airline as a result.

Local feedback has been similar: 80% of travellers on Comair (operated by British Airways) say they read high life South Africa, 76% of travellers rate it as a good read and 37% report they spend over 30 minutes reading it.

Locally relevant content has been an important element of the publication’s success. Half of the editorial material relates to SA and the African continent (52 pages of local content and advertising), while the remainder is taken from the global issue. In fact, high life South Africa has been so successful for British Airways as the first hybrid version of the brand, that a Mandarin version based on the same model was recently launched.

While airline publications come in many guises – some can hold your attention solely for those few restless moments before take-off while others may keep you involved for a good deal longer – one thing has been proven: they can certainly become an important extension of the brand experience, in some cases changing consumers’ perceptions and creating those all-important peer endorsements.

The big take-out: Successful airline magazines are well researched and provide a mix of locally relevant and entertaining international content. Those that do well become an important extension of the brand experience.