Executive summary
This is a business report on the advertising at Emirates Group. It entails the Group’s strategies and activities on passenger communication, visual services, and advertising. The report discusses the activities of advertising, which include, budgeting factors based on the ROI and accountability, Information, Communications, Entertainment (ICE), flight Passenger Communications, Onboard information, cabin crew communications, and the Digital Communications Unit. Recommendations regarding the improvements in the activities of the corporate communications department are also discussed with a conclusion on the effective advertising activities.
Advertising
Advertising is an essential branch in company management that functions to communicate company concerns, products, services, and ideas to respective consumers in the best way possible. At Emirates Group, advertising is necessary and ensures all the Group concerns spread effectively across the relevant consumers and trading avenues. It involves the management of media and creative planning for customer relations, networking, and online services.
Corporate communications regulate and approve advertising. All concerned units must comply with the briefing procedures through their respective account manager representatives. Corporate communications advertising evaluates all the proposals and applications regarding any improvements to online services. The team at the Advertising and Digital communications performs all immediate changes and updates on the Group’s website.
They also receive any arising issues relating to the representation of the Group’s website and conduct investigations. The advertising team creates concepts, selects images, brands, and regulates all propositions regarding their department. The limitations placed by the corporate communications team on the media purchasing procedures include; no editorial favors and no use of commercial flight tickets as a barter.
Budgeting
At Emirates Group, the Corporate Communications department has their budgets allocated in the annual planning process. The budget considers many factors such as previous expenditure, marketing, changes in the general economic environment, branding plans, competition in the market, and current research on the best options. All of these factors focus on ROI status. This team makes the complete communications budget and the SVP Commercial department together with their DSVP colleagues approves it.
After the ascension of these departments, the budget goes to the finance department. At this point, it is not prone to any revision or modification. The respective corporate communications team must ascend to any media expenditure throughout the communications network.
Corporate Communications working policies
This department functions to represent the Group in all its communication activities, branding, and proposals. It is the corporate policy and all other departments comply. The team approves proposals, branding, and signs of all these activities before their release. They do not approve of any suppliers through news, marketing vehicles, or even logos unless it is beneficial to the Group’s brand or commercial image.
The corporate team examines all communication photography manages all the businesses concerning social media and interactive activities. They also approve any partnerships involving the Emirates brand, the use of its resources, and the appropriateness of all the branded products available as part of the promotions. The team ensures that it reviews and approves any partnerships with the hospitality sector, recreation sector i.e. hotels, and any other third parties in the business. Usually, the partnerships involve marketing components and commitments on communication activities. The corporate team must formalize all partnerships.
Passenger communications
The department that informs, educates, and entertains passengers before and during flight is the passenger communication department. The coordination of such services and information carried out by the team is essential in establishing excellent customer relation, while offering comfortability to the clients.
ICE: Information, Communications, Entertainment
Entertainment offered during flight carried out by the passenger communication department helps in the maintenance of the emirate’s entertainment package. The information, communications, and entertainment (ICE) department delivers continuous entertainment. The services they carry out include the acquisition of TVs, audio equipment, gaming gadgets, and other entertainment products. The team has improved its entertainment facilities giving the consumers that comfortable feel and look while traveling
In-flight Passenger Communications
Passenger communication is vital during flights and the development of communication products is a priority to the emirates group. Seatback short messages, aero mobile are some of the products developed and managed by the team.
Onboard information
The area deals with information and education to the customers. Air safety and regulations availed to clients through a video system for a proper understanding. Services that range from dedicated members help passengers to assess their comfortability and the quality of services offered by the airline.
Entertainment
The entertainment team publishes guides that enable the passengers to establish what they can watch or play while on board. The television listings, gaming, and audio guides are available enabling the passenger to make a choice before the flight. The guides are available in two types, first for first flight passengers and secondly for the frequent flyers which have updates. Magazines produced by the entertainment team include; open skies and E-kids /321 the magazines meant to keep the passengers and other clients wishing to use the airlines about services available.
Cabin Crew Communications
Operational tips, in-flight entertainment and communication systems, a guide produced every month to the cabin crew. The guide helps during problem and troubleshooting guides offer a remedy. Upon requirement, there are other communication guides produced to the crewmembers.
Digital Communications Unit
The Emirates Group offers digital communications through Digital Communications Unit (DCU). The branch deals with adverts and broadcasting of digital content, interactive and brand awareness is some of the strength the branch possesses. The main objective of setting up such a branch is to promote sales and client awareness. The establishment of over a hundred and twenty websites that cover the product range of the emirates group is one of the digital advances the company made in the past few years. The websites vary in content and language; this ensures wide coverage and a better understanding of the products offered by the company.
The DCU has a branch that deals with consultancy and they offer services regarding online activities. The group provides the latest research and trending activities. This enables the Emirates group to attain its goals and objectives. Architectural agencies, information, and design technician make the websites and products to clients. Hosts ensured that they are up-to-date and easily understood managing Websites.
Flight booking and client interaction mainly made easier through mobile-enabled websites. The web pages come in a mobile site and a normal website. This enables clients to access the services in the comfort of their homes. Emails sent to clients amounted to 90 million in 2009, and the booking achieved from that was sixty-four thousand, while the revenue was 136.8 million dollars. The use of search engines in the current world is vital for the maintenance of businesses and the emirates ensure that searching it is the easiest. Over 5 million users searched the emirates in the year 2009 using emirates’ like the word.
The branch also uses social media to advertise the company; they can communicate to clients through the sites. Client response established through social media interactions. Youtube is another platform used by the emirates group; this enables clients to view their destinations through videos.
Recommendations
With reference to integrated communication, the needs of the market should be analyzed appropriately. This is on the brand’s maturity in the market, choice of effective tools supporting the brand, Group image, sale, and operations. The corporate communications department should be given appropriate and relevant information on time regarding the sales, strategies on pricing targets market placement, and forecasts. All relevant briefings should be conducted early in the case of the identification of any communication requirements. The Group’s businesses should ensure the communications team gets their performance information every week.
This will help the team align its activities with the business priorities this is a two-way communication strategy. Two-way communication between departments improves the effectiveness of management. All emerging issues on the budgets should be resolved fast and appropriately. The other departments should view the corporate department as a point of reference regarding any new activities, updates, and directives.
Conclusion
Corporate communication as discussed plays a vital role at Emirates Group. It acts as the center of the Group’s business activities and its effectiveness relates directly to the Group’s success. The Group is essential to the management hence the structuring of a stable, flexible, and wide Corporate communications department. In summary, the emirate’s communication strategy is one of the best. Customer relations and response observation prove to be crucial in staying ahead of their competitors.