Qatar Airways in COVID-19: Disaster or Rebirth

There is no denying that COVID-19 upended the travel industry, especially the aviation sector, due to travel bans and closed borders. Many airlines believe that covid-19 is a disaster, and many airlines have declared bankruptcy. However, Qatar Airways regards it as a challenge and is confident to complete the challenge.

Whether online or offline, Qatar Airways is always there.

The epidemic caused the temporary closure of routes and most of the flights were unable to take off, so Qatar Airways shifted its target from offline to online to open up the digital market.

First, active official website, During the epidemic, Qatar Airways presented an excellent airline to people on its official website. Qatar Airways' official website has always been active, with news about the epidemic, route updates, special events, etc. Qatar Airways has also launched many activities, one of which is “Qatar Airways to Give Away 100,000 Complimentary Tickets to Frontline Healthcare Professionals”. I think it’s very smart. 1. The content of these activities showed people Qatar Airways’ sense of responsibility and won the favor of the audience. 2. The proliferation of Qatar Airways through the official website, other news platforms, and social media has increased the popularity of Qatar Airways.

Second, email marketing. Because of the epidemic, Qatar Airways pays more attention to email marketing. Qatar Airways will regularly send members about epidemic prevention knowledge, Qatar Airways marketing activities news, and Qatar Airways’ measures against the epidemic.

I think email marketing is very important and very useful during the epidemic. 1. During the epidemic, most people stay at home. Print and external advertising marketing strategies, such as LED screen ads, will be useless. Email marketing can avoid distance problems and save costs. 2. Keep in touch with consumers. The epidemic has caused the cancellation of routes, and consumers can’t fly on the plane for the time being, but this does not mean forever. Therefore, keeping in touch with consumers at all times will prepare for the full resumption of work in the future.

Third, social media marketing, like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc., and I think it is combined with content marketing. Qatar Airways has its own youtube account (253K subscribers) and Facebook account (22.4million fans). It shows that Qatar Airways is well-known, which helps them to carry out digital marketing because they have a fan base. During the epidemic, Qatar Airways released an elaborate video on the fight against the epidemic “Safety measures at Hamad International Airport and Qatar Airways” through YouTube to show the audience Qatar Airways’ efforts. On Facebook, Qatar Airways not only interacts with people through the release of videos and activities but also expands the brand’s influence and popularity through popular hashtags. I think social media marketing can quickly increase brand awareness. Every content that Qatar Airways publishes on social media is an opportunity to acquire new customers. In my opinion, Social media is a melting pot of different types of people with varying backgrounds and behaviors. With different people come different needs and different ways of thinking. Qatar Airways can get more attention through different activities and different hashtags.

The epidemic, a magnifying glass

The epidemic will have a long-term effect on communication with brands and customers. I think the long-term effect is that customers can rediscover the brand and keep the new minds, and the brand has a chance to rechange customers’ minds. For the rediscover, long epidemic time will change some of the behavior of customers. For example, in the airline industry, when the epidemic is over, people’s safety awareness will increase, and they will be more cautious about the choice of public transportation and the ranking of airlines will be in people’s minds. After re-ordering, people will choose the airline with the best safety measures during the epidemic. After that, people will have a new dependence on this brand, so I call it the rediscover. As for the brand is re-changing for the customers, the brand can change the stereotype of customers and reshape the brand image through changes and improvements during the epidemic.
Therefore, I feel that the epidemic is like a magnifying glass, which allows you to see more clearly the true reaction of each brand.

In the end, I hope the epidemic will be over soon.

See your next week!