Emirates Airline Marketing Plan

Marketing Plan

In order to identify Emirates airline strategic options, ANSOFF directional matrix can be used as a starting point to identify the options that are available. According to Aaker and Mcloughlin (2007), there are four possible alternative growth strategies that can be developed. It consists of market penetration, market development, product development, and diversification. (Rodrigo, 2012)

• Marketing Penetration (Improving In-fight Service)

Business focuses on selling existing products to existing markets drives growth strategy for Market Penetration. (Rodrigo, 2012)

1) Retain and boost market share of Emirate airlines product and services. (Rodrigo, 2012)

2) Protect market dominance of Emirates airlines existing markets. (Rodrigo, 2012)

3) Driving out competitors by restructuring mature market. (Rodrigo, 2012)

4) Enhance usage of existing passengers. (Rodrigo, 2012)

Tele-communication is essential element in everyone daily life, in order to enabling passengers to make voice and data call over aircraft’s telecom system, Emirates would like to add communication while on the airplane, it would be very good service for the business passengers. Currently, Emirates have an expensive telecommunications method to make voice call and Internet; passenger’s mobile phone should be beam signal to the ground satellite system and from Inmarsat, which is already installed on most of the Emirate airplanes. (Rodrigo, 2012)

• Marketing Development (Extending New Routes)

Due to the number of services is increasing into new markets where company seeks to sell their product to new areas so, the launching existing services to new area or new market segments is a possible way to achieve this strategy. (Rodrigo, 2012)

The objective of Emirates airline is building up Dubai into a popular aviation centre that will finally serve as an important universal long haul hub. It provides an alternative to the traditional European airline hubs as Heathrow Airport (London), Charles De Gaulle (Paris) and Schiphol (Amsterdam). The airline heavily promotes Dubai as a destination, offering reduced hotel rates as well as insight to event like the Dubai shopping Festival that hope to attract more travelers to the city. In order to improving the number of tourism, Emirates airline add new route and destination especially in UAE tourism. (Rodrigo, 2012)

Due to the airline managed road shows and press convention to announce its entry to new city, these event allow travel agents, tour operators and local airline personnel in contact and gain information about Emirates’ new routes, holiday packages and other promotion that can give a advantage for the airline. (Rodrigo, 2012)

After performing a new route to the country’s economic hub – Shanghai – the airline offers passengers a chance to visit the epicenter of China’s political and cultural activities. Because of China’s richest city in terms of historical value and has a heritage that dates back over 3000 years and houses marvels as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China and the Ming Tombs. (Rodrigo, 2012)

The success of Dubai as an intercontinental hub, it has been facilitated by airline such as Emirates. The center point of Dubai has become extremely important; because of it hardly two points on the globe where it is not logical or possible to use Dubai and connecting point, and it usually a good direct route. (Rodrigo, 2012)

• Product Development (Private Suite)

Introducing new services into existing markets implies product development is strategy, which involves the development of skill and requires business to expand customized services that can apply to current markets. (Rodrigo, 2012)

As Dubai is a hub for international business travelers, this is time to improve new product to provide for top-level business executives. The CEO’ imagine of multi-national company makes lengthy overseas journey to attend a board meeting that could have a main impact on the company financials. The fact, company would like CEO to be on top for the rested, refreshed and relaxed so, the cost of CEO’s air travel is doesn’t seem so expensive when comparing to service for them. (Rodrigo, 2012)

Emirates airline has more services for business travelers that is reason why Emirates airline introduce high quality first class private lounges to attract business travelers. The premium class private suit would be fully outfitted with personal storage, coat cabinet and desk and individual mini bar. Long seat reclines to become fully horizontal couch and TV wide screen. Exceptional level of personal services including a gourmet and wines provided by specially trained multi-lingual cabin crews are the other value addition for this product. (Rodrigo, 2012)

• Related Diversification (Low-cost carrier)

The last strategic option allows Emirates airline to exploit its competitive advantages in airline service qualities. Diversification is a strategy, where business sells new services to new market segment. It is more precarious strategy because of limited experience on particular new market areas (Lee and Carter, 2009). (Rodrigo, 2012)

After the European low cost carriers are a successful, Middle East operator also started expression to explore new marketing concepts of “Frills-free” fly. The low cost airline is increasing at more times in the average industry. (Rodrigo, 2012)

The low cost airline offers lower prices than traditional airline by fascinate promotion. The low cost has flexibility fare that is one reason why some people is switching cost to them. (Rodrigo, 2012)

Air Arabia dominates exclusively to this low cost carrier service in UAE. Therefore, Emirates Airlines must decide how to respond this threat posed to the large expatriate market in UAE.  Among the options considered there is scope to introduce low-cost subsidiary of Emirates Airlines. (Rodrigo, 2012)

Emirates Airlines be supposed to slightly spread from current marketing objectives to obtain the low cost airline market share and to retain its customer base of UAE expatriate market. This can be done launching new subsidiary to cater budget airline market. The key routes should be high demand and large number of expatriate’s home country like Egypt, India and Pakistan. (Rodrigo, 2012)

In terms of Emirates Airline system, new budget airline is help to introduce new Al-Makthoum International Airport in Jebel Ail that is located on Dubai border. This will provide residents of Dubai and Northern emirates enhanced travel option to neighboring destinations. Emirates Airlines is placing lease order of for 200 aircrafts. The carrier is expected to use Airbus A320 or a Boeing 737 on lease basis for the first few years prior to acquiring ownership status. (Rodrigo, 2012)