The power of twitter and celebrity-dom struck Southwest in the baggage department over the weekend. By Monday morning the Kevin Smith deplaning and ensuing twitter feed were front page news.
Southwest public affairs responded with a call to Kevin,free air fair,and a public apology. The public apology can be found on their corporate blog.
The interesting read is not Southwest’s apology,rather the comments responding to the blog entry. Some people applaud Southwest for deplaning over sized people,while others state they will never fly Southwest again. This makes me wonder how much clout does Kevin Smith have in persuading people to not fly Southwest?
The Oprah Effect
Celebrity influence is used throughout advertising as spokespeople,endorsers,ambassadors …all to elevate a brand through the association with the celebrity’s ”brand halo”. And many times it works. The classic example is the “Oprah Effect”and how her endorsement can potentially vault a brand within her following.
This incident is different. It is more like when bad things happen to famous people. The fact the incident centers around Kevin’s weight and a standing airline seating policy hits homes with many people. Even if the people do not care for Mr. Smith. In reflecting on the incident did Southwest handle it well? You could argue initially they did not. They are doing everything they can to rectify the situation now,but unless Kevin chooses to reconcile with Southwest there will be lingering brand damage.
Which brings me to the point of —although people are empathizing with Kevin (or Southwest),how influential is he in their airline choice? We are influenced by people in our social circle:people we know,people we trust,and people we may seek out in the course of purchasing a product. They influence our purchase decision. For example,per automotive research we know about one-third of people state social peer influence was either extremely important of very important in their purchase decision of a new vehicle.
While Kevin is no Oprah,he does have a following. His current issue with Southwest will probably impact their decision in their next flight. Whether it has a long term effect will be probably based on Kevin and if he let’s the issue die or he keeps bringing up the incident.
No one wants to be “Kevin Smithed”
Overweight people will also have a lingering effect in their airline choice,because they do not want to be “Kevin Smithed”. Look,no one wants to be embarrassed. The fact that he was deplaned and it made front page news resonates as the worst type of public humiliation for people (one could argue some of the embarrassment was self-inflicted through Kevin’s twitter feed). Although many airlines have an “oversized passenger”policy,Southwest has been cognitively associated with this issue,and it will be difficult to shake.
So where should Southwest go from here. If you view this from a trusted advisor perspective, the best way to mitigate the damage is from the advisor’s perspective —Kevin Smith. Southwest can publish all of the public apologies it wants,and they may be sincere. However,a public apology is expected,and the fact it is broadcasted will lack sincerity in most people’s eyes. Instead of a public apology by Southwest,the truthful method for diffusing the incident would be if Kevin publicly states the dispute has been reconciled. In a way,then Southwest would we have social closure.
On a personal note I am a fan of Kevin’s work. Although I enjoy his movies and the ”evenings with Kevin”,he has no influence over my airline selection. By the end of the week or so,buzz of this incident should subside,and Kevin will benefit in the end –he just got a great story for a “Four-vening with Kevin Smith”.
No influence at all. Now we are supposed to be “sensitive”to the grossly obese? Get some running shoes and get off the couch Kevin!