In today's market, marketing managers have to adopt well thought-out strategies that benefit both their company as a whole and its particular brands. An important part of brand strategy is the brand positioning. The marketing manager has to execute a strategy that creates the right image for his brand in the eyes of the consumer.
But succesful brand positioning isn't as easy as it may sound. Take for instance Transavia. For as far as (Dutch) travellers are concerned, Transavia is a very trustworthy brand. Besides the flight itself Transavia also offers additional services such as car rentals and package deals. Those extra services should make Transavia seem a very 'complete' agency. However, its brand image only extends to its airline services and Dutch travellers still think of Transavia as just an airline agency, completely omitting its additional services.
So, Transavia launched its own travel agency. By offering those same additional services under a new label, Transavia keeps its trustworthy airline image while also giving its other (rebranded) activities a fair chance. It seems like a sensible solution, but the reality is a lot more complicated. Transavia's travel agency offers Transavia's flights, obviously, but in doing so Transavia is competing with other travel agencies who are already offering Transavia flights. They're essentially competing against their own deals with third party travel agencies. At the same time, Transavia's travel agency also offers flights from other airlines, creating even more competition with itself.
With all the trouble it's bringing itself, the question at hand is whether or not Transavia is taking the right approach, rebranding their secondary services through their own travel agency. Brand positioning: not as easy as it sounds.
