Ideate

Kulula.com brand confusion

by Shane on 22/02/08 at 11:35 am
5 comments

I’m no brand expert, but tell me if the Kulula.com website is reflecting the brand that they have spent millions and millions trying to build? It leaves me stone cold. It looks like some 16 year old snapperhead designer has re skinned an OS Commerce site!?

I am confused.

To be fair, the functionality is a vast improvement on their previous sites – but surely, a company like Kulula.com could have pulled off something a little more exciting. Mango’s site is consistent with their brand. Well done.

As a member of the public, I think the Kulula brand is about the following (after all this is what the millions and millions of Rands worth of advertising has been telling me):

1. It’s a low cost airline without the unnecessary frills.

2. Kulula is fun, fun, fun!

3. Kulula’s flight attendants have a sense of humour (this is a big plus in SA right now).

4. Kulula has a credit card that can earn you miles and you can fly for free if you blow enough of your cash on a regular basis.

5. Kulula sends me really cool and fun newsletters.

Currently, none of the above are represented on the website (the place where my interaction with the Kulula brand is initiated).

There is a lesson is this for us small business guys who are in the process of building and growing our brands.

1. EVERYTHING you do reflects your brand.

2. Your company brand is not your logo (but a great logo helps).

3. When people interact with your company, they are interacting with your brand.

4. DON’T, I repeat DON’T get your IT department to design and manage your website (my guess this is what Kulula has done). Put your marketing/brand manager hat on, own the marketing function, and deal severly with your IT guy as he inserts the tenth flashing gif onto your dearly beloved website.

I have sent this post to Kulula’s Communication Manager, honestly because I care about Kulula. It’s a company that runs at a profit (as far as I am aware), where SAA has not for who knows how long. Even though a few of my Kulula flights have been delayed, I still want them to get it right – the more competition the better.

Go Kulula Go!

Shane Dryden is the 'Maven' at Ideate. The driving-force of Yuppiechef, Shane loves to write on advertising and innovation. He spots the non-obvious stuff behind the obvious, which seems obvious, but isn’t really that obvious (obviously). View more articles by Shane.

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