HK Airlines' remedy: a vain attempt?

Hong Kong Airlines has launched a campaign aimed at restoring its reputation which has taken a battering in the media recently over bad service and cancellations.The campaign, which kicked off earlier this week with a micro-movie, TVC and TV sponsorship, marks Hong Kong Airlines' attempts to restore the brand image following negative reports over multiple flight cancellations and bad service.Hong Kong Airlines marketing communications manager Jordan Cheung said the campaign aims to inject an energy into the brand and to differentiate the brand from its competitors."The whole campaign is to reinforce our brand positioning [which translates as] 'Flesh, very Hong Kong'."By localising our brand image and introducing our energetic and dynamic flight crew to the public we try to become the most localised Hong Kong airline in the city to stand out from our competitors."The 30 second TVC shows how the airline integrates the Chinese martial art Wing Chun into the crew's training programme, in an attempt to "localise the brand and to further promote our healthy image", according to Cheung."The flight attendant is usually the face of an airline. So when Cathay Pacific is trying to market as a luxurious airline it promotes its flying crew's elegance; DragonAir positions as a customer-friendly airline by promoting the tenderness of its flying crew, we are positioning ourselves as a localised airline that is full of vitality and dynamism, and it is reflected in our TVC."Targeting Hong Kong's youth, a 13 minute long micro-movie "Love returns" has also been rolled out to raise awareness and to engage customers. The audience can participate in the movie by guessing how the movie ends which will be revealed in the up-coming sequel."The main theme of the movie is love, because we believe that it is what our target customers are most interested in," said Cheung."The interactive micro-movie helps us engage with the audience 24 hours a day and its more cost effective compared to a TVC," said Simon Pak, assistant digital marketing manager.While the campaign to counter the negative press has been quick to roll out will it be enough?One commenter on the airline's Facebook page doesn't think so and wrote: "Instead of wasting money on advertising, why don't you (the airline) improve the service first", another added: "I can only realise it is selling the airline after finish watching the whole TVC!"The campaign will be promoted on social media, online platforms and outdoor until the end of August.Watch the micro-movie here and the TVC here.