PAL launches new marketing campaign

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Airlines (PAL) has laid the foundation to strengthen its brand image and reinforce its brand equity, even as it vowed to further reinforce its superiority over other local carriers this year.

PAL executive vice president for commercial group Vivienne Tan also unveiled during the flag carrier’s 71st anniversary last March 15 a new marketing campaign, “Love, Your PAL,” which depicts PAL’s gratitude to its loyal customers over the last 71 years.

“Today, I am proud to announce our latest campaign- Love, Your PAL - the signature for all our domestic and outbound communications. Love, Your PAL will provide the emotional message to make Filipinos fall in love with PAL again,” said Tan, the daughter of PAL chairman Lucio Tan.

The new campaign - coming at the close of PAL’s year-long 70th anniversary - is evident in the latest sales promo that offers heavily discounted rates on the purchase of second tickets to selected PAL destinations.

Passengers buying regular fare tickets from March 15 to 21, 2012 are eligible to buy a second ticket for as low as P77 on domestic routes, $7 on regional destinations, and $277 on international flights.

“All the issues and problems that have hindered our growth last year are behind us now. I am proud that the work of then PAL team has resulted in a great rebound in our sales and passenger count,” she emphasized.

Tan asked for the public’s support by patronizing PAL’s “attractive” offers that go beyond price. “We will excite the market with new programs that aim to strengthen passenger loyalty,” she added.

Upcoming promotions include the PAL-Mastercard partnership, the Manila premier of the musical “Phantom of the Opera” whose cast and crew are to be flown in by PAL, and the airline’s support to the local film “The Road,” to be flown by PAL to Hollywood as the first Filipino movie to be commercially shown in US theaters.

For 2012, PAL is expecting delivery of its third and fourth Boeing 777-300ER as well as four additional Airbus A320s, which will trigger expansion of PAL’s route network with the introduction of service to new destinations to be announced in the coming months.

PAL’s first flight took off on March 15, 1941 at Nielsen airfield in Makati to Baguio using a twin-engine Beech Model 18 airplane, carrying a full load of five passengers. After seven decades, PAL remains as Asia’s first airline and the country’s first national flag carrier. 

Tan revealed that they will continue to build on the momentum the company started last year. “We will implement an aggressive program to build brand image and preference, strengthen loyalty with customers, and increase the quality of services and product offerings.

“Last year, we continuously offered attractive rates without sacrificing our full-service pricing strategy. These promos enticed travellers to continually fly the flag carrier. Despite the disruptions of the union strike, our activities allowed us to stay within our forecast. Imagine the prospects if there were no disruptions. As we move forward this year, several strategies will guide us in achieving the goals that we set,” she said.

Tan explained that they will build on this momentum by continuing to offer creative and innovative promotions to further strengthen PAL’s value for money proposition.

“We will continue to apply the latest technology to drive innovation and to make the consumer’s experience with us more convenient and pleasurable,” she pointed out.