In a bid to show a united front on the consolidation of LAN Airlines, TAM Airlines, and their affiliates, LATAM Airline Group has launched its new corporate branding.
Expected to be rolled out over 3 years, the company has started to launch their new identity on a number of LATAM aircraft, new uniforms for employees, airport signage and counter designs, as well as a consolidated website – all clearly displaying the new global brand of LATAM Airlines Group.
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Table of Contents
1) Background
LATAM Airlines Group is the largest airline group in Latin America. The group’s associations have made it one of the largest airline groups in the world by network size.
With a fleet of 321 aircraft and approximately 50,000 employees, it made sense to strengthen the parent brand under which these other brands sat, making it more apparent that they are the “largest in the world”.
LATAM’s primary target market is Latin America, and with the consolidation of the two airlines, a stronger, clearer focus can be achieved on business travellers and holidaymakers. They want the logo to reflect the sentiment that LATAM now represents the whole of South America with a unified vision.
2) Brand positioning
LATAM is maximising its brand value by maximising its relevance to the customer as well as its competitive distinctiveness by making something “very Latin about the new brand positioning”.
They are defining this position for their target consumers by introducing simple elements, such as a new logo inspired by the region’s identity and heritage, and by embracing the localities of Brazil and Chile.
The blue and coral (red) colours are complemented by a secondary colour palette that brings to life the diversity of Latin America.
However, as the LATAM brand is continuing to position itself as the Latin American airline of choice and using this position to differentiate itself from the competition, they have also stated that they don’t have a full brand proposition yet, but the foundations are strong – it will be a case of watch this space as the brand continues to roll out.
3) A complex corporate branding exercise
The LATAM global brand was developed in partnership with the brandchannels parent company, Interbrand. In a press release, Interbrand noted that “the project involved intense research in over 10 countries, defining the brand’s strategy, and activation of the new vision”.
This project also represented (according to the brandingchannel) the most complex case of merging brands, with global strategic relevance.
“This has been a process full of challenges and paradigm-breaking. The creation of LATAM is a mark in the history of aviation—the first time two great airline companies come together under an entirely new flag,” stated Daniella Bianchi, Managing Director at Interbrand São Paulo.
4) Strategic roll-out
Work on the LATAM brand is certainly underway, with 50 aircraft set to be rebranded in 2016 and the remaining to be finalized by 2018.
13 airports where the group operates will see the new visual identity, featuring changes ranging from new look check-in counters and VIP lounges to rebranded boarding passes and screen displays.
Their newly integrated website will be available in six languages, and, alongside uniforms, the other visual identity elements mentioned above will showcase the signature colours of the new LATAM logo: indigo and coral.
5) Taking their time
The group is also not entering into this global rebrand lightly. They’re taking their time with the rollout, with announcements that this branding exercise will be rolled out over a 3-year period.
Here, they have positioned themselves very positively with all their stakeholders, as they aren’t expecting immediate changes and aren’t imposing them. It will be a series of simple, step-by-step changes to help everyone get started and build the brand recognition and loyalty they are looking to build.
The group will also launch integrated marketing campaigns in each country where it operates, again showing a united front (however, at present, each airline will continue to operate under its current brand and identity).
6) Tactical approach
With the integrated marketing campaign, the gradual rollout, and the added benefit of positive publicity for a leading airline group in Latin America, I’m confident this global branding strategy will succeed and dominate this sector in the years to come.
Their overarching aim to “simplify and improve the travel experience of passengers” – needs to be communicated throughout their visual identity change and their communications approach. As it stands, this brand value will make them stand out.
(Of course, it also helps that their first flight as the newly branded LATAM aircraft departed from Rio de Janeiro on a one-off journey to Geneva to collect the Olympic touch!
References: PR NewsWire, Brand Channel
Pictures from: Brand Channel
A very interesting post, thank you for providing great insights. Good job!