When actions fly home to roost

It’s no secret that I’m not a huge fan of Jetstar. And this week saw yet another reason that just reinforces my lack of desire to step foot on a Jetstar plane.

You may have seen the email posted online in several high profile news articles telling Jetstar pilots to “toughen up princesses.” And while the email’s contents were most certainly not condoned as advice for pilots on the airline, now out in the public sphere it has nonetheless become part of my view of who JetStar is.

Unfair. Maybe. But the reality is that actions, as much if not more than messages, shape what a brand is seen to stand for. As I noted just a few weeks ago perception doesn’t happen in a vacuum, something happens that creates it.

In defense of the insensitivity and borderline harassment of the email sent to the pilots, Qantas (owner of Jetstar) CEO Mr Alan Joyce says,

“If someone has done something wrong… that will be dealt with, that will be stopped, and we’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

That’s fine, but guess what, it doesn’t really matter. Because now my perception of Jetstar includes the message that their pilots are encouraged to fly while tired and fatigued – and I am sure that’s not part of their marketing message matrix!

Now in an organisation the size of Jetstar there are sure to be outliers who don’t follow protocol, who operate outside the values of the organisation. However, when I look at the brand position of Jetstar and their focus on low fares, there is a statement in the people section of their website that perhaps sheds light on a culture that could lead to the extreme thinking reflected in the email.

It says, “we must always focus on keeping our costs to a minimum. That means working smarter and always looking for ways to improve Jetstar systems and processes.”

It might seem like a stretch, however I’ve seen a focus on low costs generate some quite extreme actions in companies. Walmart being a famous example.

Further in the article about the email Jetstar CEO noted, “When shown the email, Mr Joyce warned the inquiry might become a ‘warehouse’ for accusations against the airlines…”

When it comes right down to it, I seriously doubt that an inquiry is needed to find accusations against his airline (or really any of them). In today’s 27/7 media obsessed social media enabled environment, there are plenty to go around and they spread like wildfire.

So the lesson here is not in how to stop damaging allegations from leaking to the media or handle them when they do. The lesson is to build a culture and a brand where people don’t take actions that cause damage in the first place, where the values and purpose of the organisation are fully understood by the people of the company.

And one way you do that is by making promises you can keep and keeping the promises you make.

See you next week.

Michel Hogan is a Brand Advocate. Through her work with Brandology here in Australia and in the United States, she helps organisations recognise who they are and align that with what they do and say, to build more authentic and sustainable brands. She also publishes the Brand thought leadership blog – Brand Alignment. is a Brand Advocate. Through her work with Brandology here in Australia and in the United States, she helps organisations recognise who they are and align that with what they do and say, to build more authentic and sustainable brands. She also publishes the Brand thought leadership blog – Brand Alignment.