In spite of predicting a combined brand name (like AirOne Frontier and AirOne Midwest) I’m glad they didn’t go that route for I don’t think it would have lasted. If you’re going to change the brand, make the change and don’t do a half-hearted effort destined for another change. The reason I stuck with that prediction was Bedford’s comment months ago that going to a unified brand wasn’t about simply dropping one airline for the other. I never found a source quote for the more recent comment that the new airline would definitely be either Frontier or Midwest (everybody referred to an article in the Denver Business Journel but I never found the quote itself), and so I was skeptical it was going to be that clean. In fact, it is.
Perhaps Bedford’s exact wording addressed not specifically the just name but the name and brand attributes of the two airlines. They are keeping some Midwest brand attributes like the cookie, the best care club, and the slogan, but they did in fact choose one of the existing names….Frontier.
I liked the fresh break with the past baggage that an entirely new name would have brought, but new brands are of course expensive. Unless they were going to move to an entirely new brand name, there are several reasons that Frontier is the way to go beyond the simple size of the markets.
(1) The Frontier name is battle worn but nowhere near in the same way the Midwest name is. Denver has seen the sting of job loss and HQ loss, but so has Milwaukee. Denver has not seen years of ex employees, union reps, and competitors trashing their reputation in a steady drumbeat. Deserved or not, this has clearly happened. The Frontier brand is far more salvagible.
(2) The new combined airline product will be much closer to the Frontier brand than the “classic” Midwest brand. A new airline named Midwest would perpetually be compared to the idealized image of the old Midwest (and I do mean the idealized image) and fall short. The new airline product does not face anywhere near the same comparison issue with Frontier.
(3) Milwaukee has already been introduced to Frontier to a much greater extent than Denver has been introduced to Midwest. The aircraft swap which sent several E190’s to Denver put the Midwest name onto select frequencies which were primarily off-peak times or secondary markets. Other than airline geeks, it’s likely only Frontier’s frequent flyers who really noticed that much. On the flip side, the Frontier Airbus flights went into several of Midwest’s highest-volume, highest profile routes at Milwaukee. The level of exposure to the Milwaukee public of the Frontier name was far broader than the converse in Denver. That’s especially true of the twice-a-year Vegas and Florida crowd who speak as if they are million-mile travelers…some of whom are local media figures.
So while I’m sad to see Midwest go, the Frontier name was the right thing to do.
I did expect more meat at the rollout, and when I saw the number “1” on Bedford’s lapel button I was a little concerned we were going to something like “1Republic”. It’s that kind of new branding which would take time to get used to. A new brand is more exciting than an existing one (the name Flight is still available!) but much more expensive to build and of course open to more criticism. I would have liked more “meat” to the rollout, but rather than offer more details of the combined brand it seemed they focused on the their strength and growth in Milwaukee, mentioning their advantage in departures, jet parking spots, destinations, etc. The lack of much new product detail in the presentation suggests that they are not ready to roll things out. The FAQ sheet at frontiermidwest.com includes some details not mentioned in the presentation.
If they handle things right, today can be a day for the jolt of the new brand and the loss of the Midwest brand. The new things – as they come – can each be an opportunity for more PR. If today they had announced four new routes, the name and details of the new combined FF program, a new club lounge in Denver,a new policy allowing complementary upgrades for premium FF members, their plans for the onboard entertainment, a revamp of the pricing structure toward or away from F9’s bundling, a FF link with Virgin America and Virgin Atlantic, plans for full code-sharing with AirTran, a revamped catering program, and a plan for more point-to-point flying outside of their traditional hubs, how much of that detail would get lost in the shuffle? News outlets have X column inches or seconds to fill with this story, and then it is past. Whatever new things come can be additional news items to continue the buzz and create buzz beyond the loss of the Midwest name.
A key fear I had out of this announcement was that it would be Republic with the drab Republic house colors or a slightly modified version of them. Milwaukeeans will face their fears of losing the Midwest name and live to tell about it, and Denver gets to keep Frontier and their critters. Imposing the Republic name and scheme would have really felt bombastic and amateurish in my opinion.
I’m pleased that the Frontier tails are staying and hoped they would no matter what the new branding was. It was a very successful marketing tool and one not to be dismissed lightly. I was glad to hear John Mahoney’s voice on the sample Midwest to Frontier commercial and hope they keep him aboard. They’ve used him for years, and it would be a subtle but important piece of continuity for the Midwest markets. One of the things which has personally grated on me just a little bit regarding Southwest’s commercials tailored to the MKE market is that the announcer says “Milwaukee” with an inflection that sounds like an outsider with an attitude. No, no, I’m not looking for anybody to say “Muhwaukee” like many locals do, and that would probably sound wrong to the ears of people who aren’t even aware they say it. We hear “Milwaukee” said all the time on TV and radio by people not reared here, and certainly John Mahoney isn’t a local. But that Southwest voiceover guy doesn’t hit the mark in my ears. Something similar to (though more subtle than) hearing someone say Wesconsin instead of Wisconsin.
Anyway, regarding those tails…
(a) Many of the wild animals of Wisconsin and the Midwest are also native to the west, so there are probably not a ton of new critters from that direction…but there are five main dairy cow breeds. C’mon guys!
(b) I have not checked any other message boards recently, but I’d be surprised if nobody has yet posted a suggestion that the Frontier badger be named Tim….or Timmy…. depending on who’s making that suggestion.