Effectively Impacting the Consumer Through Digital Media
Hobbes Tiger exploring at Tampa International Airport.
In response to TALE OF TIGER'S BIG ADVENTURE HIGHLIGHTS AIRPORT'S COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Questions:
What was done successfully to meet the wants and needs of the target audience?
How was the social and consumer experience addressed? Was this done successfully? Explain.
How were the digital media followers handled?
Is there something that could have been done differently to make that experience more efficient?
Meeting the Wants and Needs
To meet the wants and needs of their target audience, Tampa International Airport has gone above and beyond for this one little boy and his family. An orange-striped tiger plush animal was left behind and lost until an employee, the operations manager found it and decided to do something about it. The random act of kindness was unexpected but definitely appreciated and it doubled as a social media campaign after it gained popularity.
Social and Consumer Experience
The social and consumer experience was addressed in a playful, light, and humorous way. There are probably so many items that get lost at airports and we never really hear about them. To a child, losing their toy animal must be devastating, so a more humanistic and child-like approach was taken in the search for this tiger plush toy.
It was done successfully because the employee took it upon himself to document the tiger's "adventures" in the airport and then surprise the little boy who thought he would never see his toy again.
Digital Media Followers
The digital media followers were handled in a way where it is very casual, friendly, and informal. As if you were talking to a friend! The replies to public comments were honest and doesn't sound cookie-cutter. This element of surprise is something that not a lot of companies do; especially an airport. It sounds like a breath of fresh air! A quick look at TIP's Instagram account also shows their approach to connecting with their audience which is different and more playful, using memes, and jokes, and mixing it with current events; completely opposite from a more corporate tone.
Efficient
One suggestion that TIP could do is to make a funny, light post on social media using that tiger plush to remind customers to please "Do not forget your belongings. If so, they will be gathered here" and maybe put a contact email, website, phone number where customers can send inquiries about their lost item so the airport staff can retrieve it again. For valuable items, of course for privacy issues, the Tampa International Airport should not just claim "Anyone lost their call phone? Claim here at the Lost and Found!" because then others might try to claim what's not rightfully theirs.
There are already a lot of rules, regulations, procedures, and common courtesy that needs and should be followed for traveling. Instead of being so formal and corporate, why not do it in a way where it can make people smile and laugh?
