Air New Zealand 

2001 saw New Zealand's airline industry in turmoil. The general expectation for Air New Zealand was at best survival, at worst a slow death in the midst of the rise of the value-based airline.

Changing consumer preferences and a downturn in the world travel industry were also taking their toll, and this bleak outlook was further amplified by the terrorist attacks of September 11.

Here was an airline needing to restructure and rethink what it was taking to market. Air New Zealand needed to clearly signal its intention to move the airline forward.

DesignWorks Enterprise IG assisted in simplifying its identity, strengthening its visual equity, building a distinctive signature and refreshing the wider customer experience.

With Air New Zealand's long-haul business being at its core, the challenge was to attract and excite international travelers.

The trick was, however, to do it in a way that both captured their imagination and answered the needs of this 'new' traveler. The airline's opportunity was to find a way to connect more people to New Zealand through an experience that was a powerful representation of our nation - a deliverer of 'The Great New Zealand Experience'.

In essence, the goal was to deliver this 'experience' before actually arriving in New Zealand.

The biggest step for Air New Zealand was to develop a consistent brand by identifying a unified proposition that addressed the necessary differentiation, but also allowed the firm to address the specific values of each market.

DesignWorks Enterprise IG conceived and introduced the idea of 'Inspiring Journeys' - motivating people to seek richer, more rewarding experiences - as a core value for the airline.

The idea was intended to be a behavioural cue for the overall 'origin' experience, while also offering a sense of anticipation of the cultural, natural and adventure journeys that can only be found in New Zealand.

It also created clarity in all aspects of the airline's business and acted as a dispersion 'rationale' for the business' resources.

The design programme has been all encompassing, with the fundamental idea inspiring new initiatives and actions - in short, driving improvements in the overall consumer experience.

Air New Zealand's recent 747/777 fit-out provided the perfect opportunity to deliver a raft of projects associated with 'Inspired Journeys', suchnas: a new in-flight entertainment programme; new uniform design; in-flight catering upgrades; and new sleeper seats, carpets and fabrics.

In addition, this redesign has been expanded to include the development of sub-brands, and a catered architectural brief for the development of the new head office site - all guided and connected with the pervasive thematic of 'Inspiring Journeys'.

It is this overarching core value that drives actions, initiatives and the overall brand personality for the airline. In Air New Zealand's case, all aspects of the operation are catching up with the idea of being the purveyor of fresh, new perspectives on New Zealand, and of being an ambassador and champion for the nation's personality on an international stage.

In terms of Air New Zealand's internal perception of the value posed by this design differentiation, every component fulfils a role in a wider schematic and supports a tightly controlled identity within a robust framework of 'experience' delivery, which has been adopted across all levels of the company.

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