The Expat Files: Norwegian takes off

Five years ago, the time was right for a new airline in Scandinavia. Norwegian Air Shuttle seized the opportunity by the scruff of the neck – and since then, some neat marketing ploys have helped it become Scandinavia’s largest low-cost airline.

Saturday morning, 7:20. I’m sitting in the international departure lounge at Gardermoen Airport and I can’t help but marvel at the success of Norwegian. It seems that half the flights coming in and out of the country are run by the airline. I know that 7:20 on a Saturday is primetime for low-cost airlines, but still, it’s not bad for a company that’s only five years old.

Norwegian began running routes between Oslo and Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø in 2002. Today, it has 92 international routes and its 2007 third quarter results were the best in its history. In 2006, it carried 5.1 million passengers – more than the entire population of Norway. So how did Norwegian do it?

A national low-cost airline
Of course, there have been a lot of factors. But along the way, Norwegian has pulled a number of simple but highly effective marketing efforts out of the bag. The name itself is a piece of marketing genius. Norwegian. It sounds respectable, playing on the concept of traditional airlines: big airlines are national (British Airways, Air France, Air Nippon) and they deliver a superior level of service. Norwegian may be a low-cost, no frills operator, but it sounds big.

It also plays on national pride. Norwegians, like many people, are proud of their national heritage. They are Norwegians first, and Scandinavians second. So anything that can set them apart from their Scandinavian cousins is a sure-fire winner. The fleet’s tail fins are even decorated with faces and names of famous Norwegians – and the website has an accompanying page.

The rise of the logojet

Logojets remain relatively rare due to the significant amount of time needed to repaint an entire plane. But when I flew on Norwegian’s first logojet – a Boeing 737-33A – I considered myself 100% advertised throughout the entire journey. The whole aircraft, from exterior paint scheme to headrests, carried the logo of Silver – a Norwegian insurance company.

But the logojet isn’t all about directly lining the coffers. The last Norwegian flight I took was in the UNICEF jet. The bright child-like design inspires a lot of passenger comments on board. This is a great piece of joint marketing, because as well as profiling UNICEF, the jet proudly states that Norwegian supports the charity – reminding you that it isn’t all profit, profit, profit.

One-stop banner ads
Banner ads are not revolutionary. But Norwegian uses them to good effect, in both placement and style. The banner ads do more than just advertise. They offer the reader the opportunity to book flights directly, increasing the ‘well, why not just have a quick look’ factor.

The sky’s the limit
In many ways, Norwegian has started out from a position of strength. Norway was crying out for a low-cost airline. And Norwegian’s service levels are good and its range of destinations impressive. Not bad for five years’ work. Next on the agenda for Norwegian? A full-service online bank.

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