ASIA PACIFIC, AUGUST 17, 2011: Following the successful initial phase of its “People and Service Campaign”, Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific seems to have hit turbulent weathers as raunchy photos of alleged employees surfaced on the web recently. Taglined “Meet the team who go the extra mile to make you feel special,” the McCann Erickson campaign was stunted by photos of an airline stewardess and a pilot engaging in oral sex. The stewardess was even photographed while wearing Cathay’s trademark scarlet uniform.
Bad timing
According to a report from the South China Morning post, an unnamed Cathay Pacific exec admitted that the timing of the scandal couldn’t be worse. It has also forced the company to delay the launch of the second phase of the campaign, in anticipation of the mockery and endless lampoons that will follow if the campaign is green lit.
Meanwhile, the photographed pilot cried foul after reporting that the published images were stolen from his lost laptop. He also insisted that the circulation is illegal, and has consulted with the police regarding the matter. Cathay Pacific chief executive John Slosar is also reportedly livid about the damage done by the sexually explicit photographs. A statement released by Cathay last Friday quoted Slosar as saying, “Let me be crystal clear about one thing. I find any behavior that recklessly soils the reputation of our company or our team members as totally unacceptable.” As expected, both pilot and flight attendant have been terminated by immediately.
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"Extra Mile" with Cathay Pacific?
Execs lauded
For all its worth, Cathay Pacific executives got straight As from their contemporaries, with analysts lauding the leaders for their crisis management skills. "When it comes to protecting the brand, you need to act swiftly, and they’ve done that," said Shashank Nigam, CEO of Singapore-based airline brand consultancy SimpliFlying. They also expect that this will help Cathay rebound quickly due to their effective game plan in solving the problem.
Nigam further praised Cathay’s marketing efforts, stressing that they are among the few premium airlines who have engaged consumers on social media. Aside from targeting users on Facebook and Twitter, the airline recently also invited 3,000 international bloggers recently, when it redesigned its business class section. In a twist of fate though, it is these same platforms that promulgated the viral transmission of the salacious photos online.
"Sex scandals and other distractions happen to quite a number of companies around the world and it’s unfortunate that it’s happened to Cathay, but I think they’ve dealt with it in the correct way and they’ll just move forward," said Shukor Yusof, an aviation analyst with Standard and Poor’s in Singapore.
Sources:
AdAge
