Friday, January 18, 2013

KENYA AIRWAYS AND AIRBORNE SENSUAL SEDUCTION


“I had to wonder if men were so blinded by beauty that they would feel privileged to live their lives with an actual demon, so long as it was a beautiful demon.”    Memoirs of a Geisha.

 “Some coffee, Sir?”  The gorgeous cabin crew attendant breaks into such a gorgeous smile, you feel as if you are flying first class.

As you watch her gracefully walk away, you recall why you chose this airline in the first place; taking a sip of your coffee, you realize that the advertisement you watched of the airline did little justice to the attendants. Absolutely gorgeous; like flying “Air Miss Universe.” Only that they get to serve you coffee and call you Sir. A stupid smile pasted on your face, as you lean back and dream of your next interaction with her.

Since the very beginning, beautiful women have been able to, in one way or another, aid in the building or the destruction of kingdoms. From Eve, Delilah, Monica Lewinsky and even Esther in the Bible. Women have been known to change the world with nothing but a beautiful face and sensual seduction to match.

THE PRIDE OF THE JUNGLE
Men are visual creatures and any company worth its salt would use this genetic predisposition as an entry point for one of its main marketing strategies.
Thus explains my beef with Kenya Airways. 

The airline is registering losses like it’s the new black and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why. Gone are the days when being an air hostess (as they were famously known) was every little girl’s dream. Seeing those tall women moving magically in their uniforms was like watching the runway of some beauty competition. Watching them made us dream of the world beyond the skies. A world of fantasy and glamour that only the plane could take you to. 

What Kenya Airways fails to understand is that these women not only work for the airline, but are also a means of marketing our country. 

I shook my head in despair as I watched Kenyan cabin crew attendants during recent the strike and it was rather obvious why KQ was/is struggling. The company’s management needs to bring in replacements and fast. 

Though KQ problems may be bigger than just pretty faces in airplane isles, one thing remains sure; KQ needs to embrace the power of visual allure if they are to move forward into the competitive world of aviation.  If they fail to do something about this issue, they will have hurdles to jump, years to come. Watch Emirates, Virgin Atlantic or Korean Air ads and realize that these international airlines are not stupid in using the visual appeal to market even the most boring of services like transport. It’s an age old secret that Kenya Airways can only ignore at its own peril. Time to rediscover ‘the pride of Africa.’

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