British Airways Changes in Marketing Strategies during the COVID-19 Outbreak

British Airways: Changes in Marketing Strategies during the COVID-19 Outbreak
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1. Introduction
The marketing strategies experienced a paradigm shift in recent times during the COVID-19 outbreak. Globally, the consumer markets exhibited behavioral transformations and changes in servicescapes. In the United Kingdom (UK), reputed brands revised the marketing mix to adopt trends evolving in the pandemic. Table 1 denotes the changes in the financial vulnerability in the airline industry incurred during the pandemic. The airline industry reported financial losses during the COVID-19 outbreak caused by lockdowns and other regulatory authorities imposed on travelling (Aman & Altass, 2020). This paper aims to investigate the changes that happened in marketing during the pandemic and study the marketing mix strategy used by British Airways for maintaining market share in the local market. The investigation would conclude by recommending post-COVID strategies, allowing British Airways to expand its market share in the local and international markets. British Airways is a reputed airline brand, serving more than 100 years. British Airways promotes cultural diversity and sustainability, operating on the triple bottom line (TBL) concept. Under the leadership of Sean Doyle, the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO; See Image 1), British Airways aims to eliminate carbon emissions from the servicescape by 2050 (BA, 2022).
2. Discussion
2.1 Changing Marketing Paradigms
The COVID-19 outbreak in the British market introduced changes in the market dynamics for the airline industry. The airline sector in the UK experienced three fundamental changes in its marketing strategies. First, the marketing tactics focus more on cost minimization than profit maximization while promoting the servicescape. Demand for reliable and sustainable transportation increased during the pandemic among British consumers (Bartle, Lutte & Leuenberger, 2021). However, the social distancing and frequent lockdowns altered servicescape processes for the airline carriers while meeting the demand patterns. Hence, brands such as British Airways are focusing on cost minimization to avoid operational losses while delivering continuous servicescape experiences to the customers during the pandemic. The British airline industry reduced prices for air carriers and tickets while increasing the frequency of travel schedules to mitigate operational costs (Bartle, Lutte & Leuenberger, 2021). The marketing strategies transformed the business model for the British airline industry during the pandemic.
Digitalization is another evolution in the British airline sector during the pandemic. The ‘new normal’ phenomenon and emphasis on social distancing introduced further transformations in the servicescape. Sarkar and Clegg (2021) argued that the airline industry focuses on resilience while adopting the ‘new normal’ culture by strengthening customer travel experiences. Hence, most brands use digital platforms as direct channels to deliver the servicescape. Mobile applications and web pages are the first lines of interaction between brands and customers. Market reports suggest that web traffic increased by 83...