I’ve never flown Ryanair and don’t want to. Yet I stand them up as an excellent example of experience strategy.
They do things no other brand would even think of.
Why?
Because Ryanair has all the downsides of a low-cost airline.
No free food or drinks.
Uncomfortable seats.
Tiny legroom.
And random seat allocation or you pay more for sitting together with family.
And everyone else complains or mocks them.
Whilst customers propelled them to become the largest airline in Europe.
Not only are they unapologetic, they even make fun of consumers who mock their service.
They embrace what some see as their weaknesses, even joking about charging extra to use the toilet.
Because they know people are not stupid.
The result? We see a reason to believe their promise. We believe Ryanair is the cheapest airline in Europe without worrying about whether they’re cutting safety corners rather than comfort corners. We believe that they are obsessed with cheap prices and will do anything and everything to keep them cheap.
They’ve architected a customer experience that screams price, reliability and realistic expectations. (Cannily, they also make sure they score best in on-time departure/arrival and score lowest lost luggage claims).
Unlike a lot of brands that claim to be the best in everything.
And guess what? They aren’t, and customers know that.
It kills the believability.
About 50 years ago Avis made a remarkable ad.
In it, they admitted they were 2nd in the market behind Hertz.
And they claimed: “We are only number 2, so we try harder.”
The result?
Avis made its first profit after 13 years and gained 7 per cent more market share. “We try harder” became the company’s tagline for 50+ years. Avis took a weakness and used it to increase the believability of their promise — to provide the best service.
And it worked.
Most brands try to hide their weaknesses or deny they have any, making space for you to think about the opposite. Embrace your weaknesses.
Back to Ryanair. Do you think the passengers who demand a pleasant and comfortable flight experience fly with them? No, they don’t. And yes, Ryanair will always be annoying a certain group of customers. Do you think those who demand low-cost tickets and reliability fly with them? Yes, they do. In their millions.
And that’s what a good CX strategy can do for you. because good CX is product, price and experience. Get it together and you’ll increase your perceived value for your target audience.