How Southwest Airlines Failed Its Content During Change

Southwest Airways modified its enterprise mannequin in 2026. Sadly, it didn’t sufficiently change its content material technique.

Six months in the past, Southwest introduced sweeping changes that may take impact in late January. In doing so, it stepped away from its model id that made it an trade renegade — open seating, free checked baggage, fewer charges, and a less complicated expertise than most main airways — in favor of extra conventional airline practices. 

To its credit score, Southwest crafted content material that properly defined the changes and new processes. This screenshot (under) discusses the brand new seating choices, together with further legroom, most well-liked, and normal seating.

Sadly, Southwest didn’t change its day-to-day content material technique — the continuing editorial output throughout owned channels.

So, ought to content material groups lead when their model modifications its enterprise mannequin in a means that received’t be universally appreciated? Not essentially.

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However appearing as if nothing has modified or quietly ready out the rollout to keep away from competition is dangerous. Plus, the modifications additionally make it an excellent time to reassess the entire content material plans.

Don’t let your viewers make up their very own story

Southwest Stories acts because the airline’s house base for owned content material. It’s a blended bag of subjects, from employee-focused articles to vacation spot previews and promotions, and sensible info like what to watch on its flights.

But, within the month main as much as the January 27 rollout, the Southwest Tales hub printed no new articles. The 4 articles featured on its web page included:

Whereas a cursory assessment finds Southwest Tales usually publishes at the least a number of articles monthly, that cadence broke down at a important time for the model.

The content material crew didn’t want to inform tales across the large modifications for Southwest Tales, but it surely ought to have anticipated extra publicity to the model’s content material. Had Southwest stored to its common cadence for the content material hub, it might have gained extra consideration as extra persons are doubtless visiting the web site on this change interval.

The inner causes for pausing or stopping publishing new content material could also be legitimate. Nonetheless, from the surface, the inconsistency is noticeable and avoidable. And within the absence of an evidence out of your model, audiences will provide you with their very own causes. Don’t allow them to make up tales; inform them yours. 

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Ship the hype on social

On the day assigned seating and different modifications rolled out, Southwest took to its Instagram with this reel of workers in security vests excitedly leaping up and shifting across the floor with the caption, “Oh my gosh. It’s taking place! All people get hyped! GET HYPED!” 

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On this single put up, Southwest acknowledges one thing is occurring immediately, but doesn’t point out the modifications particularly, making it much less doubtless that critics will reply within the feedback. Inside the first hour of posting, the reel had over 670 likes and coronary heart emojis filling its feedback. Mission achieved. 

Deliver again the on-topic, participating content material

Final fall, Southwest was featured within the second episode of On Model With Jimmy Fallon, a actuality present for advertising marketing campaign contests. Members had been tasked to provide you with ideas for a airplane wrap to advertise the airline’s modifications that led to extra legroom and assigned seating. 

Contestant Mahiri Takai received together with his superhero’s thought. Right here’s the campaign execution video from the On Model company:

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Southwest took its viewers behind the scenes in a Southwest Stories feature final October. 

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Its technique to realize visibility for its enterprise modifications in a artistic, extremely seen channel like On Model With Jimmy Fallon is wise. To increase that participation with behind-the-scenes protection printed on its web site is smarter. 

Nonetheless, the smartness ended across the time of the episode’s debut. It missed a possibility to let this artistic, brand-aligned storytelling carry via Southwest’s rollout interval. Think about the affect it might have had if Southwest repackaged its On Model With Jimmy Fallon artistic for the January editorial calendar.

Even higher, the place is the winner’s hero-wrapped airplane immediately? It could be enjoyable to have a real-time locator map and ask passengers to share pictures and movies of it in motion.

Audit your previous content material

About 18 months earlier than Southwest debuted its new enterprise mannequin plans, it launched its Big Flex marketing campaign that promoted a few of the very advantages being misplaced. 

The April 2024 announcement included this line: “With a nod to the corporate’s roots of democratizing the skies, the marketing campaign celebrates touring on America’s most versatile and pleasant airline.” The marketing campaign informed the tales of passengers who benefited from Southwest’s insurance policies.

Fortuitously, these tales appear to have disappeared. The hyperlink included within the unique information launch now simply goes to the Southwest YouTube house web page.

When your small business modifications considerably, you’ll do effectively to revisit your older content to test for newly created contradictions. Then, take away, revise, or redirect the content material to suit the present atmosphere. 

Whilst you’re at it, ensure the redirects don’t land with a stumble. Guarantee they go to a high-quality content material vacation spot. Southwest didn’t do this when it redirected the client story hyperlink to its YouTube channel.

The YouTube web page tells an unintentional story — Southwest treats the platform as a dormant channel besides when its paid crew has a brand new industrial. As proven under, the web page’s featured video introduces Imua One, a Southwest plane painted in a particular livery for the individuals of Hawaii. The video was printed two years in the past and earned over 202,000 views.

The for-you part consists of 4 movies — all of which had been printed at the least a yr in the past:

Additional down the web page, its behind-the-scenes playlist consists of 5 movies printed 12 to fifteen years in the past. (Sure, you learn that proper, the movies are from over a decade in the past!)

Your YouTube channel can host movies from way back. Nonetheless, these movies shouldn’t be featured prominently. Consider YouTube like a bookstore: Put the newly launched editions up entrance together with some bestsellers. Transfer the older editions to the cabinets the place audiences can nonetheless discover them in the event that they actually need them.

Begin the dialog early

Your model’s content material crew isn’t the enterprise technique crew or the general public relations crew. They don’t must (and shouldn’t must) be the cheerleader with the megaphone for each main change on the group.

Nonetheless, because the creators of a lot of the model’s customer-facing content material, they should have a voice within the dialog. They need to know as early as potential concerning the modifications, so that they don’t unknowingly contradict the long run model now and might plan their editorial calendars to work seamlessly within the new atmosphere.

Integrating the content material crew into main model shifts alerts alignment throughout the group. Everybody has an assigned seat within the dialog. When that alignment is lacking, content material feels out of sync, and through a serious change, that’s when turbulence turns into most noticeable.

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