TRENDSETTER: American Airlines' Christine Valls Sees a Shift in Airline Marketing

Christine Valls, Manager of E-commerce Product Marketing for American Airlines' Latin American and Caribbean operation, believes that there is a dramatic shift occurring now in airline marketing. "We are living in a time when more people simply purchase tickets online. Future air travel growth is not necessarily about encouraging more people to fly, but rather about creating an online travel management relationship that keeps people coming back. That kind of loyalty is critical to the image and the revenues of an airline."

She also sees opportunities for those multinational companies that are willing to take advantage of today's changing environment. Valls asserts, "Global is no longer a geographical condition. Customers from all corners of the world live and transact in all the corners of the world. Consistency in your brand will help you achieve a sense of familiarity with your customer. The key is to get to know your customer and which medium gets his/her undivided attention. Small changes to your campaigns that touch on key value differences or interests also intensify that sense of familiarity." MORE