IndiGo should not dilute its positioning this time and go all out on punctuality as the marketing platform before its rivals close in

Like most people, I usually duck spam emails without even glancing at the contents. But an e-mailer from IndiGo airline, which landed in my mailbox a couple of months back, caught my attention. Not because the layout was glittering or the copy outstanding, but because of the single mindedness of the promise, and a neat little slogan: IndiGo Standard Time.
 
Now, that appealed to me. Many frequent flyers would testify that amongst the low-cost carriers, IndiGo has the best track record of flying on time—often even in the fogged out Delhi conditions. I personally have had good on-time experiences with the airline. (Being eternally broke, I usually fly low-cost). And therefore it made great business sense for the airline to position itself purely on this platform. Because I have always felt that the bottomline for most flyers (not including molesters and terrorists!) is punctuality. Plasticky air hostess smiles, the so-called luxurious seats, and great (read: non-soggy) sandwiches are at best fringe benefits.
 
However, IndiGo later went on to disappoint me, and began releasing press ads promising a host of other things as well. A big mistake. I feared the airline was diluting a good thing they had latched on to. Which was to focus purely on on-time performance. 
 
Anyway, they have just released a new TV commercial, and it’s good to know that the airline is back on track. It’s actually quite difficult to describe the commercial (which in a way is not such a bad thing). Basically, the ad features cheerful passengers arriving at their workplaces on time (and signing big biz deals thereafter), airhostesses getting themselves glammed up on time, grooving pilots reporting to duty on time, food being readied by the cheery chefs on time, etc… yes, the accent is ‘on time’. The treatment is highly energetic and uplifting, and the art direction, first class. Don’t get to watch such slickly-made commercials in India too often. So a good show. (NB: An aside thought: Air hostesses behaving like fash models is a tricky one; might give potential molesters some ideas. I hope I am wrong on this count!)
 
But, as I said earlier, more than the treatment, it’s the promise on offer that appeals. Hopefully, IndiGo will not dilute the positioning this time and go all out on punctuality as the marketing platform before its rivals close in. And even more importantly, the airline will deliver the promise on the ground. And up in the air. — Anil Thakraney