Southwest Airlines Case Study

Why are press releases important to Southwest's business strategy?

 Press releases are important to anyone's business strategy. They are a key communication between an organization and its customers. Even if the press release is directed more to the media, it is ultimately viewed or seen by the customer. These pieces of information can influence the decision of whether or not to choose Southwest for future travel.

How does Southwest track sales directly attributable to their press releases?

 Through the use of both free and inexpensive tools Southwest has identified popular search terms relevant to the news regarding the company. This information is used in press releases which increases the chance that the press releases will rank high in search results. URLs are also embedded in the press releases to link consumers to the point-of-sale which allows for tracking sales directly attributable to the press releases. Wire services are used to distribute the release. Southwest has used this strategy to conclude that they have created $2.5 million in ticket sales attributed to press releases.

Why are search keywords important to press release campaigns?

Research is conducted to discover which terms customers are using while searching. As mentioned above, this information allows Southwest to include those words in press releases so that they are more likely to be seen after an Internet search. An example of this is how a search for 'Southwest Airlines' returned three times more relevant results than 'Southwest'. It was concluded that using 'Southwest Airlines' in a press release made it more relevant for searchers.

How did Southwest optimize their press releases for search engines?

 One way was through adding key search terms into the press release which generated more hits from a search engine. Another way was from the inclusion of special hyperlinks. Thirdly the press released was distributed among news organizations online which generates more traffic and views. These are all common search engine optimization techniques.

How did Southwest measure the success of their PR campaigns?

Three tests were conducted to measure the success of PR campaigns. The first was through the organization's offering of a new major city. The second test was to measure the success of increasing the sale to Spanish speaking individuals by offering a Spanish language sales system online. The final test was releasing four press releases at once and seeing the results. Each of these events generated an increase in ticket sales, though by very different amounts. The first attributed to $80,000 in ticket sales, the second in $38,000, and the third a whopping over $1 million.

How can PR campaigns influence or be influenced by other events involving the company?  Give an example outside of the Southwest case.

Public relations campaigns are a lot of the time in response to something related to the company. Probably one of the greatest examples of this was how British Petroleum needed to increase customer confidence and respect after the rupture of one of their ocean facilities. I believe BP continues to deal with backlash out of that event but it did herald a massive PR campaign to try and restore the public image for the company.