Digital in Turkey - 2020

 For an English summary click here / Türkçe özet için burayı tıklayınız

Istanbul New Airport

Countdown Sign at IGA office (2014)

I joined IGA, the company behind the Istanbul New Airport Project, as one of its first employees back in 2014. Then the project land was full of mining lakes, hills, and beautiful trees. When I first heard the targeted inauguration date, 29th of October 2017, I told my colleagues that this was simply impossible.

Before IGA, I worked for Abu Dhabi Airports Co. (ADAC) and aware of tricks and possible delays in an airport/terminal construction project. I am a marketing and communication professional, not an engineer or developer, but there is /was common sense. Abu Dhabi Airport Midfield Terminal was supposed to be built in 3 years and inaugurated in 2014-15. It is still not operational.

Groundbreaking ceremony area (2015)

Back in 2015, I told my colleagues at IGA that President Erdoğan may cut the ribbon as early as 29th of October, 2018, earliest, but probably this would be a soft opening, and realistically the new airport would be fully operational by the first quarter of 2019, ideally by March, with the start of the summer timetable of Turkish Airlines. That was my prediction, and it looks that that was a pretty good one.

TK staff with their new uniforms at Istanbul Airport

Istanbul's new airport was officially inaugurated last Monday, the 29th of October. However, it won't be fully functioning till the end of the year, according to the latest plan announced by DHMI (State Airports Authority) and Turkish Airlines.

Well, one way or another, we have a new, game-changer airport. I read a lot of news and articles about it and believe that the most objective, unbiased one is from CNN with a gallery of pictures and three expert views to let you understand what it means to Turkey and to European and global aviation. Here is the link; CNN Travel.

Last but not least, there was speculation, mostly politically fueled, about its name since the project kicked-off. Finally, we ended up with an exact name; Istanbul Airport.

It has a new website too; http://istanbulhavalimani.aero/en

Good luck, IGA!

Connection Service: Details Matter

"We monitor thousands of flights a day to help you make that all-important connection"

Star Alliance promotes its new connection service at Frankfurt Airport with a focus on speed.

Google Duplex - AI

Well, here it is... AI by Google. Follow the below link to read the story on the official Google AI Blog.

There are voice call examples too, but my favorite is the picture of Yaniv Leviathan, Google Duplex lead, and Matan Kalman, engineering manager on the project, enjoying a meal booked through a call from Duplex. Too much on their plate?

Link: https://ai.googleblog.com/2018/05/duplex-ai-system-for-natural-conversation.html

Enjoy the ride!

Dubai 1960 - 2021

Ultra-long-haul flights of the world

My longest flight was about 13 hours, from Istanbul to Sao Paolo on a Turkish Airlines A340. It was not an easy one. You have roughly 10 hours of free time when you exclude meal services. If you are not lucky enough to fly in a premium cabin,  flying in the economy can be a painful experience. After the first meal service, a movie, and a book, I slept for a while, and when I woke up, I realized that I have another 7 hours to arrive. Since that journey, I promised myself to save my miles for long-haul upgrades.

Ultra Long Haul Era

This week, Qantas, the Australian carrier, launched a 14.500km direct route from Perth to London. This is the first direct air link between Australia and Europe, and it took 17 hours.

The Economist has recently published a 'daily chart' covering this hot topic. Here is the list of 10 ULR flights of the world and their approximate routes. All these flights are 15+ hours. There are already some studies going on about these flights' healthiness and possible effects on the human body. Imagine yourself in an economy cabin for a looong time... will you able to make it?

Click here to read the original 'daily chart' of The Economist based on OAG data.

Start saving either your miles or money to have a pleasant ULR flight!

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Lufthansa - A step back in rebranding

Lufthansa to revise “new” livery after only three weeks according to the news on aviation websites. 

This is quite unusual for a German company, and it looks like the debate is going on inside the airline HDQ in Frankfurt.

I think that this rebranding is not a successful one. I read and watched everything on LH's dedicated site for this rebrand; Explore the New. Have a look >>>

Still not convinced!

Removing the famous LH Yellow from the logo (and tail), and decrease its use to as low as %10 (just a small yellow area next to the front door) was not the best decision. Dark blue color and its shape on livery was another problem, which LH is tackling now.

I support rebrandings in principal as someone who has rebranded an airline 10 years ago. However, I know that this has to be done very carefully, especially if you are a global brand. Sometimes a brand refresh is better than a complete rebranding.

There are good examples, though. Etihad did a fantastic job several years ago. This one was more complicated as two languages were involved, and local cultural sensitivities were higher.

Let's give LH some time and space. I believe that they will consider all feedback and may tweak it again for a better solution.

“Emerging High Value Customers” or eHVCs

At Delta Air Lines, marketing executives have a phrase to describe customers and potential customers younger than 35 — and it’s not “millennial traveler.” They prefer to call them “Emerging High-Value Customers” or eHVCs. Click here to read the article on Skift.com.

I believe that defining a new segment among millennials is important as different parts of the travel and hospitality industries have more or less the same approach to millennials. However, this group of people may trigger changes and development of new products and services based on better segmentation and understanding of their needs.

Not all millennials want to fly low-cost, rent a room through Airbnb, and discover a city or country like the others.

Xennials (of Turkey)

As someone born in the mid-70s, I have never identified myself as a Generation X. The main reason behind this was the situation in Turkey during the 70s and 80s. Turkey was an isolated country from the rest of the world in terms of art, music, and popular culture in general, like so many other areas thanks to two coup d'etat we had.

All those definitions about 'generations' in the US and Europe were not matching with the reality of us. For the first time in the late 80s in a hotel room, I have watched MTV, where foreign channels were available. Then we had only two channels in the country run by the state broadcasting company. We were simply detached from the world.

Along with that, I had my first email account in 1993 through a dial-up connection due to liberalization led by Turgut Özal, then president of Turkey. The huge gap between Turkey and the rest of the world had narrowed during the 90s, and we became more integrated.

However, it was too late for us to become a Gen-Xer. Whether we were born in the 70s and fall under Gen-X by definition, there was something wrong. So we simply skipped that and focused on our new life and world of the internet.

A few weeks ago, when I read the definition of Xennial, I thought that it defines me more than Gen-X. I think that that shift in the timeline made most of us a Xennial, but we could not name it.

Who is Xennial (of Turkey)?

It can be a micro-generation for the world, but it represents a wider group of people in Turkey. I am not the expert who can define it precisely, but I think that we can easily stretch the years as 1970 - 1985, reduce the millennial optimism and add being apolitical. Suggestions and comments are welcomed.

Bonus for marketers:

Always bear in mind that every country has different and unique generation definitions.

Are you Xennial?

Take the quiz of The Guardian;  https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/jun/27/are-you-a-xennial-take-the-quiz

Consumer 2020

PSFK is a New York-based business intelligence platform that inspires creative professionals. It is in my bookmarks for a long time, and I regularly, not frequently, check their website for useful picks and ideas. Here is an interesting one; Consumer 2020.

According to PSFK, this report, developed in partnership with Cisco, explores questions and discusses how brands can adapt to a new collective of empowered consumers. The democratization of technology has allowed these individuals to access creation tools typically limited to retailers and brands.

Click here to have a look at Summary Presentation and download the free report.
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Google 'can't guarantee' ads won't appear by offensive content!

Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google's parent company, Alphabet, and the most prominent public face of the search giant; "We can't guarantee it, but we can get pretty close"

Schmidt conceded the point during an interview on Fox Business Network Thursday in response to a growing advertiser boycott against the company. More than 250 brands have pulled ads after reports that they appeared near YouTube videos from terrorists, Nazis, and other hate-mongers.

I believe that this boycott and response of Google, along with other platforms, will define the future of online advertisement. Have a look at Mashable to read the full article by Patrick Kulp.

Limited Edition SELECTION VINTAGE 2014

No, it is not wine; it is coffee!

Nespresso has launched a new Limited Edition coffee called Selection Vintage 2014. It is not just another limited edition like Tanim de Chiapas - Mexico or Cafezinho - Brazil. It is not exotic or has a colorful capsule like others. It is all about the story behind it. Have a look at the below video;

Nespresso Brand

OK, I am a Nespresso customer, and I like both the product and the brand. I even upcycle used capsules of mine and my friends to make decorative items; Capsules and Light. Categorically, it falls under capsule art, another developing thing among fans, which is also under Nespresso's radar. Check the website of Second Life Project by Nespresso or just google it.

Check out their Ecolaboration Program. A comprehensive one covering sustainability, social, and environmental impacts of the business while improving the lives of coffee farmers and their communities. They do whatever has to be done.

I believe that Nespresso is a very successful brand that has created its own segment and loyal customers. An upscale coffee brand with chique boutiques, quality products, great marketing communication, and, of course, ads with George Clooney, who is its face since the brand launched. What else?

Treat it like wine - Complex taste with an elegant woodiness.

It looks like Nespresso brings a new dimension to the world of coffee by launching Selection Vintage 2014. They treat coffee like wine and market it accordingly. I have not tasted it yet, but the point is how you position it, not the taste or price, at least for now. This has a big potential, and I wonder how it is going to develop.

Good luck, Nespresso!

Vintage Maps Rekindle the Romance of Early Air Travel

Have a look at NG story about vintage maps of airlines in the early days of the 20th century and compare it with Martin Grandjean's below work to see how the industry has developed in terms of the network. Today we have more than 3.000 airports and 60.000 routes. Don't you think that it is amazing?

Click here to read the full story of NG. If you like to buy the book Mapping the Airways, curated by Paul Jarvis, visit the Amberley Publishing website.

Have a nice flight!

Does the Airbus A380 have a future?

I had a few flights on board of Emirates A380s, both in Economy and Business. Yes, it is a huge aircraft, but there is nothing unusual except the bar for premium pax in terms of passenger comfort.

Have a look at the video news by Jeremy Howell of BBC;

Airbnb Flights

Before we get into details, please have a look at these two links;

• Skift - Airbnb Is Really Building A Flight Search Engine 
• Bloomberg - News about intentions of Airbnb

Skift Take by Dennis Schaal;
Turns out it is more than a trial balloon, after the announcement of possible flight search at Airbnb Open last month. The margins are tiny in flight search, not sure why it would be better than any other OTA, other than it has lots of traffic coming to Airbnb.

How has Airbnb changed the way we travel?

Simple. They offered a new, different, and genuine way to stay in the cities we visit. We loved this from host to guest concept. If you go for a room, it is far less expensive than a hotel room. This may not be suitable for all, but if you go for an entire apartment, it is a better option than any hotel, especially if you are traveling with more than two people.

I traveled to Amsterdam this month with my friends, and we stayed in a nice, centrally located apartment. It cost €50pp/night, which was less expensive than a 3-4 star hotel option. We had the luxury of being in a "home" with a nicely decorated living room, two bedrooms, comfy beds, a fully equipped kitchen, wi-fi, and so on.

It was like staying at a friend's place while s/he is away.

How I booked our tickets?

Like many of you, I first searched through online platforms to see all available schedules and price options. To be sure about the prices, I also checked the selected airlines' websites because sometimes you can catch a better deal. After all, I booked via an OTA, bavul.com, which was nearly 20% cheaper than the website of the airline we flew.

The decision process for many leisure travelers is more or less the same.

So the idea of offering flights, too, is fine and has potential, especially when you have such traffic, but at the end of the day, it depends on how it is going to work. Google, the most visited site globally, has Google Flights, which facilitates the purchase of tickets, but it is not the best. As written in one of the above links, Kayak.com has no worries because they know their product is superior to Google Flights.

That is why Dennis Schaal has a point.

Airbnb has been looking for some other initiatives to boost business. Last month, the company made it possible to book local experiences and tours. Again from host to guest. Such a nice idea.

When it comes to aviation, obviously, things are different. To be successful, Airbnb should find a way to change the way we book as they did before. Offering flights like an OTA will not make a difference. I would go and have a round of talks with the hosts, in this case, airlines, to explore potential opportunities, not cents.

Good luck, Airbnb!

Brad is single by Norwegian

Such a good example for a low-cost airline ads... just on time, savvy and funny.

Return of supersonic flights

I remember the Concorde Era and the last campaign of British Airways to experience a supersonic flight with the legendary Concorde from London to New York. I worked for Swissair and was entitled to have a discounted ticket, but not enough budget as a young marketing executive.

Since then, I have thought about the length of flight times and supersonic flights' reintroduction by using advanced technology. The introduction of new generation aircrafts such as B787 and A350 brought some improvements to the cabin and passenger comfort, significantly reducing fuel consumption and operational efficiency but time.

My latest long-haul flights from Istanbul were to Sao Paolo and Johannesburg. Each of them was more than 10 hours. Personally, I can manage flights up to 6 hours, but longer flights are a waste of time, even if you fly in Business Class.

New Era

Finally, a company called Boom announced the return of supersonic flights. In an interview, Blake Scholl, the founder and chief executive of Boom, said, “This isn’t science fiction; we are actually doing this. You will be able to fly New York to London in three-and-a-half hours for $5,000 return, [roughly] the same as [the cost] of business class.”

Sir Richard Branson says Virgin will partner with Boom to build and test plane to succeed where Concorde failed – ‘this lets you commute’ across oceans.

Boom planes will travel 2.6 times faster than any other aircraft, up to speeds of 1,451 miles per hour – Concorde's top speed was in the region of 1,350 miles per hour.

Each vessel will have 40 seats in two rows on either side of the aisle and will allow passengers to travel from London to New York in under 3hr 30min, which is almost half of the current flight time between two cities. I believe that this new initiative will pave the way to more affordable supersonic flights in a decade. Good luck, gentlemen!

Please click here to read the full story published in The Guardian or visit the project's official website; boom.aero

Digital in Turkey - 2016

It is better to compare it with the previous year's results, which I published in this blog; Digital in Turkey.

From my point of view, the most important one is the 50% equal share of laptops/desktops and mobile devices/tablets. Social media usage and habits are also indicative both in Turkey and the rest of the world. In two years, the company I work for will inaugurate the world's biggest hub; Istanbul New Airport. The question is, are we going to have a traditional airport website for our further passengers or what?

Anyway, here is the chart for the main indicators. The full report can be viewed through slideshows of @wearesocialsg on LinkedIn.

The people behind SWISS

I was one of them for almost 7 years... first 5 years with the legendary Swissair, which was a unique and priceless experience. The below video is such a nice one that brings you on a journey through the successor SWISS.

Why Boeing airplane models start with number 7?

I was wondering about the real reason for a long time. Why they name them as 7X7?

Forget all stories and conspiracy theories you heard about the model numbering of Boeing airplanes. There is a logical reason which makes sense, at least at the organizational level...

After World War II, Boeing President William Allen set about an ambitious restructuring of the company, dividing each new department by three-digit numbers. The 300 and 400 departments continued to focus on the company’s propeller aircraft offerings, while 500 came to denote the company's part focused on turbine engine development. The 600s were reserved for rocket and missile products. And finally, the burgeoning jet aircraft division of the company was assigned the number 700.

As the company prepared its Model 700 jet for commercial sales, Boeing’s marketing department swept in and rightfully suggested that the name didn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Instead, the 700 was renamed as the alliterative 707. The 717 followed the pattern, with subsequent decades, bringing the 727, 737, 747, and so on up to today’s 787 Dreamliner.

Click here to read the full story and visit the official pages of Boeing about their commercial airplanes.