SA Express gets new look

5 Jul 2010

Brand Leadership developed a new airline and flag carrier brand for South African Express Airways (SAX), one of the fastest growing regional and domestic airlines in South Africa offering discounted South African domestic and regional flights.

Appointed to re-brand and reinvent the fifteen-year-old airline, the agency took up the challenge by aligning the newly launched SAX with national pride.

"We used colours such as red, green and blue similar to the national flag, as we believe it encourages national pride among other elements," says Brand Leadership MD, Thebe Ikalafeng. "It was also important that the airline be expressed in a distinctive and clear manner, while not forgetting to align it to the country's mainline carrier."

With aviation being a fast-paced dynamic industry, the company placed a lot of emphasis on creating a refreshing look. "It is not just about the needs of the airline, but also its customers. It is important for the new SAX to create lasting memories for its customers."

Having drawn up an operations strategy, Brand Leadership Group started by determining who flies with the airline, what their expectations are and how SAX is equipped to deliver on these expectations.

"Once we knew this we could set about creating the "We Fly for You" brand, positioning it as a premier intra-regional African brand." According to Ikalafeng, the airline now represents a bespoke, personalised travel experience catering to the individual needs of its customers.

"At the same time we also took on the challenge of introducing new regional airline, Congo Express, which started operating on February 1 this year." He says having also rebranded Congo Express; the companies have established themselves as leaders in the aviation industry.