British Airways has gone and done the double at the Superbrands 2015 awards, taking the crown in both Business and Consumer titles.
The airline topped the Consumer title last year, but this is the first time any carrier has secured both top titles in one foul swoop. Mighty Google was the last brand to win both categories in 2008.
The wins mean that BA has come in and knocked off Apple, Virgin Atlantic, Microsoft and Visa on the way to the top of the business brand tree, while smashing Rolex, BBC, Microsoft and Nike for the best consumer brand accolade.
The UK’s Consumer Superbrands are chosen by the British public in a national survey of 2,500 adults, while the Business Superbrands are chosen by a panel of marketing experts and 2,000 individual business professionals from across the UK.
British Airways’ executive chairman Keith Williams said the customers helped them secure the top spots.
“Everything we do is for them so to be recognised by both travellers and businesses alike means an enormous amount to all of us at British Airways,” he said.
Stephen Cheliotis, chief executive of The Centre for Brands Analysis and Chairman of the Superbrands Council also commented on the win, adding that the airlines have always had a strong brand.
“British Airways has consolidated its brand strength and not only retained top spot in the Consumer Superbrands survey but also taken pole position in the Business Superbrands survey for the first time,” he said.
“British Airways’ overarching ‘To Fly: To Serve’ positioning and daily focus on exceptional service clearly continues to resonate with flyers, while the brand is also benefitting from recent investments in its planes, lounges, marketing and technology.
“British Airways successfully combines tradition with slick delivery and continuous invention and improvement to remain a trusted, desirable and relevant brand.”
The awards also come just ahead of the publication on April 28 of a new book, Better By Design: Shaping the British Airways Brand, written by the director of the British Airways archive, Paul Jarvis and published by Amberley.
