S7

Overview

Siberia Airlines is the largest Russian domestic air carrier and Russia’s second largest airline, offering a network of flights to all major destinations in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The airline also has routes to 20 countries, providing regular service to Europe and Southeast Asia. Siberia partnered with Landor to conduct a long-term strategic rebranding initiative to better reflect its domestic leadership and transform the travel experience in Russia. The vision was to reinvent Siberia Airlines and create a relevant and differentiated brand for the people of Russia.

Challenge

More than ever, Russian consumers are brand savvy and familiar with Western branding and associated lifestyle aspirations. Landor’s solution needed to change the existing perceptions that passengers had of Russian travel as a “grey” experience. The challenge was to help Siberia Airlines leave its regional origins and become a strong national brand—one that would break conventions in its sector and possibly grow into a viable lifestyle brand beyond air travel. The rebranding would also signal Siberia Airline’s intention to become more customer focused, with an improved product and service.

Solution

The updated identity focuses on doing things differently and challenging the Soviet anti-brand legacy of institutional travel in Russia. The idea of a “Changing Russia” informed the new positioning, name, identity, and all other points of branding. Following Landor’s involvement with the brand, traffic increased by almost 20 percent compared to the previous year: in 2007 nearly 5.7 million passengers flew with S7. The majority of this growth was in the domestic sector where numbers increased by 22 percent (Source: Airliner World, May 2008). S7 is well on its way to becoming Russia’s favourite national airline.