Crimson Hexagon analyzed consumer opinion on American Airlines rebranding initiative, looking at social media opinion before and after the branding changes. More broadly, Crimson Hexagon proposes how social listening can be leveraged in the rebranding process.

1. COMPANY & TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
AGENCIES
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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2. CASE STUDY: REBRANDING
FIRM: American Airlines
BUSINESS
QUESTION: What was the impact of American Airlines’ January 2013
rebranding initiative on the firm’s overall brand reputation?
METHOD: Develop a framework for measuring the success of a rebranding
campaign by analyzing the online conversations about the brand
over a 12-month time period.
1 2
AMERICAN AIRLINES: REACTIONS TO
BRAND BASELINE REBRANDING INITIATIVE PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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3. REBRANDING: AMERICAN AIRLINES
American Airlines: Brand Baseline FINDINGS:
(1/1/12 – 1/16/13)  279,164 Relevant Posts
A. Over the last 12 months, 70% of
C conversation is unfavorable
B. Largest driver of negative
commentary is customer service
• In addition to specific shortcomings
(23%), consumers discuss AA
A customer service more
broadly, underscoring an
B unfavorable brand perception
(30%)
C. 15% demonstrate brand affinity
with American Airlines
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
© CRIMSON HEXAGON, INC. 2013. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

4. REBRANDING: AMERICAN AIRLINES
American Airlines: Brand Baseline FINDINGS:
(1/1/12 – 1/16/13)  279,164 Relevant Posts
A. Unfavorable consumer opinion
of customer service, as well as
complaint sharing, persist over
the entire calendar year
A
• Frustration with AA is not
seasonal; instead, we find
this popular perception drives
criticism of the brand (30%)
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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5. REBRANDING: AMERICAN AIRLINES
American Airlines: Rebrand FINDINGS:
(1/17/13 – 1/19/13)  2,289 Relevant Posts
A. Less than one quarter of the
A
conversation lauds the American
Airlines rebrand
C B. 17% criticize the new logo, even call
B
rebranding a waste of money
C. Most consumers, however, discredit
the initiative altogether; 36%
suggest the brand should instead
invest resources in improving
customer service
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
© CRIMSON HEXAGON, INC. 2013. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

6. REBRANDING: AMERICAN AIRLINES
American Airlines: Rebrand FINDINGS: “#AmericanAir launched big
(1/17/13 – 1/19/13)  2,289 Relevant Posts
A. Less rebranding this week. of the
than one quarter Yet don't
A see anything different so far
conversation lauds the American
@JFK. Same lines. Same stuff.
Airlines rebrand new“
Nothing
C B. 17% criticize -@rdubofflogo, even call
the new
B
rebranding a waste of money
C. Most consumers, however, discredit
“New #AmericanAirlines logo - Do
the initiativethink a new paint job
airlines
altogether; 36%
suggest the brand should instead
makes up for crappy service &
invest resources in deficiencies?”
operating model improving
-@ewvstephens
customer service
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
© CRIMSON HEXAGON, INC. 2013. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

7. REBRANDING: KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Rebranding presents an opportunity to align the new brand image with consumers’ desired
value elements
• Over the last year, 53% of conversation about American Airlines consisted of customer service criticism
• AA’s brand re-launch inspired commentary that did not reflect new brand affinity; instead, consumers
were quick to point out the rebrand does not solve the airline’s unsatisfactory customer service (36%)
• American Airlines can launch a new customer service initiative emblazoned with the rebranded
logo to proactively combat existing, unfavorable brand associations
• By analyzing reactions to subsequent brand messaging, AA can determine the net impact on
consumer perception of customer service
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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8. SO HOW CAN YOUR FIRM OPTIMIZE OVERALL
BRAND STRATEGY FOR PRODUCTS &
SERVICES, AND LAUNCH A SUCCESSFUL
REBRANDING CAMPAIGN?
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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9. SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE VALUE MODELS
EXECUTING A RESEARH-DRIVEN REBRANDING INITIATIVE
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
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10. CRIMSON HEXAGON
Crimson Hexagon, founded in 2007, is the leading provider of analysis
software that delivers business intelligence from social media data for global
corporations. Powered by patented technology developed at Harvard
University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science, the Crimson Hexagon
ForSight™ platform delivers the industry’s most comprehensive Big Data
analysis capabilities for a variety of large-scale data sources. Clients include
leading global organizations such as: Microsoft, Paramount
Pictures, Starbucks, Simon & Schuster, Twitter, The United Nations, and many
more. For more information go to: http://www.crimsonhexagon.com.
PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL
© CRIMSON HEXAGON, INC. 2013. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.