Page 149 - 100 Great Marketing Ideas (100 Great Ideas)

agent, allowing people to book flights from anywhere to anywhere
on whichever airline ran the route.
Opodo is not limited to bookings on its owners’ flights only. This
would limit the usefulness of the site for the consumers, so Opodo
can book on virtually any scheduled airline in the world apart from
the low-cost airlines. Opodo searches over 400 airlines to find
the cheapest flights, but will also allow frequent flyers to specify
the airlines they wish to use if they want to add to their loyalty
points. Opodo is able to do something the low-cost airlines cannot
match—it can book the entire route, even when this means
switching airlines.

In practice

• Identify the key competitive advantage—it isn’t necessarily

price.

• If necessary, be prepared to cooperate with other firms in the

same industry.

• Don’t limit yourself to selling only your own services, if you can

offer a better package for consumers by selling for other people
as well. You’ll still make money!

• Be prepared to learn from competitors, but you don’t have to

copy everything they do.

140 • 100 GREAT MARKETING IDEAS