Photo by "We are a great believer that we can be pretty much all things to all people," said Brett Godfrey, Virgin Blue, quoted in this Sydney Morning Herald article: Virgin Blue to put squeeze on passengers.
This statement leapt out at me when reading this article. Virgin Blue has finally lost its desire to innovate. Being all things to all people is a terribly anaemic vision, if we could even call it that! What a dreadfully boring, uninspiring and naive claim to make.
I guess since they are already in a highly commoditised industry, and engaged in a price war, why not go the whole hog and be like everyone else, and do what everyone else is doing. It is the safest route to go.
This just makes the happy-chappy greetings, the faux-personality, even creepier. Because we now now it is only a veneer, shallow marketing exercise. So how is Virgin Blue actually different now?
I guess innovation does die over time as management becomes mired in the day to day operations. When the immediate extremely-short term goals gets confused with long term vision and strategy.
I wonder how much longer they will be around for?
