Carefully read the attached Airlift Pakistan Case study and answer following questions accordingly

1. Discuss the basic idea behind this startup?

2. Which strategies adopted by airlift program?

3. How much funding has Airlift Technologies raised to date?

4. What were the reasons for the failure of Airlift?

5. Who are Airlift Technologies's competitors?

AIRLIFT: TACKLING THE PR CHALLENGE

In January 2020, Directors at Airlift, an emerging player in the urban transit sector felt the need to effectively tackle their PR challenges. Established around a year earlier, the company had made waves in the regional tech space; and was emerging as a formidable urban mobility solution in Pakistan. Despite the ever increasing road presence complemented by a strong branding strategy, Directors felt the need to ramp up efforts to increase visibility through digital and traditional media, and to position the organization as a market leader in its category. This document proposes a plan to accomplish these objectives assuming they are in line with Airlifts strategic goals; and Airlift has an established network of contacts in all major media organizations, along with knowledge of local media protocols.

Help Get Airlift Press Coverage:

Developing a strong and distinct narrative requires adopting one or more straplines that resonate with Airlifts strategic goals and ethos in a simple and effective way. This will engender a positive attitude towards the company and its staff who are a crucial component of the brand. Helping Airlift get more press coverage will be based on a multi-pronged strategy that seeks to maximize exposure by capitalizing on happenings in all relevant sectors, and undertaking cross-sectoral initiatives. A few cross-cutting themes would be entrepreneurship and tech based startups; mobility, mass transit, gender sensitive transport, and urban development; sustainability and economic empowerment; environment, climate change, air quality, and public health.

G2P Initiatives: The first phase of this will be to capitalize on Government to People (G2P) initiatives; for example, Pakistan Vision 2030, National Youth Development Framework, Clean Green Pakistan, Green Youth Movement, Youth Engagement platform, Hunarmand Pakistan, and City Traffic Police awareness campaigns. Aligning Airlifts strategic objectives with goals that contribute to wider national and global targets, will build rapport among the public and international observers in general, and the government in particular. At every stage, Airlifts contributions to overarching national priorities will be emphasized to drive home the message of not being just another app, but a company willing to put itself out there for socioeconomic development and national progress.

UN and Development Agencies: These organizations, generally having strong media relations, will be taken on board through Airlifts dedication to the Sustainable Development Goals agenda of 2030, which includes but is not limited to empowering women and youth through smart mobility, sustainability, and environmentally friendly solutions. Again, this will be appealing to international observers plus a major segment of local users, i.e. students of all levels and young professionals.

Universities and Academia: Airlift can help contribute to the body of knowledge on the aforementioned sectors through primary data; this will help establish linkages with academia and policy makers; while also providing actionable intelligence for publication.

Students: Based on my personal experience, the majority of Airlift passengers are students, and these students can become a major strength. Harnessing the combined power of thousands of Airlift users will enable a cost-effective, convincing narrative to emerge. A campus ambassador program will be launched, encouraging on-campus activities, guest blogging, photography and videography competitions, a Design a Coaster competition, and an Amazing Race type of event.

Visible CSR: Is a major sector of the customer base heading to university entry tests? No problem, Airlift has them covered. Pilots kids need tuition? Weve got it covered. Female passenger feeling unsafe? No worries, our male passengers are there to help and Airlift is a gender inclusive way to travel. Going to PSL? Leave your car at home and take an Airlift!

Environmental Action: In cooperation with various civil society forums, academics, students, interest groups, and media, Airlift will serve at the forefront of increasing awareness about environmental issues including air quality, smog, and heat waves. The Airlift model will be promoted as a major solution and quick fix to address air quality issues.

Multinational Corporation Partnerships: Continuing the line of CSR and environmental action, Airlift will collaborate with MNCs to provide juice boxes to customers in the coming summer months; smog protection masks in the cooler months, and Iftar boxes during Ramadan.

Media Partnerships: Airlift will take forward socioeconomic and environmental action initiatives undertaken by the media; for example, City42 TVs plantation campaign in Lahore. This will serve the dual purpose of getting publicity and building rapport among stakeholders. A Help a Reporter program can also be considered; transporting media staff to/from locations in a reliable manner.

Town Hall Meetings: Consultations with civil society lack both in the private and public sector; and Airlift can help bridge the gap by holding town hall style meetings. This will be piloted through campus ambassadors and can be initiated with transporter associations or the city traffic police.

Staff and User Profiling: Airlift is an organization built on its people and the human side needs to be out there across all messaging and channels; showcasing more experienced pilots and passengers who abandon their own cars for Airlift can serve as a model success story.

Painting the Big Picture: Each Airlift is doing a good job, but what about the cumulative impact? In addition to featuring staff and key users, I would also want to show Airlifts impact on the total economy; traffic reduction; and air pollution for example. Totaling the numbers will allow Airlift to show the full extent of what it is already achieving and what is possible in the coming months.

Systematic Engagement of Government and Business Community: Periodic e-newsletters and e-bulletins can be introduced as a first step to foster a deeper understanding of Airlifts goals and advocate its functions. Furthermore, quarterly stakeholder engagement events (such as dinners) will be arranged to facilitate flow of information between the community, media, and Airlift users at large.

The aforementioned strategies will be supported by robust direct engagement with users through digital media; after all, a companys online presence is 24/7 marketing. A dedicated website page for press releases, supporting the local media through data on issues such as urban mobility, and having an on-staff writer to publish about urban challenges can serve as a base for strong media relations and pushing the Airlift brand out there. Furthermore, advertisements through digital and traditional media including radio, TV, and online ads will cement direct engagement with the target audience.

Help Position Airlift as the Undisputed Market Leader in Pakistan:

Moving Towards Intrinsic Motivation: As Viktor Frankl put it, Success, like happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue as a side effect of ones personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself. I believe a focus on intrinsic motivation, through the Be Pakistani, Buy Pakistani mantra can be a good start. Customers should know that their payments arent transferred offshore instantly; the money stays in Pakistan and props up the local economy. Job creation and supporting the local transporter network (as opposed to Careem and Ubers perceived destruction of traditional services) should also be highlighted.

Value Added Services: The introduction of Value Added Services, for example: seat reservation and alternate bus boarding (in case a passenger missed their original ride); and reserved seats for female passengers (as a result of user feedback) can be considered. Making people believe in a public transport system again starts with realization that they too, have a say in how Airlift transforms and grows.

Engaging Regulators & Interactions Between Pilots and Traffic Wardens: Another important step would be to engage regulators; including relevant public sector stakeholders and the Traffic police at this stage will not only remove legal hurdles; it will also cement the Airlift brand as an authentic, here to stay company among transporters and pilots (and in turn, this confidence will rub off on customers every day). For example, Airlifts mission directly correlates with NYDFs three Es: Employment, Education and Engagement. Similarly, Airlifts leading role in coordinating and collaborating with Academia and researchers on areas such as Battery Electric Vehicles can provide unfettered access to the corridors of power. Interactions between Airlift pilots and traffic wardens should also be encouraged through road safety workshops.

Engaging with Customers: Furthermore, the Airlift team and selected pilots will be encouraged to participate in town hall style meetings and ride as a passenger at least every quarter, to understand the point of view from the other side. As already mentioned earlier, a campus ambassador program can be an excellent way to pilot this initiative in a controlled environment. A live webcast can also be considered for Q&A.

The Airlift Show: Finally, a podcast/webcast based program can be setup with one or more of our business or academic partners (for example, Jammin Java at LUMS). Guests may include techpreneurs, social sector leaders, student activists, CEOs, etc. The purpose here is not to just talk about Airlift, but the tech and entrepreneurship scene in Pakistan at large.

Capitalize on Events: Ride hailing, is only enabled by technology; success depends upon actual passengers getting into vehicles, which can be achieved by incorporating local norms and needs. A golden opportunity to put this to the test would be during the upcoming PSL matches through an aggressive campaign that encourages less driving and more Airlifting to and from the venues.

Empower Customer Support Teams: Lastly, measures to address most consumers top complaint will be adopted to empower customer support teams to either transfer passengers to another vehicle in case of delays; and have the ability to call a pilot to inquire about any issues.

SAMPLE PRESS COVERAGE PLAN

Media	Month of: January
	Week 1 Week 2 Week3 Week 4 Pipeline
Electronic	Press Release : A new start to the new year: Airlifts growing network	Policymaking for Smog Control: How Public Transport can be the Answer	Celebrating the International Day of Education: How Airlift Spreads Smiles	Traffic Management at Events: A Proposal for PSL -- International conference on Diversity and Social Inclusion at UMT Lahore	Sustainable Urban Planning: Moving Towards Smart Mobility
Newspapers
Newspapers (Urdu)
Magazines		Revolutionizin g Mass Transit in Pakistan: How Airlift Connects People with Work	Education to Entrepreneurshi p Examples of Success		Commuting Alone in Karachi/Lahore: A female passengers story