Are you an egg or a snowflake?
That was the provocative and perhaps confusing question posed for the opening session of APEX by keynote speaker Sarah DaVanzo, director of strategic planning for The Kaplan Thaler Group.
Participants scratched their heads at how eggs or snowflakes fit in to the future of the cabin experience, but DaVanzo explained to the well-attended session how these two seemingly disconnected objects defined the two types of passenger behavior.
The egg, explains DaVanzo, is a metaphor for an inherently introverted passenger, preferring a solitary, deep, consistent and more passive experience onboard compared to the active, extroverted and social passenger seeking information, productivity and connectivity.
"Gone are the days of demographics," says DaVanzo, who adds these two categories are more prescribed to targeting the mood of the passenger above other attributes.
DaVanzo's egg and snowflake metaphor was intended to provide participants with a primer for how to see the passenger and their onboard experience as companies used the week ahead to help guide their product strategies at the show.
As a professional trend spotter, DaVanzo describes how future product development could be influenced by technologies such as the ubiquitous, always-on social media environment, GPS and augmented reality, in-flight connectivity and cabin design, ultimately tailoring products to accommodate the differing moods of passengers.
Source: Flight Daily News
