The story behind the PNG Air brand

Airlines PNG engaged the highly respected Sydney based brand developers Principals to help with the airline’s rebranding. PNG expertise was provided by Andrew Johnston and the team at PVM Advertising who were heavily involved across the entire process.

From the outset, the philosophy was that the brand had to do at least two things – make the airline stand out from its competitors, and do that on the basis of the airline’s “story” – the things that make it different.

The airline wanted the new name and visual identity to reinforce that it is a company proudly owned and run by the people of PNG while positioning it for its planned future operating all new aircraft and providing industry-leading customer service.

The brand needed to be more colourful and vibrant, reflecting the personality of the company and its people, making it stand out from competitors and easier to recognise and remember.

“Ultimately the name and brand needed to fit our vision that we are PNG’s Next Generation Airline – the airline of choice for the dynamic next generation of Papua New Guineans – and symbolise that while we transform our fleet, we’re also transforming the way we do business and the services we offer,” said Paul Abbot, PNG Air’s Chief Commercial Officer.

“Our underlying promise to customers is that we are People Connecting People.”

“Put simply this reflects that we are as much a people company as an airline – we are people who connect people. We bring people together by offering more connections to more places in PNG than any other airline. Our reason for existence is to provide those vital connections,” Mr Abbot added.“To be consistent with how we see ourselves and how we want to be seen our brand has to look modern but also offer a new interpretation of PNG, while stressing our role in connecting people.”

“We originally looked at using a single device to represent the new airline, but no single image really captured what we were trying to say. We therefore decided to break with tradition and instead selected icons from around the country – showing that we are for all the people and regions of the country. People from all over PNG can connect with the design as they see elements from their region,” explained Mr Abbot.

“The design is unique and differentiates the airline from other airlines. It represents PNG in a new way and stresses the PNG Air connection with the country.   And while it acknowledges tradition, it also shows the airline as bold, fresh, and next generation PNG.”

The new design, colours and name were decided after an exhaustive process which included focus group discussions with a wide range of people, and a progressive refining of the original concept. The brand is not like anything PNG has seen before.

“Like us, the brand is a clear indication of the possibilities presented by next generation PNG, and we are very proud of it,” said Mr Abbot.