1. Describe the different promotional elements that Southwest Airlines uses in its integrated marketing communications. Southwest Airlines has effectively used a variety of promotional elements in its integrated marketing communications, making it one of the largest U.S. airlines with 3,300 flights daily to 72 domestic cities. Southwest Airlines used all four possible elements of the promotional mix: advertising, public relations, personal selling, and sales promotion, but primarily focused on advertising and public relations to add value to the product offered to customers. The emphasis on advertising and public relations is directly related to its large size and national reach. Additionally, advertising and public relations are the most cost-effective methods of promotion, and an airline as large as Southwest is obligated to have promotional elements that benefit from economies of scale. Advertising: As one of the largest domestic airlines, Southwest Airlines has a huge advertising budget to maintain its presence and increase its market share by focusing on the benefits of flying Southwest over its competitors. Southwest recognizes that flying is no longer a pleasant experience for many customers, even on Southwest, historically a low-cost airline. Even though Southwest is often seen as a no-frills airline, it still attempts to generate goodwill among its customers through its advertising. Of the $249 million spent on advertising in 2011, Southwest Airlines is unique in that it does not sell additional advertising space on the exterior of its planes. Many domestic airlines have started selling exterior space on planes in order to increase revenue, but Southwest Airlines insists it wants to keep its products and advertising...... middle of paper ... .... identity as a budget airline that still has a human side – fun, caring and conscientious – otherwise it risks falling into the same ills as the rest of the airline industry. Works Cited Carey, Susan and Jack Nicas. “United Continental and Southwest Report Higher Profits.” The Wall Street Journal [New York] January 23, 2014: n. page. Internet. April 12, 2014. Nicas, Jack and Susan Carey. "Southwest Airlines, once a bold upstart, is showing its age." The Wall Street Journal [New York] April 1, 2014: n. page. Internet. April 12, 2014. Nicas, Jack “As the Southwest Goes Mainstream, Will Direct Flights Go Away?” The Wall StreetJournal [New York] nd: n. page. April 2, 2014. The web. April 12, 2014. “Southwest Airlines” Hoovers.com. Hoover's Inc, April 12, 2014. Web. April 12, 2014. “Southwest Airlines” Standard & Poor's April 12, 2014: n. page. S&P NetAdvantage. Internet. April 12. 2014.