Value Proposition Benchmarking: Case Study of Middle East Airlines

The purpose of this research paper is to explore the new opportunities for companies in the airline industry to evaluate their value proposition in comparison to their competitors. Benchmarking helps to avoid commoditization on the market by realizing what unique value proposition can help the company to stand out. This study uses a mixed-methods approach to analyze the websites and social network profiles of top Middle East airlines taken as a case study to identify the values as part of value proposition. The first step of the analysis involved a content analysis of the websites of the top Middle East airlines to identify the values they emphasized in their marketing messaging. These values were then annotated and categorized to create a comprehensive classified list of Middle East airline values. Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods were employed. Next, a qualitative analysis was conducted to determine how the values mentioned on the top Middle East airline websites can be compared to the aggregated values of a selected airline in the market. The study used various procedures including identifying size, geography, and market position to determine similar groups for comparison purposes when evaluating airline competitors’ values. The comparable groups of values were analyzed and associated with those of the leading airlines to identify differences and similarities. The benchmarking analysis based on peers’ values allows decision makers to incorporate novel values into the company’s value proposition and thus gain an advantage in the competition.