Rebuilding Brand Momentum Post-COVID19 with WestJet

In a highly competitive post-COVID market, Apex helped WestJet begin to rebuild the unique emotional and tangible value it delivers to guests and the bottom line.

The Problem

Despite its history of strong brand equity, WestJet struggled to maintain momentum and wanted to turn insight into action.

The Approach

Apex was embedded within WestJet’s competitive tracker to reveal both problems and possibilities.

The Outcome

WestJet began to reassert its unique edge in both customer perceptions and economics.

"If we want to start prioritizing what’s going to have the greatest impact, then Apex helps me understand both what has happened in the past, and how to influence the future."

Jon Yuill

Director, Experience & Insights, WestJet

The Problem

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel category challenges that came with it, WestJet faced further headwinds brought on by ownership and management changes, new competitors, strategic shifts into new markets, and well-documented operational struggles. With customer engagement eroding, they called on Apex. Statistically-supported rationale for their declines were quickly revealed, with category table-stakes clarified and action-oriented competitive opportunities identified.

The Approach

Apex embedded within WestJet’s competitive tracker to reveal both problems and possibilities. Using Apex’s full-stack behavioral intelligence platform, we:

Uncovered a persistent emotional edge tied to providing a Meaningful brand experience even amid recent struggles.
Mapped brand equity and customer sentiment directly to revenue drivers.
Used advanced text analytics to surface specific, actionable growth opportunities.

Key insights included:

A 21% YoY revenue growth opportunity with a key segment.
How to revitalize brand positioning, moving beyond tactical promos to purposeful meaning.
Internal priorities like equal-opportunity hiring that linked directly to customer experience.

Apex became more than research and insights – it became a guiding partner for branding, communications, and customer experience.

The Outcome

Over time, using the motivational drivers and insights from Apex to focus their strategies, WestJet leveraged branding, communications, and customer experience elements and began to deliver meaningful results. Apex delivered ROI projections which WestJet took action on to strive towards:

+$10,000 in revenue per flight identified through targeted CX actions.
Brand team reinvigorated, shifting from reactive to strategic.
Rebranding efforts, shaped using Apex, were launched in 2024.
Customer engagement was stabilized, halting the decline in Apex-tracked metrics.

Rebuilding Brand Momentum Post-COVID19 with WestJet

In a highly competitive post-COVID market, Apex helped WestJet begin to rebuild the unique emotional and tangible value it delivers to guests and the bottom line.

The Problem

The Approach

The Outcome

"If we want to start prioritizing what’s going to have the greatest impact, then Apex helps me understand both what has happened in the past, and how to influence the future."

Jon Yuill

The Problem

The Approach

The Outcome

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