Dear (future) Partner,

On January 15, 2008, with one of my clients, Mr. Vincze we set off for Stuttgart by plane to clarify the text of a business contract with the company’s German customer.

From the waiting room of Ferihegy Airport, we boarded one of Malév’s planes, where the flight attendants served the crispy sandwich, chocolate and drinks with the usual courtesy. After the Balaton chocolate bar and the sandwich made in Budapest, I assumed that I would get a beer from a Hungarian manufacturer, but it didn’t happen that way. I got a Zlaty Bazant, i.e. an Arany Fácán, which has always been tasty, but it was strange that the Hungarian airline did not serve a domestic product.

The next day, our mission ended successfully, we discussed the points of the contract, clarified the pending issues and formalized the final agreement.

We came back with a flight of Czech Airlines, beside the propellers at the wing, we could enjoy the first rays of the rising sun up close. Then I came face to face with the latest Skoda Fábia advertisement that was placed, in an imaginative way, on the back of the seat headrest. After the coffee and sandwich, the smiling flight attendants served domestic, Pilsner beer.

I’ve been wondering why the Czech airline advertised a domestic car and served domestic beer, and why I saw the opposite on the plane of Malév. Maybe in order for the domestic industry to flourish and to improve marketable quality, the key would not only be good marketing, but also being a little more mindful of such details?

Benedek Lipták

Managing director