SubscribeFrom an historical point of view all that the consumer has had as a sign of a product, was its logo. If you were a large global manufacturer of products then you used advertising to push that logo whether it was television or magazines. This is really how the majority of products have become embedded in the consumers mind long after any sales message was forgotten. It is after all a very simple device for anybody to remember.
The travel industry has actually been rather good at logo awareness due in part to the very nature of travel itself in that it is international.In the UK most plane travellers can still remember the typeface of B.O.A.C even if they never knew what it stood for.The same can be said for the U.S.A – TWA is a good example, but while airlines set about transferring the logo into a more thought-out branding message to its passengers’ airports, where the whole business starts have not.
While airports themselves did not have to compete with other airports they increasingly have to attract the passenger commercially once he or she is there and this is where the process in the main fails. The horrifying aspect of this is that over 50% of travellers in some airports still spend next to nothing prior to boarding the plane.This is despite a plethora of shops, bars and restaurants all within the same area.If this equation is to be believed there quite plainly leaves a lot of work to be done.
In order to have a cohesive airport-branding programme it is important to understand what an airport stands for from the passengers’ point of view.In the post 9/11 age we all live in, the first key message platform is one of security, safety and efficiency.These are the core values of the airport branding which is about its commercial activities at the airport itself.From this stand-point it is critical that the two elements are kept totally separate despite being targeted at the same person – the passenger.
Aviation is a serious business for all concerned, so both the message tone and how it is executed is critical.If the aviation message scheme portrays the core values of the airport successfully the traveller will feel secure and therefore more likely to be approachable when it comes to the commercial offer of the airport.So although there are two totally separate messages, one can certainly help the other.
Before an airport goes on a visual rampage putting up signs, neon lights and other perceived tools of the branding trade a certain amount of work needs to be done in working out “what does the airport stand for”. This is where individualism as far as the airport is concerned comes in because airports such as Heathrow, Copenhagen, Hong Kong and Pittsburgh are likely to have a different message to put across.
The airport branding message would also be different between international airports and those smaller often pan-European or inter-American ones. What then are the core values of an airport’s commercial offer? For this exercise let’s look at the potential for the large international airports. One of the key elements should be ‘value’.
This is critical because there is still the passengers view that airports rip people off by charging a higher price for an item or service than can be found on the high street. Some airports actually pride themselves on being more expensive!
Other essential messages are to a certain extent built around ‘value’ such as Tax Free, Money back guarantees, Choice and Entertainment. Quality is another issue. If these essential things are communicated to the passenger together with the meeters and greeters then everybody is likely to benefit.
Airport banding will also have to encompass the largest of the various commercial activities as in some circumstances these enterprises are set aside from the main aviation activity area. There is also the question of where should the airport branding scenario start? In a lot of cases if it starts when a passenger goes through the terminal door it is too late and an opportunity will have been wasted. Retailers and food and beverage providers use advertising in all its forms in order to entice customers through their doors so why not an airport. While we know that a passenger is going to go through that terminal door anyway what we don’t know is “will he or she partake of the commercial offer?” This is what the branding exercise is all about.
BAA in the UK have always been very active in promoting via the press what their managed airports can offer the passenger. Their black and yellow colour scheme and logo are now firmly planted into the travellers mind. Again they may not know what the initials stand for but they will know that it means a wide choice of shops and food & beverage.
The Bristol airport in England is a small but expanding aviation enterprise so they actively promote their commercial offer even to the extent of having a ‘Value’ message on the train to the airport shuttle bus, emblazoned on the back of seats. They understand the importance of airport branding and what they stand for.
How then can an airport build a brand, and what are the elements or parts in the jigsaw in order to achieve this? As previously mentioned the main criteria is to have a vehicle by which to tie in strong retail messages about value, choice and the promoting of the individual brands that are within the airport. Once this has been agreed it can then be used for promoting the airport brand.Leaving aside any external promoting there is the highly important communication tool that must work from the terminal car park or foot entry point right to the commercial area or areas. There has to be clarity of communication so as directional signage is so important within an airport terminal anyway it is critical that the commercial signage be significantly different from the pure aviation system.
As many international airports are going through, or have gone through a complete or partial master plan exercise, that puts the commercial activities on the natural through-route for the passengers. This in turn makes any directional signage a far simpler issue that the commercial area is hived off into a separate area. If it is separate then it is important to define that area and promote the offer. This requires a totally different style and level of signage specific to the retail and food & beverage area.
On a basic level it should tell you how to get there and then what to expect when the passenger arrives. Once within the area it is then up to the individual retailers and food & beverage providers to define who they are and what they stand for, the airport branding element has done its job and now it is up to the service provider to sell. This is not a decorating exercise, it is important at every opportunity to emphasise what the airport brand values are, it is the very backbone of brand building.
Some international airports will have different messages to put over that can come from the international passengers’ perception of that country. If one is in the U.S.A there is not the problem of selling ‘quality’ when it comes to the food and beverage element but it may be different for the retail offer. Conversely in the UK the reverse is the problem because the British public who are the core passengers in UK airports have a perception of a poor quality food & beverage offer, so the branding must address this. In the Far East it could be important to emphasise a “guarantee of authentication” for its retail offer.
It is not a simple international formula but it is a critical one. There are many ways to brand deliverance from T.V. adverts to Billboards. BAA has even introduced a Loyalty Card, which rewards passengers who travel regularly. The interesting thing about BAA is that they do not actually have an airport brand preferring to promote themselves and the commercial offer as a total package. Flexibility in airport branding is also important, it is not something that can be created and then left by itself. Many international airports have peak seasons such as the summer tourist market so what the airport stands for will need to be part of a proactive push before and during this period in order to maximise commercial endeavour.
The UK airport Gatwick always named its Landside commercial areas around the terminals themselves. North Terminal had the Avenue and the South Terminal had the Village. These two areas were named in such a way because they were not on the natural passenger flow from entrance door to aircraft. In short they were invisible so branding and promotion were critical. After master planning the North Terminal commercial area is highly visible to the passengers so the defining is not so critical.Conversely the South Terminal still has the Village as it is still apart from the aviation activities. Where BAA has gone the airport branding route they have had to answer some difficult branding and communication issues.
At Boston Logan airport BAA only operates Terminals B, D and E and not A or C. Here they have created ‘Air Mall’ in Pittsburgh and actively promote what Air Mall stands for their own operated terminals. For BAA this makes the message harder to deliver, as their core values are obviously not across the whole of the airport.
There are other conundrums, which add spice if not problems to airport branding. When a brand is linked to an operator and not to the actual airport this is a more complicated issue. It is especially so when there is a host of commercial franchises which are not all going to have the same brand values. There is the potential for conflict and a very watered-down message. It is a particular phenomena which makes any airport branding a difficult issue.
Who are then the airports that have adopted this route? BAA has its Air Mall in the U.S.A, Dubai has its Duty Free, Hong Kong – Shopping Mall, Aero Shopping in Kuala Lumpur and Infraero in Brazil. Brazil is an interesting example as all the airports are owned by the government and due to the success of the initial Infraero airport branding exercises they now have a full programme to brand all of their airports. Shanghai airport has even produced a hard back book on its own airport brand such is its enthusiasm for the methodology.
Airport branding has now been in existence for up to 20 years in some form or another and it is not a formulaic activity.It is as diverse as the graphic language used on the successful international airport branding examples mentioned.The momentum is building and rightly so.It benefits the airport’s bottom line, passengers approve and as there are so many good examples around the globe we are likely to see more and more of this activity.