Exploring The Dynamic Role Of Airport Marketing Professionals

Airport marketing is a highly competitive field, with professionals facing new challenges due to evolving marketing trends and increasing social media usage. Marketing strategies for airports can vary depending on their geographical location, size, industry rank, brand strength, and leadership. A successful airport marketing plan should address specific questions, such as target audience, communication methods, and financial resources. Airports aim to increase revenue by attracting retailers, airlines, and passengers, offering incentives like loyalty programs, exclusive experiences, and collaborations. Airports also focus on growth strategies, considering physical, economic, and regulatory constraints to develop plans that align with their business objectives.

Marketing strategies

Market Analysis and Planning:

A comprehensive market analysis is crucial for developing effective marketing strategies. Airports should identify their target audiences, marketing goals, and key messages. For instance, smaller airports can emphasise convenience factors like less traffic congestion and shorter wait times to attract travellers. Additionally, airports should assess their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) to tailor their strategies accordingly.

Innovation and Technology:

Adopting new technologies and future business opportunities is essential. Early adopters and risk-takers can pioneer innovative strategies, while others may prefer lower-risk approaches. Social media usage plays a significant role in shaping marketing trends, providing a platform for customer feedback and promotion.

Incentive Programmes:

Creating incentive-based customer loyalty programmes can increase customer exclusivity and loyalty. Airports can offer rewards like hotel and car rental discounts, frequent flyer miles, and exclusive airport club benefits. Heathrow Airport's collaboration with British fashion designer Giles Deacon during their Whisky Experience campaign successfully combined an exclusive experience with a gift promotion.

Vacant Space Marketing:

Airports with vacant passenger terminals can creatively market their space to other businesses. Leasing to expanding airlines or travel-related businesses like accessory stores can generate commercial rental income. Marketing departments can promote these spaces as desirable office locations, especially to companies with frequent traveller employees.

Collaboration and Community Engagement:

Airports can collaborate with various partners to enhance their marketing efforts. For example, the Copenhagen Airport launched the CPH Advantage club, allowing customers to earn points for shopping and dining, redeemable for rewards. Airports can also engage with the community in rebranding efforts, strengthening regional ties and providing educational opportunities, as seen with the Greeley-Weld County Airport's collaboration with Metropolitan State College.

Customised Marketing Campaigns:

Tailoring marketing campaigns to the airport's catchment area and target segments is vital. Airports can attract new airlines, increase flight frequencies, and offer more services to passengers, retailers, and airlines to maximise profit.

Overall, airport marketing professionals must stay agile, adapting their strategies to economic conditions and utilising different approaches to find the most effective techniques for their organisation.

Customer loyalty

Airport marketing professionals are experts in the field of travel and aviation. They are responsible for promoting the airport and sharing useful information with potential and current travellers. Marketing strategies are essential for the success of an airport, and these strategies can vary depending on various factors such as geographical location, size, industry rank, brand strength, and executive leadership.

Personalisation

Personalisation is a powerful tool to build strong relationships with customers. By offering tailored experiences and recommendations, airports can make customers feel valued and understood. This can be achieved through collecting customer data and marketing permissions during the booking process or through WiFi data capture systems. Personalised marketing campaigns can then be created to target customers with relevant products, services, and offers, increasing the likelihood of repeat bookings.

Loyalty Reward Schemes

Implementing a loyalty reward scheme encourages customers to choose an airport or airline consistently. Airports can offer exclusive benefits, discounts, and rewards to members, such as access to lounges, priority services, or points that can be redeemed for various perks. For example, the Copenhagen Airport launched the CPH Advantage club, allowing customers to earn points for shopping and dining, fostering customer loyalty.

Collaboration and Events

Airports can collaborate with fashion designers, luxury brands, restaurants, and other partners to create unique, limited-time experiences and promotional offers. For instance, Heathrow Airport's "The Whisky Experience" event, featuring over 300 whiskies and a collaboration with British fashion designer Giles Deacon, won the airport a marketing campaign award.

Social Media Engagement

Engaging content on social media platforms can showcase the airport's latest offers and destinations. By maintaining an active online presence, airports can connect with customers, share travel inspiration, and provide useful information. Social media is a powerful tool to reach a broad audience and drive customer interest and loyalty.

Seamless Booking and Post-Departure Experience

Creating a seamless and intuitive booking process, where customers can easily book their entire journey (flights, hotels, parking, etc.) in one place, enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, reaching out to passengers after their return journey with personalised emails or promotions can increase spend and build long-term loyalty.

By implementing these strategies, airport marketing professionals can effectively foster customer loyalty, leading to sustained growth and success for the airport.

Growth strategies

A critical step in achieving growth is for airports to have a current marketing strategy that is regularly reviewed and adapted to economic, environmental, and industry changes. This strategy should be consistent with the airport's overall business goals and tailored to its specific characteristics, such as geographical location, size, brand strength, and leadership.

To increase their market share, airports can employ various innovative strategies. For instance, smaller airports can emphasise their advantages, such as less traffic congestion, shorter wait times, and convenient parking, to attract travellers who might otherwise prefer larger airports. Airports can also increase their landing revenues by targeting business executives who fly in and attracting more hangar rental and aircraft service businesses.

Additionally, airports can creatively market vacant passenger terminal spaces to other businesses. While leasing these spaces to expanding airlines is an option, airports can also promote them as desirable office complexes, especially to companies with frequent traveller employees. This strategy not only generates commercial rental income but also brings in businesses catering to air travellers, such as travel accessory stores or massage studios.

Another growth strategy is to focus on increasing customer loyalty. Airports can achieve this by offering incentives and rewards for travellers who choose to fly exclusively from their airport. For example, successful incentives include hotel rewards, car rental discounts, and frequent flyer miles. Airports can also provide exclusive experiences, such as Heathrow's The Whisky Experience, which earned the airport a Frontier award for the best marketing campaign.

Lastly, airports can maximise profits within their catchment area by attracting retailers and service providers. This involves tailoring marketing campaigns to bring in new airlines and increase flight frequencies. By offering more services to passengers, retailers, and airlines, airports can effectively increase their revenue.

Market dominance

Airport marketing is a highly competitive field, with airports vying for market dominance in their respective regions. Airports are increasingly generating revenue through ancillary services, and marketing plays a pivotal role in this endeavour.

On the other hand, some airports adopt an aggressive strategy to gain a larger market share. These airports, like Dallas Love Field, aim to capture a significant portion of the market by offering unique services or incentives. They might focus on bringing in more cargo business or increasing the number of passengers who choose their airport exclusively. This exclusivity is a powerful tool, and marketing departments design incentive-based loyalty programs to encourage travellers to commit to a single airport.

Regional airports can also dominate their specific geographic areas. They can thrive by understanding their unique selling points, such as less traffic congestion, shorter wait times, and convenient parking. By emphasising these positive factors, smaller airports can attract travellers looking for a more efficient and streamlined experience.

To maintain or gain market dominance, airports must keep their marketing strategies dynamic and adaptable. They need to stay abreast of economic, environmental, and industry changes and be willing to experiment with different approaches. Social media and online presence are increasingly important factors, with airports utilising content marketing to share useful information and promotions with travellers. Airports can also benefit from collaboration campaigns, such as Heathrow's award-winning "The Whisky Experience," which offered passengers exclusive experiences and gifts.

Ultimately, market dominance in airport marketing is about understanding the target audience, staying agile in strategy formulation, and providing travellers with incentives to choose one airport over another.

Social media usage

Social media provides a direct line of communication with travellers and stakeholders. Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook allow for real-time updates, announcements, and engagement with customers. For instance, Heathrow Airport used Twitter to promote its collaboration campaign with British fashion designer Giles Deacon during its annual Whisky Experience event, offering a chance to win designer whisky stones. This is an example of how social media can be used creatively to enhance the airport's marketing efforts and engage with travellers.

Additionally, social media platforms offer a valuable opportunity to showcase the airport's unique offerings and create a sense of community. Content marketing, as exemplified by Changi Airport's blog, 'Now Boarding', can provide useful information to travellers while also promoting the airport. Articles on travel advice, events, and cultural insights not only assist travellers but also create a positive association with the airport. This strategy has likely contributed to Changi Airport being named the World's Best Airport by Skytrax in 2017 for the fifth consecutive year.

Furthermore, social media platforms provide a space for airports to address customer concerns and receive feedback. By actively monitoring social media, marketing professionals can identify areas of improvement and address negative experiences. This helps create a responsive and customer-centric image for the airport.

To stay competitive, airport marketing teams should continuously review and adapt their social media strategies. This includes experimenting with different approaches, analysing data, and staying up-to-date with the latest social media trends. By utilising social media effectively, airports can increase their visibility, attract new customers, and ultimately boost their revenue.

Frequently asked questions