Marketing Launch Strategy & Execution to Speed Awareness & Trial of a Major New Airport Carpark

Sydney Airport Corporation Limited was keen to encourage immediate trial, but to do so would require a significant change in customers’ habits.

The Situation -

Sydney Airport Corporation Limited had just completed a very large multi-storey undercover car park at the Sydney International car Park and was keen to encourage immediate trial. This would need a change to customers’ habits including overcoming the belief that it would take too long to enter, park and exit.

How Solutions Marketing helped -

We were approached because of our prior experience both with ramping up revenue in the Opera House Car Park and because we had previously twice developed the marketing plan for the Wilson Parking Tender for the Sydney Airport car park operations, International, Domestic and Long-term.

Solutions Marketing:

• Assisted in Identifying the needs of the different target audiences – international and domestic longer and shorter term travellers, meeter/greeters, valet parkers etc
• Developed the strategic message to appeal to each target segment
• Brought in a partner creative advertising/graphic design agency who created the print ads to appeal to each of the target audiences in line with the agreed strategy
• Created an excel model of where the ads should be placed throughout the airport and in other media, with a priority in terms of ‘biggest bang for bucks spent”
• Developed an excel model to compute the FBT savings when valet parking for executives who in particular have an expensive company car, drive relatively low miles and travel frequently

The Results -

Despite the onset of the global recession and a consequential massive drop in budget allocation for the airport car park, a range of ads were produced and erected around the airports with some appearing in selected strategic printed media. Utilization quickly ramped up to the desired levels.

The FBT computation was reproduced on the Airport Car Park web site. It is still too early to assess final results.