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TheMoodieReport.com: BAA and World Duty Free reassure travellers with impressive new consumer campaign – 12/01/07
Source: ©The Moodie
By Martin Moodie; Treatment: S Christmas & M Fryer
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UK. BAA and its travel retail subsidiary World Duty Free have rolled out a new consumer advertising campaign to assure travellers of their ability to buy (post security) under the new EU aviation security regulations. The campaign, featured in and around BAA-owned airports, includes (in some cases) the tagline ‘Fly with everything you buy from the departure lounge’.

But the visuals are most notable for their clever montage effect usage of familiar duty free items to make up the images being represented – variously Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, Europe and the world.



Grey Goose (centre) is the suitably high-flying brand to sit atop Big Ben

BAA UK Airport Retail & World Duty Free Retail Marketing Director Sarah Jezard told The Moodie Report: “This advertising campaign is designed to re-assure our passengers following the security changes post 10 August. The new campaign’s two main objectives aim to inform passengers that firstly, once through security that they are able to shop, eat and drink as usual and secondly, that they can take all their purchases with them onboard the plane.”

She continued: “We continuously ask our passengers about their experience of the retail offer at our airports, and post 10 August we have been able to use this research approach to gain real insight into the customer issues and concerns and what they want us to do to help.

“Therefore all our marketing activity is driven from our understanding of customers’ needs. We need to give our customers ‘permission to shop’ again and they told us they just needed to know ‘what can I do?’. Therefore the message needed to be less promotional and more educational. Our service providers have worked in a collaborative way to develop simple and effective communication tools that can be used throughout our passengers’ journeys – from web mini-educational films to in-store messaging.”

Jezard said the communication will be constantly evaluated. Any changes in customer behaviour and reactions to the existing approach will be used to improve and evolve the campaign over the coming months.

She commented: “As with any good communication, each item on the page has to play a role. The words are therefore supported by images which tell the story – i.e. what you can buy and where you can take it, etc. We have at all times sought to use terms that are well recognised by our key customer groups.”

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Jezard concluded: “The campaign will touch every part of our customers’ journeys; from pre-awareness to in-store, and therefore all channels will be used to maximise the opportunity to provide clarity to our passengers of what they can buy and take on the plane with them.”

COMMENT: The Moodie Report first noted the campaign when exiting Heathrow T4 and entering London Underground on Tuesday evening. What struck us was the clarity of the message and the brilliant choice of duty free items to make up the visuals.

At a stroke, BAA and World Duty Free have eliminated the often well-intended verbosity of much of the industry’s consumer communication since 10 August. And through the daring technique of using actual duty free products to make up the images, the message is brought home with both clarity and wit. Every travel retailer and airport should sit up and take notice.