Bristol Airport
Transforming a corporate sustainability strategy into an eye-catching and digestible customer campaign.
Each year, Bristol Airport welcomes over 9 million people. Connecting travellers from the UK to worldwide destinations, the international airport is a hub for both short and long-haul travel and is home to hundreds of recognisable brands.
In Summer 2023, Bristol Airport’s traffic hit 110%, against pre-Covid levels. And with an expansion on the horizon, environmental and social consciousness is an integral part of the organisation’s business strategy.
The airport has set targets focused on waste reduction. These include CO2 emissions per passenger, energy consumption, and, ultimately, becoming a net zero airport across operations by 2030. Transparently reporting progress in these areas is fundamental.
The organisation needed a partner to bring their sustainable commitments to life: creating an informative and engaging campaign, while adhering to messaging standards and ASA guidelines.
But – there were some core challenges to consider and overcome.
- Turning jargon into knowledge
Sustainability, decarbonisation, emissions, net-zero, offset, carbon-neutral. Though we’ve all heard these terms, many of us lack confidence in our understanding. So, how could we make it digestible for the average traveller?
- Raising awareness of ongoing efforts
Existing initiatives were hidden from public view. How could we expose in-progress efforts like the minimisation of heat loss, improvements on accessibility, and the impact of solar panel usage?
- Capturing the attention of busy flyers
Education demands cognitive load – something most passengers don’t have to give when focused on luggage, departure boards, and 100ml bottles. How could we capture their attention just long enough?
Here's how we did it
We wanted to bring aviation’s spirit of innovation to the challenge of our time.
From website and social media to buses at Silver Zone car park; from digital screens at security to departure gate windows staring back at you as your plane prepares for takeoff: our multi touch point campaign was designed to slowly build and impactfully educate passengers at every stage of their journey.
Throughout the terminal, travelers encounter the same consistent and recognisable theme used across the campaign. This allowed us to succinctly communicate individual initiatives and their outcomes at several points along the way. From curb to gate, passengers build a cumulative understanding of the airport’s multi-faceted sustainability commitment.
Positive headlines were followed by supporting lines of substantiating copy. Diverse headlines accompanied diverse executions, reflecting the multitude of ongoing initiatives. Attractive floating icons continuously caught the eye and beckoned you to reach out and touch; an easy-to-reconfigure visual element that translates seamlessly to animation. The engaging and educational copy also abided by ASA guidelines, helping to paint the bigger picture of Bristol Airport’s initiatives.
Flexible and innovative, this awareness campaign is one that’s light on its feet: the perfect example of adaptability and future proofing. Designed to easily expand and contract as needed – for different areas of the airport, different initiatives, and different outcomes.