Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) operates in a highly competitive travel market, with several nearby airports competing for the same passengers. To win a greater share of its catchment area, PHL sought to reframe how travelers evaluate their options—highlighting that the true cost of travel extends beyond airfare to include time, convenience, parking, tolls, and overall travel experience.
PHL Airport: Winning the Region
Our Role
Strategy
Advertising
Digital
Social
Video
Media & Analytics
We analyzed competitor airports, travel patterns, drive times, and leakage risk across PHL’s service area. Audience segmentation and journey mapping then uncovered a key insight: while travelers often focused on ticket price, their decisions were ultimately driven by total trip value, including travel time, parking, tolls, and convenience. That insight inspired the creative platform, You shouldn’t have to travel to travel, positioning PHL as the airport that lets travelers spend less time getting there and more time enjoying the journey ahead.
Audience insights revealed that authentic traveler testimonials resonated strongly with travelers, leading us to bring in real passenger voices to build credibility, strengthen trust, and reinforce PHL as the smarter choice.
To influence travelers in high-risk leakage markets, we introduced bold messaging that reframed the travel decision. The campaign highlighted the hidden costs of flying from competing airports, demonstrating that when time, convenience, parking, and tolls are considered, traveling farther simply doesn’t add up.
111%
Increase in Branded Searches for PHL Since Launch
By combining market analysis, audience segmentation, testing, and precision media planning, PHL created a campaign that influenced travelers before booking decisions were made, repositioning the airport not simply as the closest option, but as the smartest choice.
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