Airport Branding.doc

Airport BrandingFrom an historical point of view all that the consumer has had as a sign of a product, was its logo. If you were a large global manufacturer of products then you used advertising to push that logo whether it was television or magazines. This is really how the majority of products have become embedded in the consumers mind long after any sales message was forgotten. It is after all a very simple device for anybody to remember.机场的商业标识从长远来看，消费者所能记住的产品象征，只有其商品标识。一个大型的全球性的生产厂家会利用电视或是杂志广告来强化自己的产品标识。大多数的产品正是通过这些标识才被消费者牢牢记住的，即使人们早已忘记了它们的广告语言。毕竟，这是一种让人人都能记住的简单的方式。The travel industry has actually been rather good at logo awareness due in part to the very nature of travel itself in that it is international.In the UK most plane travellers can still remember the typeface of B.O.A.C even if they never knew what it stood for.The same can be said for the U.S.A TWA is a good example, but while airlines set about transferring the logo into a more thought-out branding message to its passengers airports, where the whole business starts have not. 可能由于旅游本身的性质是跨国际的，实际上，旅游界一直都有着较强的商标意识。在英国，大多数的乘飞机旅行者即使并不知道B.O.A.C代表什么，但仍然能记住它的字体外观。在美国，情形也一样，TWA就是一个很好的例子。但是，虽然航空公司开始将其标识转化成一句更为凝练的强化标识的语言，从而传递给乘客，而作为生意起点的机场，却仍未做到这点。While airports themselves did not have to compete with other airports they increasingly have to attract the passenger commercially once he or she is there and this is where the process in the main fails. The horrifying aspect of this is that over 50% of travellers in some airports still spend next to nothing prior to boarding the plane.This is despite a plethora of shops, bars and restaurants all within the same area.If this equation is to be believed there quite plainly leaves a lot of work to be done.虽然机场自身不必与其他机场竞争，但如今，乘客一经出现在机场，机场越来越需要吸引他们的消费，而这正是大多数程序忽略的地方。 发人深省的是，在一些机场，有超过50的乘客登机前几乎没有任何消费。即便在同一区域聚集了大量的店铺、酒吧和餐馆，情况仍是这样。如果认为这可以等同的话，那显然，要做的工作就太多了。 In order to have a cohesive airport-branding programme it is important to understand what an airport stands for from the passengers point of view.In the post 9/11 age we all live in, the first key message platform is one of security, safety and efficiency.These are the core values of the airport branding which is about its commercial activities at the airport itself.From this stand-point it is critical that the two elements are kept totally separate despite being targeted at the same person the passenger.要形成一个有凝聚力的机场标识方案，重要的是必须懂得，从乘客的观点来看，机场代表着什么。“九一一”以后，在我们所生存的世纪，首要的信息要旨就是安全、保障和高效。这是强化机场标识的核心意义，此种标识强化事关机场内部的商业活动。从这一立场来看，尽管两个因素针对的是同一个人乘客，但将它们完全分开仍是至关重要的。Aviation is a serious business for all concerned, so both the message tone and how it is executed is critical.If the aviation message scheme portrays the core values of the airport successfully the traveller will feel secure and therefore more likely to be approachable when it comes to the commercial offer of the airport.So although there are two totally separate messages, one can certainly help the other.对所有相关的人来说，飞行都是一件严肃的事务，因此广告语气和其传达方式都很关键。如果飞行宣传方案成功地表达了机场的核心价值，乘客就会感到安全，因而机场的商业服务更容易被乘客接受。因此，尽管有两种全然不同的宣传，两者肯定会互为促进。Before an airport goes on a visual rampage putting up signs, neon lights and other perceived tools of the branding trade a certain amount of work needs to be done in working out “what does the airport stand for”. This is where individualism as far as the airport is concerned comes in because airports such as Heathrow, Copenhagen, Hong Kong and Pittsburgh are likely to have a different message to put across. 机场在竖起标牌、霓虹灯和利用其他一些工具强化其商业标识，形成视觉轰炸之前，首先要做的工作是弄明白“这个机场代表什么。”这正是彰显机场与众不同之处的地方，因为很有可能各个机场如希斯罗、哥本哈根、香港和匹兹堡所要表达的信息是各不相同的。The airport branding message would also be different between international airports and those smaller often pan-European or inter-American ones.What then are the core values of an airports commercial offer?For this exercise lets look at the potential for the large international airports.One of the key elements should be value. This is critical because there is still the passengers view that airports rip people off by charging a higher price for an item or service than can be found on the high street. Some airports actually pride themselves on being more expensive! Other essential messages are to a certain extent built around value such as Tax Free, Money back guarantees, Choice and Entertainment. Quality is another issue. If these essential things are communicated to the passenger together with the meeters and greeters then everybody is likely to benefit.国际机场与那些小型的通常只对欧洲或是美国内部的机场，机场标识信息也应有所差别。那么，机场商业服务的核心价值是什么？就此问题，我们来看一下大型国际机场的潜在可能。其中一个关键因素应该是 “价值”。这点很重要，因为仍有许多乘客认为机场是在敲诈人们，因为同样的商品或是服务，机场索要的价格要高于商业街的价格。而实际上，有些机场正因为商品更加昂贵而自豪。其他一些根本信息在某种程度上是围绕“价值”建立起来的，如免税、金钱返还保证、精品和娱乐。质量是另一问题。如果这些根本的东西能够与见面致意一样简单地传达给乘客，那么所有人都有可能受益了。Airport banding will also have to encompass the largest of the various commercial activities as in some circumstances these enterprises are set aside from the main aviation activity area. There is also the question of where should the airport branding scenario start?In a lot of cases if it starts when a passenger goes through the terminal door it is too late and an opportunity will have been wasted.Retailers and food and beverage providers use advertising in all its forms in order to entice customers through their doors so why not an airport.While we know that a passenger is going to go through that terminal door anyway what we dont know is “will he or she partake of the commercial offer?”This is what the branding exercise is all about. 机场标识还必须涵盖最重要的商业行为，因为有时这些企业是不在主要的飞行活动区域内的。再有一个问题是，机场的商业标识应从哪里开始？很多情形是，当乘客通过机场入口时它才开始，那已经太晚，而时机也就被浪费了。零售商和餐饮业主用尽各种各样的广告形式来招揽顾客进门，机场为什么不能这么做呢？我们知道乘客必然要走过机场入口，但我们不知道的却是“他或她会尝试我们的商业服务吗？”这就是强化标识的意义所在了。BAA in the UK have always been very active in promoting via the press what their managed airports can offer the passenger.Their black and yellow colour scheme and logo are now firmly planted into the travellers mind.Again they may not know what the initials stand for but they will know that it means a wide choice of shops and food & beverage. The Bristol airport in England is a small but expanding aviation enterprise so they actively promote their commercial offer even to the extent of having a Value message on the train to the airport shuttle bus, emblazoned on the back of seats.They understand the importance of airport branding and what they stand for.在英国，BAA 一直通过报界积极地向乘客推销其经营的机场所提供的服务。他们黑黄颜色相间的图案及标识如今已经牢牢地深植在乘客的脑海中。再次提到，他们可能并不知道这几个首字母是指什么，但他们知道它代表着一系列任由选择的店铺和餐饮。在英国布里斯托尔（Bristol）机场是一个小型的正在发展的飞行企业，因此他们积极地推销其商业服务，甚至在通往其机场班车的火车后座上，都装饰了其“价值”信息宣传。他们懂得强化机场标识的重要性及其代表什么。How then can an airport build a brand, and what are the elements or parts in the jigsaw in order to achieve this?As previously mentioned the main criteria is to have a vehicle by which to tie in strong retail messages about value, choice and the promoting of the individual brands that are within the airport.Once this has been agreed it can then be used for promoting the airport brand.Leaving aside any external promoting there is the highly important communication tool that must work from the terminal car park or foot entry point right to the commercial area or areas.There has to be clarity of communication so as directional signage is so important within an airport terminal anyway it is critical that the commercial signage be significantly different from the pure aviation system. 那么机场该怎样创建一种标识，为了成功地达到目标，契合的因素又是什么？正如前面提到的，主要的标准是要有一个载体，通过这个载体，将有关价值、精品的强烈的零售信息与推行机场内独一无二的标识联系在一起。这个载体一经得到认可，那么它就可以用来推广机场的标识了。除去外部推广不提，在机场内要有一种非常重要的传播工具，从机场停车场或是步行入口处直至商业区域，它都必须发挥作用。所传递的信息必须分清，以使机场内的导向标志占重要地位，毕竟，商业标志与纯粹飞行体系全然分开仍是至关重要的。As many international airports are going through, or have gone through a complete or partial master plan exercise, that puts the commercial activities on the natural through-route for the passengers.This in turn makes any directional signage a far simpler issue that the commercial area is hived off into a separate area.If it is separate then it is important to define that area and promote the offer.This requires a totally different style and level of signage specific to the retail and food & beverage area.一些国际机场正在进行，而一些机场已经完成了一个完整的或是部分的总体规划，它将商业活动都安排在乘客登机的自然通道上。比起商业区域集中在一个独立区域，这使所有的导向标志简单得多。如果商业区是独立的，标明这一区域并推销其服务就很重要。这要求一个完全不同的标识风格和标识程度，专属于零售和餐饮。基本的标识程度是它应告诉乘客该怎样到那儿，而当你到那时，你能得到什么服务。一旦进入到那个区域，后面的事就取决于各个零售商和餐饮业主了，由他们来表明他们是谁，他们代表什么。机场标识因素已经完成其使命，现在，销售什么就取决于服务提供商了。这可不是一个装饰练习，能够强调机场标识的价值，每个机会都很重要，它是标识建设的支柱。On a basic level it should tell you how to get there and then what to expect when the passenger arrives.Once within the area it is then up to the individual retailers and food & beverage providers to define who they are and what they stand for, the airport branding element has done its job and now it is up to the service provider to sell.This is not a decorating exercise, it is important at every opportunity to emphasise what the airport brand values are, it is the very backbone of brand building. Some international airports will have different messages to put over that can come from the international passengers perception of that country.If one is in the U.S.A there is not the problem of selling quality when it comes to the food and beverage element but it may be different for the retail offer.Conversely in the UK the reverse is the problem because the British public who are the core passengers in UK airports have a perception of a poor quality food & beverage offer, so the branding must address this. In the Far East it could be important to emphasise a “guarantee of authentication” for its retail offer.一些国际机场会传达一些不同的信息，它们可能来自于国际乘客对于这个国家的观点。如果一个人在美国，论及餐饮，服务“质量”不是什么问题，但零售服务就不同了。而在英国，问题正好相反，因为作为主要乘客的英国大众，对于餐饮服务质量的印象是很差的，因此，商标推销就要针对这点。而在远东，对于零售来讲，可能更为重要的是要强调“保证真货”。It is not a simple international formula but it is a critical one.There are many ways to brand deliverance from T.V. adverts to Billboards.BAA has even introduced a Loyalty Card, which rewards passengers who travel regularly.The interesting thing about BAA is that they do not actually have an airport brand preferring to promote themselves and the commercial offer as a total package.Flexibility in airport branding is also important, it is not something that can be created and then left by itself. Many international airports have peak seasons such as the summer tourist market so what the airport stands for will need to be part of a proactive push before and during this period in order to maximise commercial endeavour.这不是一个国际通行的简单的方法，但却是很关键的一个。从电视到广告牌，标识的发布有许多方式。BAA甚至推出了忠诚卡，它会奖励定期旅行的乘客。有趣的是BAA实际并没有一个机场标识适宜将其自身和其商业服务作为一个整体推销。机场的标识强化中适应性也是很重要的，这可不是一件创造后就任其自由发展的事。许多国际机场有其高峰季节，比如夏季旅游市场，因此机场所表现的应该是，为了使其商业努力取得最大效益，在此之前和在此期间，进行积极的促销。The UK airport Gatwick always named its Landside commercial areas around the terminals themselves.North Terminal had the Avenue and the South Terminal had the Village.These two areas were named in such a way because they were not on the natural passenger flow from entrance door to aircraft.In short they were invisible so branding and promotion were critical. After master planning the North Terminal commercial area is highly visible to the passengers so the defining is not so critical.Conversely the South Terminal still has the Village as it is still apart from the aviation activities.Where BAA has gone the airport branding route they have had to answer some difficult branding and communication issues.英国盖特威克（Gatwick）机场一直为其周围的landside商业区命名。北口称作大街，南口称作村庄。这两个区域这样命名是因为他们都不在乘客由入口到飞机的的必经之路上。简而言之，他们都不在视线之内，因此标识强化和推销就很关键。总体规划以后，北口的商业区对乘客很醒目了，因此解释不再那么重要。而南口仍保留村庄的名字，因为它仍与飞行活动是分开的。尽管BAA已经走过了机场标识强化的路子，他们仍不得不解决一些标识和传播的难题。At Boston Logan airport BAA only operates Terminals B, D and E and not A or C.Here they have created Air Mall in Pittsburgh and actively promote what Air Mall stands for their own operated terminals.For BAA this makes the message harder to deliver, as their core values are obviously not across the whole of the airport.There are other conundrums, which add spice if not problems to airport branding.When a brand is linked to an operator and not to the actual airport this is a more complicated issue.It is especially so when there is a host of commercial franchises which are not all going to have the same brand values.There is the potential for conflict and a very watered-down message.It is a particular phenomena which makes any airport branding a difficult issue.在波士顿落根（Logan）机场，BAA只经管B，D和E出口，而不经管A和C出口。他们在匹兹堡创建了“Air Mall”（空中广场），并积极地推销Air Mall在其经管的机场所代表的象征意义。对BAA来说，这使其信息更难以传达，因为他们的核心价值显然并没有贯穿整个机场。还有其他伤脑筋的问题，这如果不是给标识强化带来问题的话，那就是增加了刺激。当一个标识所联系到的是其经营者而不是机场本身的话，这个问题就更加复杂了