"Airport turns to advertising for new fliers"

Thursday, June 27, 2002   
 
Airport turns to advertising for new fliers
BY JOSH FUNK
The Wichita (KS) Eagle


Lower fares. Increased traffic. More choice.

For the last month and a half, that has been the story at Wichita
Mid-Continent Airport, city and airports officials say.

But they also worry that people in Wichita and the region don't know
that story.

To turn that image around, airport officials want to launch a new ad
campaign to attract some of the customers that routinely drive elsewhere
to fly, putting Mid-Continent in competition with the Kansas City,
Oklahoma City and Denver airports.

"We have a lot of changes occurring at Mid-Continent, and the public
really needs to be made aware," said airport director Bailis Bell.

The ad campaign would start later this year and run through 2003 with a
budget of $150,000 to $250,000. Bell said the airport, not taxpayers,
would pay for the campaign.

Bids on the ad campaign are due July 8. This campaign is separate from
the $600,000 the city pledged to help market AirTran Airways, which
began Wichita service May, 8.

"AirTran is still going to be doing their own marketing," said Jessica
Johnson, the city's marketing services director. "We really wanted
something broader about our airport."

Still, the new campaign is likely to mention AirTran's arrival and its
effect on airfares.

The airport should emphasize price and convenience in the ads, said
Steve Porter, an associate professor of marketing at Wichita State
University.

The key will be determining what factors make people willing to drive
three hours to fly, Porter said.

"One of the things they'll have to do is educate people on what services
they have," Porter said. "The main stigma is going to be price."

To be successful, the campaign must persuade people who usually drive
elsewhere to change their habits. Johnson said the city hopes
Mid-Continent will become the first choice in the region.

"We're able to run with just about anybody on fares," Johnson said.

The ad campaign will likely feature several different media such as
television, print and the Internet, but that will be determined after
the proposals are received.

The campaign will feature existing services at the airport as well as
touting the success of recruiting AirTran.

For example, Bell said, Mid-Continent already has 13 airlines offering
flights, but most people don't know that because three of them fly under
the Delta Connection name.

"Any improvements in service, we want to be able to draw attention to
it," Bell said.


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