Merseyside businesses help make Airport’s marketing campaign a success

Local businesses, Chambers of Commerce and The University of Liverpool have helped KLM grow passenger numbers on their key long haul services via Amsterdam, following their involvement in a marketing campaign by Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA).

At the end of March, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines introduced their new summer schedule from JLA that provided the region’s passengers with a number of improved onward connections to worldwide destinations via Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The airline also introduced new low fares on a number of onward long haul routes starting from LJLA.

As a way of reminding passengers in the region that KLM offers flights to over 600 worldwide destinations with the added convenience of starting journeys from LJLA, the airport decided to embark on a marketing campaign that captured the support for KLM, the Airport and the worldwide connections available, by using ‘real life’ travellers.
To help find such travellers, Liverpool and Knowsley Chambers of Commerce asked if any members wished to get involved in the campaign, whilst The University of Liverpool did the same with students who have travelled from across the world to study in Liverpool. Willing volunteers were subsequently seen featuring on billboards across the city, in adverts in newspapers and online using various social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and the Airport’s own website and email distributions.

Katie Elliott, Head of Marketing for Peel Airports commented, "The support of key organisations across the region has been tremendous. With their help we found a number of individuals who were really keen to get involved and publicly show their support for services from their local Airport and to highlight the importance of the KLM flights. We can’t thank these volunteers enough."

Henri Hourcade, Air France KLM’s General Manager for the UK and Ireland added, "This has been an exciting campaign to work on with the Airport. We have worked towards raising awareness of the global network KLM is offering out of Liverpool including some of our new long haul destinations such as Miami, Xiamen and Buenos Aires.

One of the first campaign volunteers Simon Meyer, is Chief Operating Officer at successful Liverpool company Human Recognition Systems (HRS). Having won Liverpool Daily Post’s Small Business of the Year, HRS builds identity products for regulated markets that recognise people and their behaviours.

Simon commented, "Liverpool has true international heritage and recognition so this campaign and KLM’s commitment to the airport showed the importance of the city as a real international gateway, which given our success and international aspirations is something we will be taking advantage of in the future."

Tori Hywel-Davies, the owner of Mohawk, a Liverpool boutique communications company specialising in PR and media relations also worked with the airport on this campaign and commented, "Having lived and worked in other international cities where long-haul travel is right on your doorstep, it was great to see John Lennon Airport and KLM joining forces so Liverpool can now offer the same."