Airports as tool in destination branding
Airports play significant roles in destination branding; but strangely, some countries still do not see any reason to invest in building a befitting airport. Experts highlight how airport branding can drive investment into the country, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.
The brand experience of a destination is like the first impression one gets of a person. The English man says it is the real impression; it lasts forever.
In mo st cases, the experience one gets from a destination makes one to form an opinion about the brand. For a reporter who was a first-time visitor to South Africa to watch the final match of the last Orange African Cup of Nations at the Calabash Stadium, between the Super Eagles and the Chipolopolo of Zambia, the brand experience of the former apartheid enclave came on his arrival at the O.R Tambo Airport in Johannesburg.
The airport presents visitors with a cherished consumer experience, such as convenience and hospitality. Beginning from the airport, ranked as third in Africa and 28th globally by Skytrax, a United Kingdom-based firm specialising in airline and airport research, everything appeared in order.
As the plane landed, passing through the Avio Bridge, which leads visitors to the arrival lounge, the adverts adorning the airport walls confirmed why South Africa is leading other African countries in the chase for Cannes Lions, the global advert festivals where the world best adverts are showcased and picked.
The conduct of the airport officials, spectacular billboards, wall and pillar wraps, airport bus transport, among electrifying indoor boardings, all provided an ambience for brand promotion.
The quick conveyance of luggage and a fast-tracked immigration counter cut short the amazing experience and sight at the airport. The O.R Tambo Airport is not the best in South Africa. It trails South Africa’s Cape Town International Airport and Durban’s King Shaka International Airport.
The allure of modern technology in O.R Tambo reflects monster media digital platforms, baggage carousel wraps, mobile media, the Digital Passenger Assistance Service Systems (DPASS) and massive light emission diode (LED) screens enhance traveller’s experience. But most travellers passing through major airports in Nigeria on their way to watch the final match wrote them off. The airports they argued, seem not to reflect the multi-billion naira wasted in rebranding the facilities.
The Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, like others, has remained a sour point in Nigeria’s destination branding project. From the hassles of travelling through the dilapidated roads to the MMIA, the heat at the departure lounge, the long queues at the immigration points, all the way to the waiting lounge, it’s all about unpalatable experience. A report by Cable News Network (CNN) rating some Nigerian airports rated MMIA as one of the world’s worsts.
While the airports of countries such as France leave travellers with memories of its Eiffel Tower, New York for its Statue of Liberty, Singapore for its cleanliness, and Malaysia for the Petronas Twin Towers, Nigeria’s touch point remains an issue brand experts are yet to fully come to terms with.
Mrs. Funmilola Ashaye, a Void and Allocation Officer at Genesis HA, a United Kingdom-based company, will not forget in a hurry her experience when she came home for the Easter. She was apalled that eight years after she left the country, the MMIA remained in bad shape, even worst than she left it.
She said she has been seeing some pictures and videos of the airports on social media but felt it was mere marketing stunts of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
“I could see that the ambience is fast changing and it will look better when the current facelift is completed. I think it’s more amazing now. The lounge is looking world class now,” she said.
Underscoring the importance of airports in nation rebranding campaigns, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), DDB Lagos, Mr. Ikechi Odigbo said the airport is the first touch point to position Nigeria as a brand. “It’s the very first touch point to brand Nigeria at the international market place. Whatever brand message you want to pass across to a first time visitor starts from your airport. Although, it goes beyond the rebuilding but the maintenance must be robust so that visitors can experience convenience,” he said.
The Chief Executive Director of Noah’s Ark, Mr. Lanre Adisa said airports say a lot about a country. The environments have a way of positioning a nation as a brand seeking good perception.
“It’s a perception thing. Investing in the airport is a worthwhile venture. To a first-time visitor, it speaks volumes about the government,” he said.
He said a good airport makes visitors see the country as a good investment destination and a good destination for brands.
With a recent score card on MMIA by the United States Transportation Security Administration (USTSA) over its compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Standard and Recommended Practices, the General Manager, Communication of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said the efforts is aimed at improving the touch points and bringing them to compete with others not only in Africa but across the globe.
According to him, recent figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) attest to the fact that Nigeria has grown appreciably in recent years; from 13,891,677 passengers in 2010 to 14,899,958 passengers lifted in 2013.
”Surely this growth is the outcome of deliberate strategic transformation by the government in the sector and indeed, a key performance indicator that the reforms are yielding positive outcomes,” he said.
On the perception of the airports by tourists, he said people’s perception cannot be easily changed through talking until people go see and have a feel of the new change.
However, Adisa, said the effort to remodel and rebrand the airports is a step in the right direction. He added that the culture of maintenance must be imbibed so that the facilities do no slip back to rot years after the completion of the remodeling.
“An airport experience for travelers should exhibit convenience. The rebuilding will open up the country. A lot of travelers under this new rebuilding will be able to take direct flight to their destination rather than having to come to Lagos from U.S and still take another flight to another state,” Adisa said.
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