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Using social media to improve customer engagement and promote products and services
Journal of Airport Management,
9
(2),
109-117
(2015)
Abstract
Airports across the globe are using social media to engage customers, promote their airline partners and enhance concession revenue. A successful social media strategy is most often built on a solid brand foundation — one that clearly articulates the airport’s strategic differentiators and value to travellers. The symbiotic relationship between airline and airport is enhanced by using social media as part of a comprehensive cooperative marketing plan. It can be used to announce new routes or destinations, help to defray the risk to the airline and to ensure the success of the new service to a community. Plus, smart partnerships between airports and their concession partners can increase per-passenger spending while travellers are in the airport. Several airports are either informally or formally partnering with the concession partners in this way.
Keywords: airport; social media; Facebook; Twitter; Instagram; customer engagement; airline partnerships
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Kristie Vanauken was promoted to senior vice president in 2008 and manages and directs all airport marketing and communication programmes at Akron-Canton Airport including: air service development, branding, advertising, media relations, social media and internal and external communications. Kristie is often invited to speak at local, regional and national conferences and forums about airport marketing, branding and social media. Kristie authors ‘It’s a Trip’, a popular airport blog, and can be found on Twitter at @CAKristie. She joined the airport staff in 1996 as director of marketing. During her career at the airport, passenger levels have tripled, and the airport has won numerous awards including these from ACI-NA’s Excellence in Airport Marketing Awards: 1st place brand campaign (2014) and 1st place in the category Social Media Initiative (2013). In addition to her airport duties, Kristie serves on the following boards: Leadership Akron, The Development Finance Authority and the Marketing Leadership Roundtable. She was also honoured as one of the top 100 Women in Ohio Aviation by the International Women’s Air and Space Museum in 2009.
