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DIA Focus Group Summary

Focus Group Summary

On February 5th, 2009, two focus groups were conducted by Market Perceptions, Inc. (MPI) on behalf of

the Denver International Airport (DIA) Concessions Program. Participants included a diverse group of

local passengers and the purpose was to further enhance our understanding of the types of concessions they

would like to see available at DIA beyond what we learned from the 2009 DIA Passenger Survey1 results.

Methodology

Each of the focus groups were approximately two hours in duration and were recruited to ensure that at

least eight participants attended each group (one session included ten participants and the other had nine),

each of whom received $125 for participating. In an effort to include a variety of participants, both with

respect to demographic and travel experience characteristics, we employed multiple recruiting strategies.

Some participants were invited by the airlines to complete an online screener, indicating their interest in

participating. Others were recruited by MPI from respondents who completed the recent quantitative

survey for DIA. Still others were found through additional in-person intercept interviews at DIA.

The screening criteria for participants in these focus group sessions included only basic requirements:

Participants needed to be frequent fliers (three or more flights in the past year), live in the Denver/Metro

area, and could not be employed in the advertising, media, marketing or airline industries. One of the

advantages of drawing from multiple recruiting sources is that we were able find a variety of passengers.

Demographically, we achieved diversity in many respects.

Age Number of

Participants

Education

Number of

Participants

Household Income

Number of

Participants

Under 24 1 Some College 6 $25K to $49K 3

25 to 34 4 College Graduate 11 $50K to $74K 7

35 to 44 5 Post Graduate 2 $75K to $99K 2

45 to 54 3 $100K to $149K 5

55 to 64 4 $150K or more 2

65 + 2

1 2009 Denver International Airport Study, conducted by Market Perceptions, Inc.


Focus Group Summary

Of the 19 participants in these two focus groups, 16 had flown Frontier in the past 12 months, 9 had

flown Southwest, and 16 had flown United. Participants also varied in terms of the type of traveling they

do, with six traveling primarily for business, eight primarily for leisure and five saying they travel for both.

In addition, five said they also travel with children.

Airline Number of Participants who have

flown airline in past 12 months

Type of Travel

Number of

Participants

Air Tran 3 Business 6

American 2 Leisure 8

Continental 5 Both 5

Delta 6

Frontier 16

Jet Blue 1

Qantas 1

Southwest 9

United 16

US Air 6

The design of the focus group discussion was initiated by MPI and refined with substantial input from the

DIA Concessions Program. The Discussion Guide was structured around three primary tasks: 1) to

obtain feedback on the current concessions at DIA, 2) to have participants talk about the brands they look

for and explain which brand attributes they find attractive, and then 3) to engage them in a conversation

about the future of concessions at DIA. (The full Guide is included in the Appendices)

Analysis of qualitative research requires a bit of a paradigm shift from what is typically expected from a

quantitative study. More than just having an interest in what participants said, we are interested in why

they said it. This process can be described in terms of three goals: 1) Providing examples, 2) Identification

of themes, and 3) Sharing of insights. Providing examples through qualitative analysis is a process of

“filling out” or enriching concepts that are considered important. However, it is better to achieve the

second goal, as identification of themes allows us to understand how various aspects of consumers’

experiences fit together. To the extent that we can gather additional insights beyond that, we not only

have an understanding of what consumers want and need, but also what they could want in the future.

Although the analysis of this research is organized thematically, we certainly found plenty of examples to

help us better understand the quantitative results and achieved a lot in terms of additional insights that

describe possibilities for enhancing travelers’ experiences of DIA concessions.


Focus Group Summary

Results

Three general themes emerged through our focus group discussions – participants expressed an interest in

concessions that would provide value, be practical for them, and offer something distinctive. However,

there is a single thread that runs throughout that is easier to articulate with some help from the literature.

In the book, The Experience Economy, B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore talk about the problem of

commoditization and explain that we have entered a new economic era – the era of the experience

economy.2 A brief excerpt is below which provides a useful framework for understanding how DIA

passengers describe concessions at the airport.

Commoditized. No company wants that word applied to its goods or services. Merely mentioning commoditization sends shivers down the spines of executives and entrepreneurs alike. Differentiation disappears, margins fall through the floor, and customers buy solely on the basis of price, price, price.

Consider, however, a true commodity: the coffee bean. Companies that harvest coffee or trade it on the futures market receive – at the time of this writing – little more than $1 per pound, which translates into one or two cents a cup. When a manufacturer grinds, packages, and sells those same beans in a grocery store, turning them into a good, the price to a consumer jumps to between 5 and 25 cents a cup (depending on brand and package size). Brew the ground beans in a run-of-the-mill diner, corner coffee shop, or bodega and that service now sells for 50 cents to a dollar per cup. So depending on what a business does with it, coffee can be any of three economic offerings – commodity, good, or service – with three distinct ranges of value customers attach to the offering. But wait: Serve that same coffee in a five-star restaurant or espresso bar, where the ordering, creation, and consumption of the cup embodies a heightened ambience or sense of theatre, and consumers gladly pay anywhere from $2 to $5 for each cup. Businesses that ascend to this fourth level of value…establish a distinctive experience that envelops the purchase of coffee, increasing its value (and therefore its price) by two orders of magnitude over the original commodity. (Pine and Gilmore 1999, p. 1)

In both focus groups, participants were persistent in their comments about the high prices at DIA. While

this might seem like a matter-of-fact response to objective comparisons between stores within DIA and

their counterparts outside of DIA, the very focus on price says something about their experience of DIA

concessions – it isn’t worth anything beyond what they would find elsewhere.

“There’s a lot of times at the airport I have some time to kill and wouldn’t mind going in, sit down and have a sandwich or something, but when you know you’re going to pay $15 for a $5 sandwich, you don’t care too much about that.” (Focus Group Participant)

Although there can be a tendency to compartmentalize different aspects of a customer transaction, for

example by seeing customer service as tangential to the item being purchased, we need to ask what we’re

2 Pine, Joseph II, and James H. Gilmore. 1999. The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre and Every Business a Stage Harvard Business School Press: Boston, MA


Focus Group Summary

really offering. From a customer perspective at DIA, it is entirely possible that they’re looking for an

experience, in which case the concessions program depends on more than just the bare goods and services

provided. Pine and Gilmore describe how this changes things:

“When a person buys a service, he purchases a set of intangible activities carried out on his behalf. But when he buys an experience, he pays to spend time enjoying a series of memorable events that a company stages – as in a theatrical play – to engage him in a personal way.” (Pine and Gilmore 1999, p. 2)

The contrast between what we think we’re selling and what the customer wants to pay for marks a shift in

the value equation.

Customer satisfaction measurements essentially focus on understanding and managing customer expectations of what companies already do rather than truly ascertaining what customers really want…They must understand the nature of customer sacrifice – the gap between what a customer settles for and what he wants exactly:

Customer sacrifice = What customer wants exactly – What customer settles for. When we understand customer sacrifice, we discern the difference between what a customer accepts and what he really needs, even if the customer doesn’t know what that is or can’t articulate it.” (Pine and Gilmore 1999, p. 78).

As we talk about the three themes describing what travelers are looking for in DIA concessions, it is

important to understand that, despite the emphasis on wanting goods and services, DIA concessions are

experience-oriented products. Looking for an experience does not mean that the goods and services drop

out of the equation. It simply means that goods and services are evaluated as components of the experience.

And we see this clearly in the way our focus group participants talked about wanting value. They accept

what they get, but they are hoping for a lot more.


Focus Group Summary

Value

The clearest example of travelers “settling” for something they don’t really want is McDonald’s. Although

a few participants indicated that a McDonald’s is a “must have,” primarily for the kids, the consensus

seemed to be that it would not be their first choice if they actually had a choice. This is definitely a case of

customer sacrifice.

“I feel like I’m forced there.”

“The only time I eat at McDonald’s is at the airport.”

“Something like McDonald’s, but better quality? Yea, that’d be nice.”

As participants talked about all the things they want to see in a concessions program at DIA, it was clear

that, despite the complaints about price, what they really want is value; and while value is partly a

question of price, it is also a matter of perception. How they perceive DIA concessions as they head out

from security and arrive on their concourse shapes their attitudes about what they are looking for and

how they feel about what they find. This was evident in comments about customer service, space and

the appearance of DIA concessions.

Customer Service

The consensus seemed to be that customer service isn’t very good at DIA:

“Customer service usually isn’t that friendly…I’ve come across a lot of people who work at the airport who just aren’t that friendly.”

“Kind of rude.”

“[fast food usually has] bad customer service…DIA takes it to a new low.”

“You get the impression that they could care less”

“They’re talking on the phone, don’t pay attention to what they’re ringing up, don’t really greet you or say thank you for your business.”

They seemed to be saying that DIA concessions fall short on customer service as a rule. But the exceptions are noteworthy, because we see that the perception of good customer service can be part of the brand identity of a particular store.


Focus Group Summary

We heard praise for customer service most emphatically with respect to The Body shop.

“Yes, been in there and…they are very friendly when they great you, they’re helpful…and I didn’t get a lot of pressure.”

“Fantastic.”

“Nice Store.”

“Great Store.”

But Hudson Booksellers had good customer service more explicitly as part of their reputation.

“I haven’t been in this one, but in others, and they’re usually well run stores, fairly priced, nice people.”

“Keep it!”

By contrast, Connections Made EZ fared worse in the comparison to Hudson News, which seemed to

benefit from the same reputation as Hudson Booksellers.

“Service seems better in Hudson News than here.”

Space

Participants really liked the DIA facility, describing it as clean and open.

“Really clean, they do a good job.”

“High ceilings…sunshine…open.”

“I would say for the most part…I like it…respectable, clean. Before the month’s out, I’ll be in four different airports, and I’ve been in three of them and they’re the pit … I’m proud of DIA.”

“One of the cleanest…spacious, well lit.”

“Wide open, carpets always clean.”


Focus Group Summary

But they expressed some frustration with the seating.

“I have a hard time with the area where you sit (in the food court before heading down the concourse)…it’s not cleaned up, and crammed.”

“Tables are so close together.”

“A lot of times you go down to your gate and you’re too early, there’s another flight leaving and there’s no place to sit.”

They also described problems with space inside the stores, where “open” means they can get their bags

through.

“Cramped…especially now that people have to pay to check their bags, everybody travels with their bags..and it’s just hard to get through some of those shops.”

“Hard to get luggage through…I like to go to Pour La France, like to sit down, but then to figure out where to put your laptop, carry on, what have you…there’s not enough room.”

Two stores that were specifically criticized for the difficulty with being able to move through with baggage

are The Candy Shoppe and Judith Collection.

[The Candy Shoppe] “That’s one of the worst one’s for room – I had to leave my bag kind of right there [pointing], because the register is a little more than half way back…it’s tight.”

[Judith Collection] “I’ve walked past it and it just looked too crammed…and it doesn’t look like anything I would ever need.”

Two other stores, both at corner locations, were considered more spacious.

[Spirit of the Red Horse] “It looks like it’s right on the corner…a little bit more room.”

[Bella] “It looks like it’s wide, so you could pull your baggage.”

Appearance

As we can see, both customer service and space can be a matter of perception – if the store has a reputation

for poor customer service or just looks “cramped,” that can be the difference in customer decision-making

– how a store appears can impact sales.


Focus Group Summary

Sky Snax was a very clear example of how appearance can diminish a perception of value. It was surprising

that we didn’t hear more positive responses to Sky Snax among our focus group participants, which offers

natural snacks, because “healthy” food turned out to be something they thought DIA needed more of. By

all accounts, “Sky Snax” should have fit their criteria, but they said it just didn’t look appealing.

[Sky Snax] “It doesn’t look healthy…like it says natural snacks, but

doesn’t look like healthy food.”

Another good example is the comparison between Hixon’s Popcorn and Denver’s Picture Show Popcorn.

Denver’s Picture Show Popcorn was viewed favorably, while they rejected “Hixon’s Popcorn.”

[Denver’s Picture Show Popcorn] “Absolutely…usually go there on my way home…caramel corn.”

[Hixon’s Popcorn] “Looks dull – would probably walk right past it.”“There’s nothing inviting about the place at all.”“I’d buy popcorn in the other place…more appealing.”

Along with Denver’s Picture Show Popcorn, Radio Road and Way Out West received some positive

reviews in terms of appearance. None of the participants had shopped at Radio Road, but it was

considered attractive.

“Looks like an inviting shop.”

“Looks modern and new.”

“I like the lighting of Radio Road.”

A few participants had been in Way Out West, describing the appearance

of the store as part of the reason for going in.

“I’ve gone in and looked around… wanted to see what they had in there…it drew me in.”

“Kind of cool.”

“A place to browse.”


Focus Group Summary

From DIA’s recent quantitative research results3, we see that satisfaction ratings of restaurants and stores

on customer service are around 70%, while satisfaction ratings for the value they find at DIA remain

below 40%.

Restaurants Stores

Speed of Customer Service 75% 70%

Quality of Customer Service 69% 68%

Comfort 53% 55%

Value for Money Spent 38% 37%

While customer service, space and appearance are important for perceptions of value, as they are essential

ingredients in a good concessions experience, improving these alone will not likely provide a sense of value

to the extent needed to close the gap between perfect value and what travelers feel they are getting. Again,

there appears to be a degree of customer sacrifice evident in ratings of DIA concessions.

What participants really look for in terms of value has a lot to do with quality, which came through in

their discussions of brands and brand attributes. We started the discussion of brands by having participants

name some of the brands they like.

“Bath and Body Works, Dunkin’ Donuts, Auntie Anne’s, Beau Jo’s, Chili’s, Mountain Man, California Pizza Kitchen, Walgreen, Denny’s, Vitamin Cottage, Massage Envy, Dave & Busters, ESPN Zone, Starbucks, Einstein…”

We then asked them why they liked these particular brands and to describe some of the attributes. Some

of the general attributes mentioned were “Quick, clean, friendly, variety, atmosphere, openness, inviting,

efficient.”

Specific brands included these and other attributes:

Denny’s: “Breakfast, discount, consistent, brand recognition, good values.”

Starbucks: “Consistency, recognizable, predictable, donations, treat employees well, reliable, testy, attitude” – “Inviting looking…even if you don’t like coffee, it looks like you should want to go into it; familiar.”

CPK: “Healthy choices, consistent, cheery, innovative, middle price range.”



Focus Group Summary

“Healthy Choices” stood out as important in both focus groups and we had an opportunity to really dig

into what that means. Essentially, healthy means food that is “fresh.” It is food that looks healthy and feels

healthy.

“Lighter fare, salad, fresh.”

“Doesn’t make you feel so – salad, lighter stuff or veggies – not greasy or dragging, heavy feeling in your body; getting on a flight, don’t want to spend time in the restroom.”

“Fresh, not greasy, low carb, fruits and vegetables.”

“Made in front of you, not stale, fresh.”

Along with California Pizza Kitchen, Chipotle was described as having healthy choices in exactly this

sense, and according to one participant is different from many of the food options currently available at

DIA.

“Chipotle: naked burrito, I can get something healthy…tons of protein and not a lot of fat…you can’t find that at McDonald’s. And as much as I like Schlotsky’s, it’s going to be an extra half hour on the treadmill.”

As we saw earlier, Sky Snax did not fit these criteria, primarily because the snacks (as well as the store

itself) did not look fresh. What they had in mind for healthy snacks was something like Mountain Man.

Among the other current concessions that did not pass the “healthy choices” test were Chef Jimmy’s and

Villa Pizza.

[Chef Jimmy’s] “Pizza is way too greasy.”

[Villa Pizza] “I wasn’t impressed with the quality of the food…it seemed like it was old, like the pizza had been there for a long time…it didn’t look that appetizing.”

More generally, they described Asian food as healthier than what they usually find at DIA, and this

included a range of possibilities, from restaurants like Noodles and Company to Asian restaurants.

“Tokyo Joe’s – chicken bowl with rice and broccoli, and don’t have to get a big one.”

“Fast food Asian…Panda Express…quick, clean, familiar, fresh vegetables, different from hamburger and a bun.”

The discussion of healthy choices confirmed for us that the concerns about price are sometimes an

indication that they aren’t finding what they want. One of the participants even said, “I’d rather pay a


Focus Group Summary

higher price and know that it’s really fresh.” This is a good way to think about the next theme, practical

concessions, because the important thing to keep in mind as we figure out what brands and brand

concepts appeal to travelers is that it’s not just a question of finding the right categories, but also finding

executions of those categories that work for travelers. We can imagine a DIA that has nothing but healthy

food and a room of focus group participants telling us that they want something more decadent. At the

end of the day, they want what they want and the concessions program needs to be able to accommodate a

variety of wants. But that does not mean that we cannot identify commonalities across that variety, as

evident in the need for concessions that are practical and distinctive.


Focus Group Summary

Practical

What do travelers want to see in DIA concessions? From the quantitative survey results4, we see that 19%

of respondents said they visited shops just looking for something to buy, while 81% were either just

looking for something to do (49%) or looking for something to do in addition to making a purchase

(32%). If travelers are just browsing or “killing time,” everything we have said about value is relevant, not

only in terms of creating a good experience, but also in terms of converting some of those 49% who are

just looking for something to do into those who are making a purchase. These gaps are largest in the retail

stores, such as Gift shops.

Departing Passengers Stopped and

Looked

Purchased

Something

Gap

Take-out Restaurant 68% 48% 20

Dine-In Restaurant 42% 16% 26

Gift Shop 44% 8% 36

Newsstand/Bookstore 55% 18% 37

However, while 36- and 37-point gaps might make sense for Gift Shops and Newsstands/Bookstores, as

these have browsing potential, it would seem that someone looking at a restaurant is interested in eating.

The 20- and 26-point gaps for Take-out and Dine-In restaurants indicate that some passengers simply

aren’t finding what they’re looking for. Indeed, only 75% of the respondents who were looking for

something said they found what they were looking to purchase.



Focus Group Summary

We have a general idea of what travelers are looking for from the quantitative results. We asked, “If DIA

were to offer more shopping or dining experiences in the airport, what would you most like to see made

available?”

Shopping or Dining Experiences Probably Would Like +

Definitely Would Like

Quick, Take‐Out Restaurants 70%

Casual Sit Down Restaurants 65%

Coffee/Tea Shops 65%

Newsstands/Magazines 64%

Books 63%

Bakeries/Pastries/Bread 60%

Barber Shop/Hair Salon 17%

Jewelry 15%

Movie Rentals 14%

Toys 14%

What really stands out in this data is Casual Sit Down Restaurants, second on the list at 65%.

Participants in the focus groups had no difficulty identifying the relevant holes in DIA’s concessions

program, and now we understand much better why so many look but don’t buy.

First, in terms of food, the consensus among focus group participants was that DIA has no “middle

ground,” nothing between fast food and high-end restaurants.

“There’s no middle ground – fast food or high end. For example, Chili’s…those are nice because you can sit down and eat, not an assembly line of fast food spots.”

“Been to other airports where there are places like Chili’s or Outback Steakhouse…more appealing than what Denver airport has.”

“It seems like there’s just McDonald’s and then a sit down restaurant…what about places like Chipotle, Noodles and Company…or even something comparable price, but better product…not everyone likes McDonald’s.”

Second, they were also in agreement that DIA lacks breakfast options. This is one of the reasons why

many of the participants felt they were “forced” to eat at McDonald’s. While other fast food breakfast

options would be acceptable, such as Burger King, they were again looking for that middle ground.

Several participants liked the idea of a Denny’s or something similar.


Focus Group Summary

On the retail side, it was interesting that for pretty much every type of concession that fit into the “Gift

Shop” or “Newsstand/Bookstore” categories, participants said they went in looking for water. While that

certainly can be considered a food item, it is an example of a broader category that includes both food and

retail – basic needs.

We heard a lot about how DIA concessions could provide more for basic needs. For example, at many

points in the discussion participants asked for a drug store. This might seem to contradict the quantitative

results, where we see that only 32% said of the respondents said they would like to see

“Pharmacy/Prescription Medications.” But “drug store” meant so much more than prescriptions for our

focus group participants – in fact, prescriptions didn’t seem to be an essential ingredient at all. What they

want is a place they can pick up all of those personal items that one might need while traveling.

“Like 7-11 that has that little row of stuff…extra items…lipstick, water…”

This sort of offering was a top priority for the parents with small children in our focus groups, who felt

DIA was not really there for them in terms of basic childcare needs.

“When you’re traveling with kids – blow out situation – something some place where you can get clothes – accidents, spills, incidents – and parents need a change of something…like Target quality, t-shirt, socks.”

“With a two-year-old, they don’t have basic things, like wipes…I would travel to a different concourse, but they have nothing.”

“My daughter packed the disposable diaper, and had to find someone who had extra.”

Adults tend to just suffer through experiences like travel without insisting on the comforts of home, but

the comments about what a parent needs for their children generated more discussion about the sorts of

things everyone needs. As they started to think outside of what they typically have come to accept as

airport concessions, they told us what they would really like to see – “Costco, Kohl’s, Target, Vitamin

Cottage, Walgreens…” They understood that DIA would not be putting a Target on the concourse, but

they did wonder whether a mini-Target or Walgreen’s “Express,” or something of that sort, would be a

possibility.

However, even if such a concept is not possible at DIA, our focus group participants were talking in a way

that really helped us understand that it isn’t the category of products and services that matters, so much as

the “fit” between particular products and services within those categories and the needs of travelers.

Finding such a fit turns out to be a useful test for evaluating brands, brand concepts, products and services.

For example, when we asked whether they’d like to see a store selling electronics, they said they didn’t

want computers or televisions, but products they need every day would definitely be a good idea.

“Verizon or Sprint would be good…gadgets, chargers, etc….power cords, cases.”


Focus Group Summary

In another category, banking, they explained that the ATM provides what they need, and that there are so

many different brands of banks that it wouldn’t make sense to put those in DIA. This is a little bit like

one of the responses we heard to haircuts – something too personal to provide for everyone – if it isn’t my

stylist, then I don’t want it at all.

In more general terms, all of the participants in these focus groups described themselves as fairly organized

travelers, and it is not unreasonable to imagine that most of the people who travel frequently are also very

organized – “I don’t like to not have everything together; don’t like the stress that goes with not being

organized.” For this reason, many of the goods and services that might be appealing to them outside of

DIA didn’t make sense inside DIA, either because they would have taken care of it or because they have

figured out a routine that doesn’t require it – they’re organized.

We asked participants to talk about what type of travelers they are and heard from quite a few about the

routines they have.

“I don’t stop and do anything until I get through security.”

“There’s all those places to eat along where you stand in the security line, but I never eat at them, because I want to get through security first.”

“If you get a beverage, you don’t get it through security, so you have to chug it down.”

“Efficiency…I have my system for getting through security, then I have my little shop I go to to get my water, because it’s the kind of water I like…I’ve got my routine down.”

“Usually through security 1 ½ hour before flight, gives me time to get my water, get a snack and you always want these things because if you’ve ever sat on the tarmac, you got your stuff, and a little extra to offer people.”

“I go over what I want to be on me…what can be in this bag? What can be in that bag? That’s when I make my purchases.”

Thinking about a traveler’s experience of DIA concessions as he or she proceeds along his or her path from

security to their gate, what does he or she need? As we gathered feedback concerning concessions currently

at DIA, it became clear that these routines are the result of negotiating barriers, not necessarily the ideal

experience.

“My routine is to get Rocky Mountain News, Lottery tickets, Schlotzsky's…but when we get to what I want, that’ll be a whole other discussion.”

So the question is really what works for them and what doesn’t? What would make things go more

smoothly, maybe even enjoyable? For example, many of the participants talked about how they could use

more resources for getting work done at DIA.


Focus Group Summary

“It would be nice to sit down and work – can’t do both, either crawling on floor to plug in or no room in food court.”

“Need a business center.”

“Space upstairs has room.”

“A place to charge phone.”

“I do appreciate the free internet…I always have work to do.”

A children’s play area made a lot of sense to them.

Moderator: “What about a children’s play area?”

Participants: “Oh yes.” “Yeah.”

Participant: “In the middle, where you have more room for kids to run and scream…mindful of other travelers.”

Participant: “Having kids be able to run benefits everybody.”

But some of the ideas we asked them to talk about didn’t really fit with traveling in their view, such as a

salon.

“If I had time, I’d get a pedicure…if you had the right shoes, more time to dry…if you had a layover and were going someplace, traveling through…blizzard, people shut down.”

“I don’t particularly see a need for that…not going to get do’d up and then sit on a plane for hours.”

In other words, they want to see concessions that are practical for them. This is an important part of

eliminating whatever degree of customer sacrifice they are experiencing. But a more subtle form of

customer sacrifice can be found in the experience as a whole – like having a craving for something, but

eating something that doesn’t quite hit the spot. A traveler who has found value in all the ways we have

described up to this point might still feel that something is missing. We can imagine her thinking, “this is

a beautiful place, everyone has been kind and courteous, and now I have my water, my snack…everything

I need – now all I want to do is leave.”


Focus Group Summary

Distinctive

Our focus group participants were very helpful in clarifying what more they want from their experience of

DIA concessions. Consistent with the emphasis on “practical,” they had a number of specific suggestions,

such as needing to be able to see and hear the televisions at the restaurants and bars, wanting more

convenient hours, looking for efficient, convenient concessions. However, the substantive suggestions

revolved around the idea of “authenticity.”

One of the participants expressed a feeling that many of us have probably experienced at one time or

another:

“Airports aren’t fun. Airports used to be fun. Travel used to be fun. Going to an airport was an adventure; people dressed up to get on a plane. Now, security, everything you can’t do…stress, hassle.”

Of course, not everyone feels this way every time they visit an airport. At DIA there are aspects of the

experience that might be considered fun. Several participants mentioned how much they like the design

of DIA as well as the artwork. One even talked about the great atmosphere on Concourse A.

“There’s a great atmosphere on Concourse A. It’s easy to be in a good mood when you’re on that concourse.”

But most of the comments about the atmosphere throughout DIA indicated that it is “generic” and

“sterile.”

“As far as food goes, all of the stuff at very center is totally generic fast food…disappointing.”

“More than most airports, but they’re all kind of the same thing.”

“Not a lot of culture at DIA…sterile.”

“Nice to have a little more character.”

“Need more color.”

While there is a lot to be said for a clean, functional airport, there is greater value to be found in an airport

that also has some personality.

“I visit a lot of airports where they have authentic local food – for example, Nashville.” “Denver is more generic.”

One suggestion was to make DIA more like Park Meadows, but the conversations in both focus groups

evolved into imagining something much more interesting. They talked about barbeque in Nashville,

Harry Caray in Chicago and jazz in New Orleans. They wanted to see more of Colorado at DIA so that it

feels more like they are at the Colorado airport.


Focus Group Summary

“When you go to the airport, Colorado’s products should be on display…like, you know you’re going to Colorado’s airport, not just any other airport.”

We asked our focus group participants to talk about what they think of when they think of Colorado, and

it became clear that there is quite a lot of brand equity to be leveraged.

“There’s this whole mystique across the country about living here – amazed that we have 300 days of sunshine.”

“Melting pot, a lot of history, nature, outdoors, #1 even over San Diego and Seattle, lots of sunshine, activities are unbelievable, active and healthy – a very healthy place, outdoors, Rocky Mountains, frontier, leader in natural resources/alternative energy, sports, gateway to the west.”

“Fresh, clean air…best water in the country…leader in alternative energy…a state that is a leader for the future.”

Now that we had them thinking not just about “airport” concessions, but any brand that could be

considered a “Colorado” brand, they were able to list quite a few they liked – “Elitches…Any sports venue –

Invesco, Coors Field – Red Rocks…Cheesecake factory, 16th street mall – Hard Rock Café, Jazz at Jack’s.” So

when we suggested putting a museum store in DIA, they were very enthusiastic.

“That would be awesome!”

“That would be great.”

“Like the museum of natural history store – a museum store that represents Colorado.”

“Bring in Red Rocks, Garden of the Gods…”

But other aspects of the Colorado brand were consistently emphasized. For example, we were reminded that

Denver is a great sports city.

“I’d like to see a store that handles t-shirts and ball caps from our four professional teams.”

“Seems like they have a lot of jewelry and could swap some jewelry out for sports…I think that’s more marketable…people coming in would want to take something like that back instead of some jewelry.”

“The great thing for me is when I’m going to see a client and I need something – like I know my particular client’s son is on the baseball team and I’ll go get a Rockies’ cap.”

Other participants talked about photography and art galleries, mentioning John Fielder and Native

American art. But one of them asked the question that really got to the point: “What do we have in

Colorado that we can brand as local?” The quick answer was, “Good beer.”

We had “wine bar” on our list of concepts to have them talk about, but participants in both focus groups

jumped at the chance to talk about Colorado Wine and Beer bars.

“Beer Bar – micro brew.”

“Right now in DIA...bud, bud light…[would like to see] Fat Tire, New Belgium.”

“A Colorado wine bar would be interesting…there are a lot of Colorado wines.”


Focus Group Summary

“I like that…Ambiance…Nice feeling…Colorado wines.”

Thinking back to the sorts of things they said about Colorado brands that currently have a presence at

DIA, it became clear that being a Colorado-based company is not enough if travelers don’t know that it’s a

Colorado-based company. Both La Casita and Dazbog are local companies, but participants did not

perceive them as such. La Casita was described simply as “Typical Taco Bell Mexican” and Dazbog was

shoved aside as participants talked about Caribou Coffee, which seemed more local. Rocky Mountain

Chocolate Factory, on the other hand, hits the sweet spot, as Colorado is a core part of its brand identity,

along with providing value that is practical – “Definitely keep…Local, a snack, a keeper…Get rid of the

popcorn place and put one of those [Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory] in each [Concourse].”

Conclusions The goals of this research were relatively straightforward. We wanted to clarify and elaborate upon some

of the recent quantitative survey results, as well as gain a sense of which brand concepts make sense for the

DIA concessions program. We certainly achieved those goals, but learned a lot more in addition. We

now have a strategy for evaluating potential future concessions, using three interrelated criteria: value,

practicality and distinctiveness.

Value means that travelers want quality products and services delivered in a way that constitutes a good experience – good customer service, space to shop and aesthetically agreeable stores.

Practical means that they want to see something they need, something that fits their routine.

Distinctive means that they don’t want a generic experience at DIA; they want something that lets them know they aren’t at just any airport – they’re at the Colorado airport.

At end of second group, the participant who complained most about prices said jokingly that he’d be

willing to pay $7 for a glass of Colorado wine. But there is some truth to that. People are willing to pay a

premium for value. At DIA, that value either needs to work on a practical level or be “authentic” in some

way. The ideal, as exemplified by The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, is found in brands and brand

concepts that achieve all three, so that travelers sacrifice nothing when they spend time here.

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