Idaho Press Club Awards-Best of 2014 Public Relations Division

Media Campaign

Boise Airport Direct-to-Houston Flight Campaign

Submitted by: Red Sky: Christina Lenkowski, Amber Broeckel and Lynda Bruns

Communications Et Al: Kelly Amos Kanso: Wyatt Werner

Situation  The Boise Airport secured a new daily direct flight between Boise and Houston, TX (IAH) on United Airlines, which opened new business and pleasure travel opportunities between the cities as well as Caribbean and Latin and South American destinations. To help generate awareness of the new Houston route, and promote all 17 direct routes from Boise, the Boise Airport submitted a request for proposal to local agencies, which Red Sky bid and won. Given the wide demographic range of prospective customers with different travel motivations, Red Sky worked with airport leadership to create a campaign spanning earned, owned and paid channels for maximum visibility. Red Sky shaped the overall strategy for each component and managed the overall awareness initiative, providing tactical support for social media and the media relations event. Kelly Amos and Communications Et Al led advertising efforts, with specific focus on ad buys and coordination.

Strategy  

Media  Plan  &  Placement  Red Sky collaborated with Communications Et Al to develop a robust media plan including a mix of radio, online and outdoor billboard ads.

• Red Sky purchased and produced 30-second radio ads announcing the new route. The spots were targeted to ages 25-64 and ran Aug. 4-24.

• Online ads, developed by Red Sky and partners with input from United, were a prominent component of the strategy and ran August 4-24. Business travelers were targeted via business news page ads on IdahoStatesman.com, while advanced audience targeting tactics were used to receive above-the-fold placement to 8,000 premium news sites on mobile and desktop, including Wall Street Journal, New York Times, among others. Ads were also geo-targeted to Ada and Canyon County business and pleasure travelers, ages 30-65.

• Outdoor digital billboard ads also ran throughout the Treasure Valley.

Ad  Samples:  Online  

Ad  Samples:  Billboard  

 

In-­‐Airport  Advertising  Red Sky developed in-airport signage including table tents and digital and backlit, semi-permanent displays.

Social  Media    To help promote the new route, Red Sky created a sweepstakes for a “Boise Ultimate Carry-on Kit.” The sweepstakes increased “likes” on the airport’s Facebook page by 50 percent, and helped collect consumer email addresses for future e-newsletters and other outreach opportunities.

• Sweepstakes ran Aug.14-21 • Total number of entries: 1,575 • Total number of new Facebook page likes: 1,507 • Pre-sweepstakes page likes: 1,318 • Post-sweepstakes page likes: 2,999 • Visits to sweepstakes page: 3,336 • Shares: 289

 

Social  Media:  Sample  Posts  

Launch  Event  Red Sky collaborated with airport staff to coordinate an in-airport event on Aug. 20 commemorating the inaugural United Boise-to-Houston non-stop flight. Invitees included the passengers, local city officials and local media. A media advisory was sent prior to the event to create awareness. The event featured window art developed by United and original canvas art stand-ins created by local artists from Sector 17. Immediately after the event, a press release with photos was sent to local media outlets.

Stand-in art sample with Houston and Boise themes

Contact: Rebecca Hupp, Boise Airport, 208-424-5604 Date: August 18, 2014

Media Advisory

United Airlines to Commence Nonstop Service to Houston

What: United’s Inaugural Flight from Boise to Houston (IAH). Celebration

to include ribbon cutting, photo opportunities, giveaways at the gate and water arch at departure

When: Wednesday, August 20, 2014 Time: 5:45 AM Interested Media meet for escort into the secure area

6:00 AM Pre-Flight Festivities 7:00 AM Boarding

7:30 AM Departure and Water Arch Where: Boise Airport Terminal meeting location is at the 2nd floor rotunda,

all events will occur post-security Who: Representatives from Boise Airport and passengers Interested members of the media should RSVP to this advisory no later than 5pm on Monday to arrange for media escort in the secure area. Press Releases and photos will be available via Boise Airport’s web site: www.iflyboise.com.

Contact: Patti Miller, Marketing & Communications, 208-424-5666 Date: April 15, 2014

For Immediate Release

Boise Airport Announces New United Nonstop from Boise to Houston

Flights Begin August 20, 2014

Boise, Idaho – Boise Airport is pleased to announce the addition of nonstop United Express service to Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), beginning August 20, 2014. The new flights will be operated by SkyWest Airlines using 70-seat regional jet aircraft that feature seating in United First and United Economy, including Economy Plus extra-legroom seats. Daily Schedule - Flight# City Pair Departs Arrives Frequency Aircraft 4720 Boise-Houston 7:30 a.m. 12:01 p.m. Daily CRJ-700 4721 Houston-Boise 5:45 p.m. 8:31 p.m. Daily CRJ-700 “We’re pleased to add Houston to the list of nonstop destinations United serves from Boise,” said Aaron Pugh, regional sales manager for United. “The new Houston flights will provide travelers in the region direct access to Houston, as well as convenient connections to other destinations in Texas, the southern U.S. and Latin America.” “This new non-stop route is tremendously promising economic news for Boise because it provides a vital link to another major urban center,” Mayor David Bieter said. “I encourage the Boise business community to enthusiastically support this route and take full advantage of the opportunity it presents for our local economy.” With the addition of Houston, United will serve five hubs nonstop from Boise, including Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco. From Houston, United and United Express offer nearly 560 daily flights to 176 destinations around the world, including top business and leisure travel markets in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. The Houston hub is United’s premier gateway to Latin America, with service to 51 destinations across Latin America and the Caribbean. The Houston-Boise service will originate on Tuesday, August 19th with the first Boise-Houston flight departing the next morning

-BOI- BOISE AIRPORT (BOI) is a municipally owned entity operating as a self-supporting enterprise. No City of Boise general funds are used to operate the Airport. BOI is served by 6 airlines which offer daily service to 19 non-stop cities. In 2013, more than 2.6 million passengers traveled through Boise Airport. Press Releases are available via Boise Airport’s web site: www.iflyboise.com.

Results  The media event and overall campaign garnered several local and national stories, including:

• Boise Weekly • Idaho Business Review • A live story aired on KTVB at noon, 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. • USA Today • Houston Business Journal • Anna.aero (an online airport and airline route news site)

Boise Airport Director Rebecca Hupp is interviewed by KTVB.