Sydney Airport hopes ‘PFT’ teaser campaign will bring travellers flying into revamped retail zone
Sydney Airport has launched a million-dollar consumer advertising campaign to promote the new food, beverage and retail offering at its international terminal, the culmination of a $500 million revitalisation of the facility commenced in 2007.
The integrated campaign developed by Sydney-based Frost* commenced on Sunday, with an unbranded two week teaser phase using radio, outdoor and online to create a tongue-in-cheek, fictional medical condition called PFT – Pre-Flight Tension.
The teaser campaign will resolve in mid-June with launch advertisementsfor the airport’s new retail precinct, positioned as the ideal antidoteto PFT, which aim to encourage leisure travellers to arrive early andenjoy the dynamic new shopping and dining experience being offered onhome soil.
The strategy was informed by quantitative research,which showed that one in four travellers experience significant stressbefore an overseas trip.
“Consumers were telling us that theyfind departing for a holiday abroad really stressful, reaching acrescendo at the airport” said Vince Frost, creative director and chairman at Frost*. “This insight was the jumping-off point for thecreative campaign, which seeks to first acknowledge this phenomenon,crystalising an emotional scenario that travellers can identify with.This engagement will open them up to further communication about howthe new experience offered at Sydney Airport can play a role inalleviating this anxiety and actually become an exciting part of theholiday”.
The light-hearted teaser ads, which are presentedsomewhat like government health education campaigns, will drive peopleto a microsite for tips on easing pre-flight stress by planning for theairport as you would the holiday, allowing yourself plenty of time andarriving early.
Sydney Airport hopes the new shops and foodoutlets, which include an offshoot of the Bambini Wine Room andAustralia’s only Victoria’s Secret store, will make spending more timeat the airport a much more enticing prospect than perhaps it was in thepast.
The Sydney Airport campaign is targeting regulartravellers aged 20 – 55 who take at least one overseas holiday per yearand who’ve already booked a trip. The teaser phase will include two30-second radio spots, outdoor advertising on taxi backs and supersites at the airport, as well as online advertising on the ‘traveltips’ sections of major travel websites. The microsite, features a quizto identify which kind of traveller you are and will shortly launch twohumorous films, bringing the PFT ‘condition’ to life, to also be seededon YouTube.
LISTEN TO THE RADIO SPOT:
The second phase of the campaign, announcing therevitalisation of the airport’s international terminal shopping zone,will include press, radio and online advertising and feature food andbeverage, duty free and fashion executions.
In addition to theadvertising work, Frost* created the new identity and environmentalgraphics for Sydney Airport’s retail precinct.
22 Comments
Looks like scammy in-situ retouching.
Pfffffft. I’ll save my money for when I get to where I’m going thanks.
Who the fuck does a teaser at the international terminal of an airport?
Where are most people going to be when it ‘resolves’?
pft is giving me dvt.
It’s got a real food, beverage and retail offering feel to it, don’t you think?
FAIL.
The sound of farts.
Nothing like reading the brief on the way to the airport.
This is so lame.
I can’t believe I’m saying it, but the radio has managed to be even worse than the website.
They work so well because they completely remove the teaser from the equation, allowing the billfish to focus on the fly. Food Beverage
WTF. Lets spend money inventing a bogus condition that we then spend more money on linking to the International Terminal and then we can spend more money telling people about it’s actually a new terminal…genius.
Oh.
My.
God.
I think it is funny – I definitely suffer from PFT before flying, most of which happens before I even get to the airport. No matter how many times I fly I still end up in a fluster from being disorganised. Looking forward to seeing the next stage of the campaign – also hope the new food offer includes good coffee!
I think it is clever and funny. Looking forward to seeing the next stage of the campaign. More than happy to have shops to browse in and something decent to eat during the 3 hour wait for my plane to take off. Hope the new food offer includes good coffee!
Did you know when you rearrange the letters in ‘travel fiend’ you get…
MARKETING MANAGER !!!
this is what happens when design agencies dabble in advertising….disaster
erk, professional jealousy is so ugly…
I know who dunn it and i think its a top idea
Pretty
Fuckin’
Terrible
Anyone who has an idea of the industry overseas knows this is crap. Yes, most ads in Australia is crap, but this is making a good contribution. Professional jealousy has no place in this case.
what a waste of space
i wouldn’t spend a cent at sydney airport this depriving macquarie of any additional revenue
do you have a 15 year old working on creative?
boring.. unimaginative.. experiential crap
I have just arrived in Sydney and googled this as pft sounded like a new tax or a sexually transmitted disease!!! You may want to let the taxi companies in on your campaign so they can educate the consumer when they are asked what it is!! Personally I think some graphics of the new shopping available may be more of a persuasion that some letters as from my experience we shop with our eyes and emotions but hey thats just my opinion…
I saw these “PFT” billboards leaving Sydney airport. I still don’t know what the hell it’s supposed to refer to. Not quite sure what sort of ad compaign it’s supposed to be if it never tells you what it’s advertising. Certainly not a successful one.