Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) is the fourth largest airport in Pennsylvania, conveniently located near the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. They provide an unmatched experience for passengers as they travel through our terminals to board their flights. ABE gives passengers the ability to fly closer to home with their neighborhood airport by avoiding the need to travel to other major hub airports.
Challenges
Eastern PA residents have the flexibility to choose from several different airport options when selecting flights. Many area residents weren’t aware of ABE’s convenience, and booked travel originating from well-known international airports in Philadelphia and Newark, New Jersey instead. ABE sought to establish itself as the preferred choice for travelers within a 60-mile radius.
Implementing targeted marketing campaigns that significantly influenced awareness proved to be tricky because the airport had limited information about its customers.
In 2019, ABE set out to address these challenges by partnering with Weidenhammer to develop an integrated digital marketing strategy. This strategy would drive new travelers to the airport while providing the ongoing customer insights ABE needed to maximize the success of its marketing efforts.
The transformation yielded impressive results across all areas of the business, demonstrating the power of strategic modernization combined with respect for heritage.
Go to the Impact Report"Partnering with Weidenhammer has been a game-changer for us. Their digital marketing expertise and creativity have helped us measurably increase awareness among Eastern PA locals while successfully positioning the airport as their preferred travel hub. With Hammer’s ongoing support we’re confident we will continue earning the business of local travelers and become their airport of choice."
— Darren Betters, Director of Business Development
Together, We Forged Ahead
Because travelers can’t book tickets directly from ABE’s website, Weidenhammer developed a multi-channel digital marketing strategy focused on driving engagement and website traffic. Ads targeted to potential travelers within a 60-mile radius would promote ABE’s many nonstop destinations and the convenience of choosing the local airport.
Before finalizing ad creative, Hammer refined target demographics. They also analyzed data collected from the airport’s owned digital platforms to understand how ABE’s target markets were interacting with them. This allowed the team to develop ads with optimal messaging for each market.
The campaign launched with the new ads placed across digital display, search, social, and partner channels (e.g., Google; Facebook; Instagram).
A comprehensive data-reporting dashboard was created to help Weidenhammer and ABE determine:
- How effectively each ad and key message engaged target markets.
- What destinations users were most interested in.
- Basic audience demographics.
- How customers interacted with ABE’s website.
Digital Experience Enhancement
As the campaign progressed, digital assets were optimized to ensure the highest levels of relevancy, engagement, and overall performance. New ads were continuously developed for each of ABE’s target markets tailored to different seasons and destinations.
Since the successful launch of the original awareness campaign, ABE has turned to Weidenhammer for additional digital marketing campaigns to generate awareness for new destinations including Denver, Chicago, Melbourne, Florida, and more.
The agency also supported the launch of a new connector between ABE’s main terminal and departure building. Digital display ads, social media, and local partnerships were used to spread the word about how the connector delivers an improved customer experience featuring new TSA security checkpoint screening lanes, a medical-grade air purification system, and other enhancements.
The Impact
Since the initial implementation of ABE’s multi-channel digital marketing campaign, the airport has steadily increased awareness by using data-driven insights to optimize campaign effectiveness.
Today, ABE continues to depend on Hammer for creative digital campaigns that compel potential travelers to choose their local neighborhood airport over their larger counterparts.
Forging the Future
Campaigns have run continuously since 2019 – except when travel was brought to a standstill during COVID-19. As the world slowly came out of the pandemic, Weidenhammer developed safety-oriented campaigns focused on getting people comfortable with coming back to the airport.
With Hammer by its side, ABE has the support and customer insights it needs to continue attracting new customers well into the future.
When you’re ready
Let’s hammer it out together.