03/05/2020

Norfolk Airport switches from ‘Take ORF’ to ‘Let’s Fly’ with new marketing campaign

The Virginian-Pilot

“Let’s Fly.”

That’s the two-word phrase Hampton Roads residents will be seeing more of starting mid-March, when Norfolk International Airport launches an ad campaign from Sway Creative Labs of Norfolk.

Sway owner Bryce Picard and senior copy writer Kevin McCarthy told airport commissioners in late February that the new campaign, including the slogan, emphasizes what Norfolk International Airport has control of before a traveler boards a plane.

“To your parking spot, to your gate, to the charging station, to the bathroom, to that pre-flight coffee, Norfolk International Airport makes it fast and easy to fly, way before you take off,” according to the agency’s presentation on the campaign.

As far as the slogan, “ ‘Let’s’ implies community and companionship” and “Fly” invokes both literal flying and the ease and speed of doing something, Sway leaders said.

The agency also has swapped out dark colors for brighter ones, small buttons for bigger ones and sharp edges for rounded ones on the airport’s website, as well as making the mobile site more readable on smartphones. The company developed 15-second, animated digital ads that can be watched with or without the audio to promote the airport. The new look includes fresh business cards and Power Point branding for the airport’s executives, too.

“I love the energy,” commissioner Deborah Painter said after the company made its presentation.

Sway won a three-year contract that began in August, with the option of up to two years of extensions. The downtown creative marketing firm was among 24 to submit a proposal to the airport, ultimately out-doing three Virginia Beach firms for the job, including BCF, which had held the airport marketing contract for nearly eight years. Both Picard and McCarthy worked on Norfolk Airport advertising at other agencies. McCarthy spent 14 years at BCF, most recently as its creative director. Picard and his business partner, Jarrett Beeler, met when they worked for Dave Iwans and Associates, which was responsible for the “takeORF.com” campaign that launched about 15 years ago.

“Trying to better the region as a whole is something we’re passionate about,” Picard said later, noting he’s raising three kids and his business partner is raising two in the area. At around the same time the agency won the airport contract, it also won the bid to create a campaign for VisitNorfolk. It’s also been the agency of record for the Port of Virginia and Tidewater Community College, branded Norfolk’s Neon arts district, and led a campaign for Colonial Williamsburg. At the same time, it’s done work for Sony and Politico.

“As much as we like working on global brands, we do love the region around here.”

Sway will provide advertising, marketing and public relations work for the airport.

The company is doing the work on retainer for $10,000 a month to cover 80 hours of work, a monthly meeting and making staff available to the airport’s executives. Any work outside the 80 hours is billed at $135 an hour.

Source: https://www.pilotonline.com/business/consumer/vp-bz-norfolk-airport-update-20200305-j3ytkzavfzd2pmzsvixqldcs2e-story.html