Company: City of Philadelphia - Division of Aviation
Nomination Submitted by: Jacobson Strategic
Company Description: Operated by the City of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is the largest airport in Pennsylvania and the primary airport serving the Philadelphia metropolitan region. In 2019, the airport served 33 million passengers and partnered with 25 airlines to offer 500 daily departures to more than 140 international destinations. PHL is also a regional cargo hub for UPS Airlines.
Nomination Category: Communications & Marketing Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Travel & Tourism
 Nomination Title: The PHL Wingmate Pass
- Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the creative and media development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
Producing the Wingmate brand, strategy, and tactics was a coordinated communications campaign between the PHL communications and marketing teams. They collaborated on the press release, media events, supporting media interviews, and content/ copy direction for all organic social media.
Communications goals: Drive broad awareness of Wingmate and educate guests about the potential uses of the program, utilizing a variety of organic and paid tactics, and enhance the reputation of the airport by highlighting its innovation:
The Communications PR plan set the stage for Wingmate’s dramatic early success,kept the buzz going, and generated national coverage. Phased media campaigns generated excitement for guests using the program, which was reflected directly in significant increases in landing page views. E.g. A CNN article and affiliate pickups drove 4.7k page views and 4.1k engaged users (see more in metrics).
– Coming Soon Teaser Campaign (10/5/23-11/1/23) – pre-launch, Wingmate was unveiled at PHL’s Fall Media Preview, along with a press release and targeted media interviews. The media preview kicked off a month-long “coming soon” campaign utilizing organic social media, in-terminal advertising, and PHL web advertising.
– General Awareness (Jan. 2024-July 2024) – post-launch, ongoing awareness campaigns utilized a mix of tactics, highlighting user stories, such as joining a loved one’s journey, planning a heartwarming surprise, discovering PHL’s extensive dining and shopping options, and access to award-winning art exhibitions.
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the nominated campaign or program - its genesis,development, planning, commission, and performance to date - OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions, provide them in the appropriate spaces below:
N/A
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 56 words used.
- Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
November 1, 2023
- Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 240 words used.
The PHL Wingmate Pass provides access to the secure side of the airport for non-travelling guests who want to assist traveling family and friends through the airport, welcome arriving passengers at the gate or simply enjoy the airport shops and restaurants at their leisure. Guests using the program may assist loved ones needing extra care and assistance while traveling, such as unaccompanied minors, or passengers with limited mobility, health concerns or disabilities.
Before Wingmate, people who wanted to accompany a traveler to an airport gate – say for a minor traveling alone – would have to contact an airline directly. Now, guests apply online, are vetted, issued an approved digital pass, and, on the day of their visit, are subject to TSA security.
Believed to be among the first several airports nationwide to deploy such “guest passes,” Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) created Wingmate in the spirit of goodwill for the community, in response to increasing inquiries from friends and family members looking to escort a passenger to/from their gate, with a focus on enhancing customer service and satisfaction. It’s also intended to raise awareness of all PHL has to offer as a destination: The Wingmate Pass can be used for exclusive dining and shopping deals at extensive offerings throughout the terminals, 150+ restaurants, bars and shops, and top retailers. It also provides greater access to PHL’s award-winning Art Exhibitions program (one of the oldest and largest among similar programs).
- Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of July 2022. Even if your initiative started before July 2022, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of July 2022 only (up to 250 words):
Total 245 words used.
Since Wingmate launched in November, more than 6,000 guests have taken advantage of the program, and the numbers continue to climb. The program's record week saw 289 passes approved, and an average of 41.3 daily. Wingmate has made its mark on those who have used it; grateful guest stories have been featured on social media.
Campaign Metrics:
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Passes: 137 passes approved first full week following launch, with an average of 19.6 passes daily
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Organic Social: 18,433 organic impressions, 3,041 organic engagements
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Website: 4.7k engaged users within 7 days of media preview. 15.6k page views and 12.3k engaged users during the month-long campaign.
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Media: Total online and print publicity valued at $332,780. Total online and print audience reached 21,689,382.
Holiday:
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Passes: for the weeks leading up to November, December, and January holidays 1,400 passes were approved, on average 201 weekly and 29 daily. The highest week saw 284 weekly and an average of 40.6 daily.
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Paid Social: 682 engagements, 751,120 impressions
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Website: 6.6k page views and 4.1k engaged users over a 7 week period.
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Media: Total online and print publicity valued at $41,743. Total online and print audience reached 1,074,405.
Awareness:
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Paid Social: 13,017 engagements, 242,337 impressions
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Website: 25.6k page views and 16.9k engaged users YTD
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Media: Total online and print publicity valued at $81,333. Total online and print audience reached 55M.
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