Travel Marketing
Ethic’s experience is deeply steeped in travel and destination marketing, and one DMO we’ve worked with extensively over the years is the ATL Airport District Convention & Visitors Bureau. The District is a neighbor to Ethic’s own home base and, by definition, a fellow champion of the Southside.
Project:
Tourism Growth
The ATL Airport District came to us with an unusual problem: everybody assumed it was an airport. It isn’t. It’s a single Convention & Visitors Bureau shared by a bloc of small cities located between Atlanta and its airport. Our challenge: get the name out there, explain what it means, and preach the many advantages of booking a hotel stay just outside Atlanta.
Now that we have your attention...
This early campaign concept took a friendly shot at the big city next door while leaning into some of the area’s own marketing challenges.
Hostile headlines were followed by sweet-as-pie marketing copy—a playful nod to the less-than-friendly perception of the area. The campaign hinted (but stopped short of saying) that the ATL Airport District is “nicer than you thought.”
We kept the focus on the District’s traditional selling points: cheaper hotels, simpler living, easy travel.
Take a picture, it'll last longer.
What We Really Did
The ATL Starts Here
After consulting with the client, we wove together their favorite elements from the handful of initial concepts we had developed in addition to the Stay Out campaign: the idea of Atlanta travel beginning and ending in the District, a graphic aesthetic, and Stay Out’s playful approach to headlines (toned way, way down for prime time). We embraced a timeless visual style, introducing a modern, elegant duotone treatment in the brand’s signature blues.
We also gave the headlines a winky new transportation-pun theme, because the District has more to be proud of than air travel: it’s adjacent to Georgia’s most-travelled highways, it boasts world-class public transit, and as the historical easternmost end of the Atlanta and West Point Railroad, it also has (please forgive us)...railroad ties.
2020 came in a little too hot!
Like everyone, the ATL Airport District had to think on their feet to transition the 2020 marketing plan into COVID crisis mode.
Above: The ATL Airport District’s pre-COVID tourism brochure. This entire trifold piece folds open to reveal a 22”x11” custom illustration of area attractions. See the interior pages below.
A Site is Born
After several years and many lessons learned about usability, the ATL Airport District asked us to retool their website to better serve the CVB’s goals and the community’s needs. Building on a wealth of increasing brand recognition, we redesigned the site to match their stylish, graphic look and lively personality. Within that, we’ve created an entirely user-oriented experience that streamlines what was once an overwhelming amount of content. The site’s diverse audiences (prospective tourists, meeting planners, and local residents) will be guided to targeted information through thoughtfully-curated routes that we’ve carved throughout the site.
The site is still in its final production stages with the client’s web host, but we can’t resist giving you a sneak peek. See what it will look like »