After launching a $120 million renovation at Newark Airport’s Terminal C, United Airlines was challenged to solve the problem that New Yorkers thought flying out of JFK was closer to Manhattan than Newark Airport.
United had an opportunity to change people’s perception and prove once and for all that flying out of Newark would save New Yorkers precious time. We had to dispel the myth that traveling to JFK from Manhattan is faster than Newark, NJ.
Despite JFK’s long history as “New York’s Airport,” Newark Airport has many claims to be better for New York travelers; the most compelling being its proximity and ease. The the objective of this campaign was to convince New Yorkers to reconsider their airport and airline choices when planning their next getaway, choosing to fly United out of Newark.
We fitted 125 digital taxi tops with GPS software to show a real-time comparison of the travel times between the location of the taxi versus JFK and EWR airports. This campaign represents the first time that real-time GPS traffic data was used to display dynamic messaging on top of a taxi.
United Airlines proved that taxi’s drive more than just people; they also drive perceptions. Media efforts in New York also included OOH billboards, taxi tops, bus shelters, phone kiosks, newsstands, and in-airport units.
“In the fiercely competitive airline advertising landscape of New York, it’s a constant challenge to think up new ways to cleverly stand out. The taxi-top campaign allowed us to be the first to use innovative technology to show New Yorkers just how close Newark is, effectively helping us improve perception in a critical market.”
– Daniel Cuellar, Global Advertising Director, United
