Columbus Regional Airport Authority launches 'branding' campaign

By Steve Wartenberg,  The Columbus Dispatch 
Tuesday February 26, 2013 6:25 PM

Many local travelers don’t know much about the Columbus Regional Airport Authority or what exactly it has authority over.

A study found “people were happy with the service, but they didn’t understand what we do and what our role is,” said David Whitaker, the authority’s vice president of business development.

The authority is out to change this and has announced a campaign featuring a new series of logos to better inform the public about what it does and the economic impact it has on the central Ohio region.

“We connect Columbus with the world,” Whitaker said, summing up the message the authority plans to deliver.

The authority oversees operations at Port Columbus, the area’s main passenger airport; Rickenbacker, the primary freight airport; and Bolton Field, the general aviation hub.

An economic-impact study has shown that the authority’s three airports and surrounding businesses, such as NetJets at Port Columbus and the intermodal rail and truck transportation hub at Rickenbacker, supported 54,000 jobs and pumped $6.6 billion into the local economy in 2011.

“We add value to the region,” Whitaker said. “And it’s important to connect that to the organization that does it.”

Highlighting its role in economic development also is a goal of the authority’s campaign.

“If a company wants to bring their operations here or expand what they already have here, it’s important that they know the airport functions well,” said Susan Tomasky, vice chairwoman of the authority’s board.

“And it’s important they understand how we are integrated with all the wonderful things happening in the arena of economic development.”

The most visible component of the branding effort will be the new logos — one for the authority itself and similar versions for each airport.

The new logo for the authority features three swirling bands that form a circle meant to represent the earth and reinforce the concept that the authority’s airports connect Columbus with the world.

Source:  http://www.dispatch.com