GTAA rebrands Pearson airport

The Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA), which operates Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, has launched the first elements of a broad rebranding effort aimed at making the airport North America’s largest international hub.
 
The initiative includes a new logo designed by Toronto agency Ove Design and Communications that includes the new tagline, “For You. The World.” The updated brand I.D. now appears on signage inside the airport.
 
In addition, the GTAA has replaced its website, GTAA.com, with a revamped version that highlights the Pearson brand. TorontoPearson.com launched early Tuesday morning.
 
Pamela Griffith-Jones, chief marketing and commercial officer for the GTAA, said these developments were part of a larger plan to add several new products and services to Pearson’s customer offering in the next several months. The airport added free Wi-Fi in 2010 and plans to introduce additional restaurants, shops and car care options for travelers.
 
The new look and upgraded service, said Griffith-Jones, reflects the GTAA’s goal of establishing Pearson as North America’s top international airport.
 
“We’re currently number four in terms of international traffic in North America, and we believe there’s a lot of opportunity for us to attract more travelers to connect through Toronto,” said Griffith-Jones. “We’ve got a lot of capacity to grow, whereas a lot of the airports south of the border do not have that opportunity.
 
“We’re realistic that people don’t fly to Toronto to hang out at our airport. But the reality is that, because of the increased security requirements over the years, people do have more ‘dwell time’ at airports than they have in the past,” she said. “We want to make sure that when people may have a couple of hours on their hands, we’re doing everything we can to welcome them and serve them and give them different things to do.”
 
Griffith-Jones said the airport would also tap into Toronto events and culture, including performances and artistic displays tied to festivals such as Caribana and North By Northeast.
 
“Our philosophy is that when you come through our airport, whatever’s going on in the city, you should have some sense of that in our airport,” she said.
 
Along with Ove, GTAA agency of record Juniper Park has developed a plan entitled “Make the Invisible Visible” to highlight the changes at Pearson using its internal out-of-home media. Toronto shop Level 5 also contributed strategic insights.