Context:
Swissport took part in the call for tenders for handling contracts at Brussels Airport and won 4 licenses. The world leader in airport handling, Swissport, was relatively unknown in Belgium.
Approach:
At first glance, the aim was to objectively influence decision-makers in favor of Swissport through the media, to increase brand awareness and to make Swissport a reliable partner for airports and an essential processing agent for airlines.
INSTICOM was already working with Swissport before The Brussels Airport Company announced the name of the winning agency. The first activity was to conduct a media audit in which we analyzed Swissport’s notoriety among journalists and looked for all the clues and information we could find to get the maximum attention from them, and therefore regular appearances in the media. Subsequently, targeted interviews were organized with important journalists to raise awareness of Swissport and its vision of its business sector in Belgium. In addition, various press releases had been drafted and widely disseminated.
After the issuance of licenses to Swissport and due to the lawsuits filed by Aviapartner, most of the ‘classic’ communications activities soon turned into crisis communication. We organized targeted interviews with journalists, started a press dialogue with the trade unions and created tailor-made content to give Swissport a positive image and reassure Brussels Airport of its intentions.
Results:
The reputation of Swissport has increased enormously and its clear positioning is now known to all its stakeholders, partly thanks to the stepping stone caused by the challenges of the licences issuance. One of the most positive points, which also shows the possibilities of close dialogue with the media, is the fact that they considered Swissport the legitimate winner of the tender. The interviews led to in-depth articles in De Tijd, L’Echo, La Libre Belgique, De Soir, De Standaard, De Morgen and Trends / Tendances, among others.
Swissport’s press releases have been well received by all newsrooms and have helped to ensure a regular and structured presence of the company in the Belgian media.