PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (PIT)
REMAKING AIR TRAVEL FROM THE GROUND UP
As the Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) prepared for a transformative new chapter, the organization recognized the need for a more cohesive approach to marketing and communications. Operated by the Allegheny County Airport Authority (ACAA), PIT sought a campaign framework that could support key revenue drivers, strengthen public perception, and reinforce the airport's position as a source of regional pride.
W|W collaborated with PIT to develop a comprehensive campaign style guide and toolkit focused on three strategic pillars: parking, air service, and concessions. Grounded in actionable insights, a communication strategy, and an audit of leading airport campaigns worldwide, the toolkit established a bold and recognizable system for messaging, creative expression, and implementation across digital, environmental, and partner channels. The result is a practical and scalable platform that helps PIT tell a more consistent story today while creating future flexibility.
WE'VE GOT YOUR PARKING COVERED
Parking can be one of the most important parts of an airport journey, yet it is rarely the part travelers think about first. With PIT's new terminal came a new parking experience, creating an opportunity to change perceptions while helping travelers understand their options.
W|W developed a flexible campaign system that makes convenience, value, and pre-booking easy to communicate. The framework can promote the speed and accessibility of the terminal garage and terminal lot, or highlight the competitive value of the shuttle lot. Headlines, imagery, offers, and calls to action can change as needed while the overall campaign remains instantly recognizable. The result gives PIT a practical way to communicate parking today while building a system that can adapt as the offering evolves.
START HERE. GO EVERYWHERE.
For airline service promotion, PIT needed a campaign approach that could showcase destinations, support airline partnerships, and appeal to travelers with different motivations. Some audiences are searching for their next adventure, while others simply want the most efficient route to where they need to go.
W|W created a scalable communications system that allows destinations, routes, and airline offerings to be promoted through a consistent creative framework. The toolkit highlights unique travel opportunities while providing flexibility to accommodate airline brand requirements and evolving route networks. The resulting platform helps PIT tell richer travel stories, build awareness of its expanding air service portfolio, and position the airport as a gateway to both business and leisure destinations around the world.
LOOK WHO'S LANDED AT THE AIRPORT
As PIT's concession offerings continue to grow, the airport has an opportunity to enhance the traveler experience long before passengers reach their gate. The communications challenge was to balance promotion of individual retailers and restaurants with broader messaging that elevates the value of the airport experience as a whole.
W|W developed a campaign system that supports both objectives. The toolkit reinforces differentiators such as street pricing and tax-free apparel while encouraging travelers to explore the airport's expanded amenities. Flexible layouts allow individual concession brands to take center stage when appropriate, while other executions place greater emphasis on PIT's overall experience. This approach creates a platform that can evolve alongside the airport's offerings while remaining cohesive, recognizable, and distinctly Pittsburgh.
BUILT TO KEEP PIT MOVING
A campaign system only works when people can use it. W|W translated the creative direction into a practical toolkit that gives PIT the structure, flexibility, and resources to keep the work moving long after launch.
The campaign style guide organizes the system around parking, air service, and concessions, with guidance for touchpoints both across the PIT campus and beyond it. It defines the visual language, messaging principles, tone, and applications across social media, digital screens, outdoor, buses, email, in-terminal signage, partnerships, and more. An extensive library of headlines and subheads gives the PIT team a head start on future communications.
Rooted in Pittsburgh's iconic black and gold, the system is bold, confident, and unmistakably PIT. It is designed to work today, adapt tomorrow, and help tell a bigger story about Pittsburgh's gateway to the world.
