San José Mineta International Airport's Rebrand Lights Up Silicon Valley

Recently, San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) launched its 'Fly Simple' campaign created by Business Agency, GALE. The launch features the official changeover to a new brand identity and language, which had not been refreshed in nearly 30 years. 

“We are thrilled to re-introduce Silicon Valley’s airport to the world with these new brand elements," said John Aitken, director of aviation at SJC. "The process of examining and redeveloping our brand identity was crucial in helping us develop a deeper understanding of our community and what we needed to do to ensure we provide the best possible experience to our passengers and visitors.”

The Airport's rebranding effort is a result of an extensive strategic research and brand development process conducted by SJC and GALE. For the past two years, SJC and GALE have been working to gather audience insights and understand market opportunities. The research included interviews with key stakeholders, online travel discussion boards and surveying over 2,000 people. 

Research indicated that travellers did not widely associate the Airport’s branding with San José or the Bay Area. To ensure inclusivity, survey efforts included sharing the Logo and Creative materials with fluent speakers of Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese. Based on the research and recommendations, the Airport has adopted a new brand name as part of its new brand identity: San José Mineta International Airport. 

A new campaign was developed to launch the new brand and  houses a collection of broadcast spots, including 'Less Delays,' 'A Short Walk,' 'Security Line,' and 'Simple Airport.' The lead spot 'Less Delays' features an electrifying cameo performance by the best band in the bay area, the San Jose State University Spartan Marching Band. The 'Fly Simple' campaign will run across social, radio, and OOH.

“We are excited to launch the first rebranding and Integrated campaign for SJC in 30 years,” said GALE’s executive creative director, Geoff Edwards. “The travel business has experienced a lot of challenges over the last few years so we leveraged our data to create a message that was informed 100% by passenger needs - and fun. The idea was simple, if you ask people what they want they’ll tell you, and the answer is often a better solution. That’s SJC."  

In addition to the new brand name, the new brand identity package includes a new logo and other visual elements that will be reflected across SJC’s signage, bus wraps, advertising, and communications materials for the Airport.