Local market intelligence wins pitch

Context

A leading French comms agency was taking part in a pitch for Groupe ADP that specialises in airport conceptualisation, finance, management and construction, with Charles de Gaulle Airport, Orly Airport and Le Bourget Airport under its ownership.

ADP was looking to expand in four main markets: China, India, Japan and the USA, and the agency needed to demonstrate its knowledge of the target markets as well as a solid strategy to support the company’s expansion.

Challenge

Key challenges for the client included understanding who to target (government & trade unions), how to contact them (channels) and how to find opportunities to win business in those markets. The airport authority sector is rather niche, and Creative Culture had to ensure that the appropriate strategic planners in each market undertook the job.

While completing the project, our Chinese strategic planners informed us that the vast majority (99%) of all airport projects in China are completed by one Group (the CACC), rather than by various key contacts. We therefore had to rethink our approach to segmentation for this market.

Solution

To ensure top-quality results, Creative Culture contacted and recruited two senior strategic planners per market who had experience in the aviation industry. This led to the identification of three key influential contacts in the airport authority sector in Japan, India and the USA, and three core pieces of advice given to establish relations with the CACC in China.

We also presented three different strategies to target each key contact, including the best media channels, the desired format on these channels, and the topics to cover.

Finally, we presented a list of sites, events and publications in each market where the airport authority could find new commercial opportunities in each market and apply for tenders.

Results

We are pleased to announce that the agency was successful and that they won the pitch!