Construction Campaign & Brand Communication Strategy
The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority is investing $2.5 billion over the next decade to transform one of the Southeast's most beloved regional airports. As a landmark expansion for the Triangle community, the project promised exciting improvements for travelers and residents alike, but also introduced a new challenge: how do you keep passengers informed, calm, and confident during years of active construction disruption? Walk West was brought in to answer that question.
The Challenge
Foundational Strategy & Brand
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Developing a campaign identity built to last 10+ years, flexible enough to evolve as construction milestones shift, yet consistent enough to anchor the RDU brand through every phase
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Creating a visual system and messaging framework that could grow with the project, adapting to new timelines, announcements, and audience needs without losing cohesion
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Establishing a look, feel, and tone that felt optimistic and forward-looking rather than disruptive or uncertain
Audience Complexity
The campaign needed to speak to a layered audience simultaneously:
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Primary — Travelers: Both local RDU regulars and connection travelers unfamiliar with the airport's layout, each experiencing construction disruptions differently
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Secondary — Community & Employees: Airport staff and Triangle-area residents whose day-to-day operations and quality of life would be directly affected throughout the construction timeline
Technical & Strategic Constraints
- Rapid announcement timelines driven by the unpredictable nature of active construction — schedules can accelerate or extend with little notice, requiring communications infrastructure that could move just as fast
- The need for a campaign system with built-in longevity, ensuring that messaging, visuals, and templates remained relevant and adaptable across a decade of evolving project phases
“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”