Billy Bishop Airport is taking real-life, candid experiences of passengers, employees and partners, and using them to remind people why they should use its facilities.

Creative includes testimonials from a cyclist who bike-commutes to Billy Bishop; Hope Air, a partner which provides air travel for those who need medical care; and a downtown local who does frequent sojourns to New York City.

“There’s a need to remind people that Billy Bishop Airport is still here and remind people of all the great benefits in terms of convenience and access,” says Deborah Wilson, VP of communications and public affairs for PortsToronto, which owns and operates Billy Bishop.

However, as Wilson stresses, “it’s more than just the passenger experience.”

As Wilson tells strategy, in addition to being convenient to those who live in the area and the widespread economic benefits, there is a “huge healthcare component to the airport.”

Hope Air, for example, which is heroed in the spot, “relies very heavily on bringing people from northern and remote communities to Toronto for healthcare,” Wilson notes. Also, Ornge Medivac, flies 4,000 flights a year out of Billy Bishop, as it assists with motor vehicle emergencies and organ transplants.

Meanwhile, the airport continues to tell its environmental footprint story through a cyclist, touting the efficiency and convenience of his commute and that the facility is one of the few in the world that’s “both walkable and cyclable.”

The multiplatform campaign will run for 16 weeks and includes social media, OOH and online. The digital OOH screens in the airport will also feature the creative. Advertising includes a QR code for people to submit their own stories about why they choose to use Billy Bishop Airport. These submissions will form the basis for a future campaign planned for winter 2024.

Geography plays into its customer base, says Wilson, adding that it tends to serve “the southern part of Toronto, and reaching out into Pickering, Ajax and Whitby.”

Ad spend, she says, is “modest” at $100,000 right now, primarily spent on digital with ads in elevators, transit shelters and on social. The brand’s PR and media buy partner is Hill+Knowlton. The creative was done by Ascend Design House, a shop founded by a former PortsToronto marketer.

Last June, the federal government confirmed pre-clearance for U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the airport, which will open up new routes for flights originating out of Billy Bishop and will come into effect in 2025.