One of the many different elements of the campaign at Stansted is a photo opportunity area, where our Content Editor lived out his runway dreams.

World Duty Free has launched a wide-ranging summer activation at London Stansted Airport, welcoming travellers to 2,850sq m of experiential sights, smells, tastes and promotional areas for the duration of the summer period.

 Brightly coloured and high-energy, Avolta’s airside retail area at London Stansted Airport (Stansted) is now home to its ‘Depart from the Everyday’ campaign, which has been active since 1 July, and will continue until 1 October.

The campaign is running concurrently across all Manchester Airport Group (MAG) operated airports, with each carrying a bespoke look and feel tailored to the passenger profile. “it’s important to account for the flow of the commercial space and store layout; smaller regional airports like the Midlands don’t have the same capacity as an airport like Stansted,” noted Eve Fifer, Commercial Director UK for World Duty Free.

At Stansted for example, the target demographic is – undeniably – younger Gen Z travellers.

Eve Fifer said of the campaign: “It’s big, it’s bold, it’s wild. Everything has been planned with the passenger experience at the heart of the concept.

The co-operation between every stakeholder has been fantastic too, from marketing agencies to the operator, it’s been a fantastic partnership as they [MAG] have been willing to be open-minded.”

Stephen Martin, Retail Director for Stansted, provided comment on the expansive campaign from the operator side of things, noting: “This really is the culmination of 18 months of planning. It’s all about fun, relaxing and getting customers to slow down and enjoy the journey.

It’s a perfect way of capitalising on what is set to be a very busy summer.”

The campaign has enlisted the services of a DJ to play holiday tunes for passing travellers.

The day of the activation saw 50,000 daily passengers at Stansted, the third such example in the previous 30 days.

With at least two days set to exceed 50,000 pax for the week beginning 15 July, Avolta has cause for positive thinking throughout the summer months.

“The post-covid bubble has not disappeared, and with major events like the Euros, which have continued to drive traffic from a lot of regional airports, we’ve had to completely re-assess our targets for pax spend for the second half of 2024.”

Several key brands across all categories have stepped on board for the campaign, such as Don Julio, Ophir and Dead Man’s Fingers with the Drinks Dragger digital game on the liquor bar.

Alongside, mixologists will also be in store creating Depart from the Everyday themed holiday cocktails.

Some of the more unique features of the Stansted campaign include: a live DJ;  the so-called ‘liquid luggage lounge’; a Bene Tint activation targeted at group travellers; a Chanel Summer Club campaign which will run for the duration of July; and a ‘Beauty Bar’ which offers free glow-ups to, well, everyone who wants it.

“It’s all part of a move towards slowing people down, and many of these things are quite ageless and centred around the camaraderie of travel, such as the Beauty Bar or the Bene Tint photo opportunity,” noted Fifer.

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