HSBC 'Global Airports'

HSBC launches new brand creative for one of the world’s largest out-of-home advertising campaigns
The campaign will appear in five languages at 17 airports in nine countries
Featuring almost 80 versions of HSBC’s hexagon, the imagery will cover a huge 94 km of passenger walkways

Stories of prosperity from across the globe will greet more than 900 million passengers travelling through the busiest airports this summer, with the new brand campaign from the world’s leading international bank.

HSBC’s new “Together we thrive” campaign is rolling out in five languages, across 17 airports in nine countries as the bank overhauls its iconic airport advertising for the first time in three years. HSBC has been advertising in the world’s leading airports since 2001.

With new creative featuring both global and local images, the campaign brings to life the bank’s role in connecting the world and helping customers and communities to thrive. At its heart is the bank’s signature hexagon, with 79 different versions featuring across the airports.

Each image uses the hexagon as a window into a thriving world, with local scenes bespoke to the cities and countries that HSBC serves; from the buzzing food scene of Hong Kong, to the innovative rooftop farming practices in New York and the community cycling initiatives across Britain.

From an initial longlist of 300 images, the hexagon visuals were chosen to reflect HSBC’s business priorities including trade, education, diversity and inclusion and sustainability.

The eye catching designs cover 1,500 air bridges and a huge 94 kilometeres of passenger walkways across both departure and arrival areas at major air transport hubs around the globe.

HSBC’s Group Head of Marketing, Leanne Cutts says: “As the world’s leading international bank, HSBC’s customers are truly global and nothing represents that more clearly than airports – the very places that connect people to opportunities. Our airport campaigns have caught the attention of millions of travellers across the world over the years and remind our customers that we are there to share their journeys with them. With global air traffic forecast to double to 14bn passengers per year by 2029, airports will continue to be a pivotal part of our marketing strategy.”

Speaking about the evolution of the brand’s iconic hexagon, Andrea Newman, Global Head of Brand at HSBC said: “The airports creative leverages the many different brand hexagons we have created around key themes that are important to our customers; such as sustainability, education, innovation and diversity and inclusion. The themes represent the global drivers and more local flavours of prosperity and the hexagons will be cropping up everywhere we have a presence, from airports to apps to stadium screens.”

Materials for the airport creative have been specially selected to be capable of enduring jet blast from aircraft engines, as well as the most extreme weather conditions – from a special adhesive used in Dubai to prevent artwork falling off walls in extreme heat, to a covering applied in Canada to stop materials from freezing and cracking in winter.

FACTBOX

900m passengers per year travel through an HSBC branded jet bridge
HSBC bids ‘bon voyage’ on departure and welcomes you on arrival at 17 airports in 10 countries around the world
HSBC branding covers 94km of passenger walkways
Campaign features 80 versions of the iconic HSBC hexagon
Global air traffic forecast to double to 14bn passengers per year by 2029

The Global Brand strategy and airports campaign was developed by Saatchi & Saatchi and utilises the new Brand identity developed with Turner Duckworth.

A film showing the evolution of the campaign through to installation is available here.

The campaign will appear in the following airports:

1.Hong Kong International

2.Shanghai Pudong

3.Singapore Changi

4.Dubai International

5.Paris Charles De Gaulle

6.Paris Orly

7.London Heathrow

8.London Gatwick

9.Toronto Pearson

10.Vancouver International