We were excited to learn that Confero’s parking research projects for RDU Airport Authority have been named one of four finalists in the 2019 Marketing Research and Insight Excellence awards, in the category of Best Nonprofit/Social Enterprise Research Project.  Quirk’s Marketing Research Magazine oversees the awards, and the Marketing Research & Insight Excellence awards offered 16 categories for both individual and team achievements.

Other award categories included best projects, market research tools and those that give of their talents to make the world a better place. The winners will be announced live at a black-tie, red carpet gala on Monday, November 18, 2019 at The Edison Ballroom in New York City.

The nomination submission for RDU Airport Authority was a series of studies conducted by Confero regarding parking.  Passengers with different travel purposes (personal or business) have different needs and preferences for parking, so it was important to learn what these were and find solutions to satisfy all of them.

Intercept interviews, passenger surveys, focus groups, mystery shops and wayfinding studies were used to collect information on how airport travelers usedt the current parking and how they made key decisions about parking at the airport.

Through multiple tailored focus groups and surveys, the airport effectively developed streamlined product branding, creating terminal-area product sections while unifying its shuttle-based lots. Further research tested the branding prior to launch, resulting in increased value to customers. Additional research resulted in the launch of a successful online pre-booking service along with a new mid-range parking product with free trunk-to-terminal shuttles.