02 October 2023

Interview with Paola Viola

Head of Marketing and Communication at Milan Bergamo Airport

You have been in charge of marketing and communication at Milan Bergamo airport for 23 years. Can you explain what tasks you carry out to promote the image of Italy's third largest airport?

The office is responsible for substantially managing the image of the airport which is produced in terms of written and audiovisual content, both externally, through the official website, the digital newsletter and social media, and in the passenger terminal. Marketing communication refers to relations with airlines and partners linked to specific promotional activities.

Marketing has undergone significant changes in recent years, mainly due to the advent of new technologies. What are the means usually used by Milan Bergamo airport to communicate with its customers?

I would say that from 2000 to today we have witnessed a series of radical changes. Practically nothing remains of what was done in the past. Just think of the role played by social media. Today, digital content reigns supreme and it is necessary to generate a continuous, as well as appropriately diversified, flow of information. It is essential to contribute to promoting new routes as well as airport services. So much is offered on monitors in the airport and on digital channels, but the classic billboards resist. As far as events are concerned, we favor advertising exchanges.

Passengers have become more demanding and increasingly want to travel through airports that demonstrate a commitment to ethical and sustainable practices. What communication initiatives has Milan Bergamo airport implemented to meet these expectations?

We have a section of our official website (milanbergamoairport.it) dedicated to sustainability. Several actions have been taken, such as on the separate collection front, with particular attention to plastic, and the fight against waste. We support a beehive activity, which a farm carries out in contact with the airport grounds, and bicycle mobility. We publish the ethical report.

Alessia Viviani e Paola Viola Foto: Copyright © Sacbo Spa

Can you tell us what communication and dissemination strategies were adopted in the transition from the paper magazine to the digital one?

As I pointed out earlier, the choice to turn to digital seemed appropriate in light of readers' habits. The advantage lies in the possibility of producing content that is as up-to-date as possible, given the need to make known the continuous news on flights and airport services.

In the photo Paola Viola in the company of Alessia Viviani (Ryanair's historical Marketing Manager) at the time of the first edition of Avion Tourism Magazine which recounted on its pages the beginning of the extraordinary development of Milan Bergamo Airport.

Since its inception, you have personally collaborated with the editorial staff of Avion Tourism Magazine, actively participating in the definition of content related to the promotion of the airport and above all managing and coordinating the distribution of the magazine to passengers. Can you tell us what communication and dissemination strategies were adopted in the transition from the paper magazine to the digital one?

The future of airport communication is characterized by constant evolution, driven mainly by digitalization and technology, aimed at improving the passenger experience and providing information in a useful and effective way. What are the new means of communication that the airport intends to adopt to provide this type of service?

I believe that we have already arrived at a form of interactivity and close connection between personal devices and service communication tools. Probably, and it is imaginable, we will come to propose what could be the experiences to be had by those who are about to transit through the airport. A sort of preview, offering the opportunity to travel in the airport spaces to choose your itinerary and things to do before going to the gate for boarding. It is equally plausible that we will get to book spaces and services. There is no lack of creativity and I expect to be amazed again.

Interview by Angela Trivigno

Avion Tourism Magazine