I’m not a shareholder in Wellington Airport but if I was, I’d be getting up on my hind legs at the next annual meeting to object to an extravagant promotional charade that demonstrates how completely the corporate sector has been captured (or should I say conned?) by the twin forces of marketing hucksterism and feel-good wokery.
The online platform Stop Press, which uncritically chronicles all the absurdities perpetrated by the bullshit artists of the PR and advertising industries, reports that the airport company is undertaking a rebranding exercise in which it will become “WLG – a portal to the future”.There’s nothing in the Stop Press item to indicate why it was deemed necessary to change the brand. “Wellington Airport” describes perfectly well what the company does and I confidently predict that that’s how it will continue to be known long into the future. But the PR and advertising industries derive a lot of their income by suckering gullible corporate clients into pointless rebranding exercises and this seems a classic example.
But it goes far beyond that, because the rebranding incorporates an element of fashionable virtue-signalling that crosses into the realms of pure make-believe. I’ll let Stop Press take up the story – but be warned: it’s a textbook piece of flatulent PR puffery.
Two decades ago, the airport in the capital rebranded with a new positioning, “Wild at Heart,” which captured the spirit of the place and land where it stands.
Alongside brand storyteller Everyone and Kura Moeahu (Te Atiawa, Nga Ruahine, Taranaki-tuturu, Ngati Mutunga, Ngati Tama & Ngati Toa), Wellington Airport has continued the narrative by delving into the ancestry of the harbour and the forces and guardians that shaped it.
The aim is to capture Wellington Airport Rangitatau as WLG, a portal to the future.
“The best stories start with listening,” says Cameron Sanders, Managing Director, Everyone. “We were introduced to the story of the legendary bird Te Manu Muramura and the rich narratives and graphic forms that are etched into the land, water and sky here.
“And we also heard the passion and commitment of airport staff, Wellingtonians, local government and local artists when they told us what the airport means to them and how it relates to the city.”
Matt Clarke, CEO, Wellington Airport adds that the airport has always been filled with stories.
“But we really haven’t had any Mana Whenua stories, stories of the land beneath the airport, and that’s something we’re really looking to introduce to the terminal and the welcome to the city.”
Another revelation was the proximity between Rangitatau, the ancient portal the bird spirit took to the beyond, and the Airport’s place. The design team looked to draw a direct parallel between the power of this legendary portal and the role of the Airport as the region’s portal, a gateway to central New Zealand.
“Collaborating closely with local artist Manu Winata (Ngāti Raukawa, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), we explored the concept of imagining the gateway of Rangitatau – our portal to the universe,” says Everyone Creative Director Andrew Treder.
“We created a suite of dimensional light portals that illustrated the entirety of the origin story, passing through the realms of sea, land and sky. Through this, we have looked to position Rangitatau as a portal to the universe for manuhiri returning home, a gateway to central New Zealand and a launch pad for those setting off to explore new horizons.”
As air technology continues to evolve, the team wanted to acknowledge that the future is aerial, and that WLG is very much part of that.
“We hope that our Airport, Wellingtonians, and manuhiri can reflect on, share and contribute to this living narrative,” says Everyone Producer Nathan Blundell. “The launch video re-tells the origins of Wellington Harbour while inspiring its next chapter, reflecting a wish from mana whenua that these stories don’t remain as once-upon-a-time tales, but are shared in a present context and continue to evolve.”
“The new brand identity, the many touchpoints and of course the beautiful broader visual language have all been designed to honour everything that got the Airport to this point, and all that is yet to come,” explains Cam Sanders.
“The new telling of this airport’s story is exciting, confident and vibrant. We’ve built on the emotion of Wild at Heart, but with the insights of all involved, we’ve expressed WLG as an Airport of Tomorrow and a place of unparalleled aerial activation. Our two-decade partnership with WLG has been one of passion, innovation, and collaboration. We can’t wait to see where the journey leads next.”
Let’s try to unpick some of this preposterous gibberish. “The ancestry of the harbour and the forces and guardians that shaped it”, for instance. The harbour is not a person, therefore has no ancestors. The forces that shaped it were geological. The idea that it was shaped by “guardians” is romantic tosh, deployed here to satisfy Wellington Airport’s desperate desire to be seen as culturally sensitive.
In any case, how does the harbour come into it? Wellington Airport was the creation of engineers and contractors who flattened Rongotai Hill, demolished or relocated 180 houses and shifted enormous amounts of earth to create a flat space for planes to land on. The harbour just happens to be adjacent. Was this a case of the rebranding team deciding the construction of the airport provided no suitably inspiring cultural narrative and focusing on the harbour instead, even though it’s not integral to the airport story?
“We were introduced to the story of the legendary bird Te Manu Muramura and the rich narratives and graphic forms that are etched into the land, water and sky here.” Yes, but what does this actually mean? Exactly what “rich narratives” are etched into the land, water and sky, and how do they relate to a company whose function is simply to run a safe, efficient and profitable airport? Who has heard of Te Manu Muramura (I hadn’t) and what relevance does he/she have to a 21st century aviation business? (I’m not knocking or demeaning Maori myths and legends here; they are a valued and unique part of our heritage. I’m just tired of them being opportunistically exploited for spurious purposes.)
Another revelation was the proximity between Rangitatau, the ancient portal the bird spirit took to the beyond, and the Airport’s place. The design team looked to draw a direct parallel between the power of this legendary portal and the role of the Airport as the region’s portal, a gateway to central New Zealand.
I had to look up Rangitatau. It was the name of a pa that once overlooked Tarakena Bay, which is tucked around the headland immediately east of the airport. Here we go again – straining to find a connection with Maori mythology where there is none. It may have suited the “design team” to convince themselves of such a connection, but no one else (with the exception, perhaps, of credulous Wellington Airport executives such as Matt Clarke) is going to buy it.
“We created a suite of dimensional light portals that illustrated the entirety of the origin story, passing through the realms of sea, land and sky. Through this, we have looked to position Rangitatau as a portal to the universe for manuhiri returning home, a gateway to central New Zealand and a launch pad for those setting off to explore new horizons.”
This poetic piece of spin relates to the 5-minute video produced – no doubt at great expense – to accompany the “rebranding”. Again, the video draws heavily on Maori mythology relating to the creation of Wellington Harbour – or Te Whanganui-a-Tara, if you prefer – and goes so far as to imply the creation of the airport was inspired by events in Maori legend. I’m sure that would have come as a revelation to the engineers and contractors who built it.
As for the rest of the comically pretentious launch material reproduced in the Stop Press report, I marvel that whoever wrote it managed to do so with a straight face. But the tragedy is that they probably believe their own bullshit.
Here’s my prediction. The “rebranding” will serve no purpose beyond gratifying the egos of the people who commissioned and produced it. Given that no industry celebrates itself more enthusiastically than the advertising business, the video will almost certainly win a prize (and in the process, reinforce my contention that “award-winning” are the two most meaningless words in the English language). But the entire grandiose exercise will pass unnoticed by the rest of the world, including the countless thousands of people who use Wellington Airport. In which case, can someone please explain what the point is?
Footnote: It occurred to me after publishing this post that Wellington International Airport Ltd is not a listed company, being jointly owned by Infratil and Wellington City Council. There would therefore presumably be no annual meeting at which shareholders could air their gripes. Nonetheless, my points stand.
15 comments:
Wellington Airport is trying to outdo its competitors. Zero. Unfortunately the cost is a bit higher. No matter, OPM.
There's a taniwha involved, too, Karl. Last week I got an email from the airport breathlessly announcing the rebranding and saying: "Our new brand reflects the airport’s connection to the whenua (land), outlining the local pūrākau (story) of how one of Wellington’s original taniwha, Whātaitai, ascended in bird form (Te Manu Muramura) to pass through Rangitatau, a portal to the universe and beyond."
Now Whataitai I know (of)! He or she is the traditional name of the suburb now called Hataitai, which somehow lost its W long ago, and which I presume it will one day soonish get back, like Whanganui recovered its H, after the usual objections to spelling Māori names correctly run their course.
It is amazing what they come up with and get away with. Times have changed.
What an extraordinary eructation of purple prose! A similar (though inferior) effusion of logorrhea and Maori myth accompanied some minor architectural features of one of Auckland’s new rail loop stations. Would that bean-counters were as passionate with their Return On Investment calculations.
davelenny
I really enjoy your posts - I even put a cup of tea on especially with which to sit down and read them. This one brings up a conundrum: Do I offer the account manager at Everyone a job or do I find a skanky old bridge and sell it to WLG Airport?
In what way is an airport not akin to a bus stop or a railway station? Other points: it all comes across to me as another full on exploitation of Maori culture and an insult to the intelligence of the wider culture. The clowns who wrote this garbage have bought into the worst of manufactured myth – Maori myth that is. They ought to now exit via the portal, returning to the alternative universe they came from.
Given that Wellington City? Council is a shareholder and maybe Wellington Regional Council is too you could - as you say - Get up on your hind legs at one of their meetings.
I think Masterton comes under the Wellington Regional Council so that may be your best bet as you would be a ratepayer there.
Still I would pay money, not too much because of my Scottish ancestry, to see the face of Mayor Whanau and some of her sycophant, Green and Labour, Councillors if you chose WCC though.
A superb commentary thanks Karl. I just wish that Matt Clarke, CEO, Wellington Airport would focus on incoming passengers on the "international" side of the airport. Last time (2023) we flew in from Sydney, we spent three hours getting past immigration (and customs in particular) because some scanning equipment wasn't working! Friends of ours came in a few weeks ago and had the same problem!
Peter
Perhaps someone could explain why Wellington Airport needs to advertise at all. It's a monopoly, after all; if you want to fly out of Wellington, you have no choice but to use it. Last time I checked, there was no Johnsonville or Naenae Airport competing for its business. Is this a case of a company feeling compelled to spend money on ad campaigns simply because that's what everyone else does?
Absolutely correct Karl.
And why do ANY local councils spend ratepayers' money on advertising the "council"? They are ALL monopolies!
But there's so much fun spending other people's money... so why not?
(Some) modern councillors just LOVE spending ratepayers' money.
A case of parasitical corporate apothenia.
Wasn't it largely reclaimed land? Isthmus or taking the pus?
Perhaps someone could explain why Wellington Airport needs to advertise at all.
Karl, there is a noisy group of green citizens with the ear of the council and the media who campaign constantly in opposition to any development of the airport and in fact want it closed because air travei is "bad for the planet." These people stymied the runway extension for many years (and appear to have succeeded; the airport is now planning arrester-tiles at the runway ends to allow heavier plane weights; ie full fuel loads for 777s and 787s for long-haul flights).
I lived for a time 2014-2017 at Moa Point and encountered these people quite extensively. One of their leaders lived there (she was even the Green candidate for the Wairarapa electorate some elections back and runs/ran Extinction Rebellion in NZ) and anti-airport campaign meetings were always being held at her house.
I see the airport's constant promoting of itself as trying to portray itself as a good citizen, to counter the opposition that paints aviation and airports as bad. I see this "rebranding" with its taniwha, manu and other Māori mythology as going woke to appeal to the actual woke, many of whom oppose aviation and airports. It's bizarre, but I can understand why.
As I have posted yesterday:-
Well said, Karl.
What a load of pretentious dreamland waffle.
Wellington airport is an AIRPORT.
Aircraft take off and land there. No poetic fantasy. Basic engineering and mechanics.
I wonder what poetic word salad they will dream up for Wellington Railway Station.
Woopee - sounds like time travel !!!! I wonder where they have in mind? Hopefully a time when common sense was - well common.
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