b'98 INDUSTRY INSIDERLets Just Have Some FunI believe that work can be fun,with a Sweet 16 bracket and whittle it and sometimes fun can lead todown to an Elite Eight, followed by FinalRoger Lotz is the public results you never imagined. AtFour and Championship match-ups.information manager St. Louis Lambert International Airportat St. Louis Lambert Over a three-week period, anyone whoInternational Airport (STL), we experienced just that whilefollows STL on social media can vote. Thisand an avid NCAA running our second annual STL Airlineyear, we improved our marketing statsbasketball fan. Livery Madness Bracket Challenge, aby printing the brackets and a QR code twist on the NCAA March Madnesson placemats for airport restaurants soFrom the start, we decided to basketball tournament that showcasesguests could participate in the challengemirror the schedule of NCAAs March the artistry of modern airliners. Wewhile waiting for their meals. Another funMadness. We begin the same week originally created this unique campaignfeature: We do not limit voting. Its a liveryand announce our winner the day of the for our Facebook, Twitter and Instagramchallenge; let the fun reign!NCAA championship game. This timing audiences, but we also encourage airporthas helped secure local media coverage staff and industry partners to join in onParticipants visit a specifically the fun. constructed websiteSurveyLegend. of our online challenge, always an asset comto make their picks. In this yearswhen trying to get a new promotional The idea originated when STL Publicinitial round, we started with the top- project off the ground.Information Officer Will Becker and Iseeded Lufthansa Fanhansa vs. theWe want and need participation from were looking at photos of airline liverieseighth-seeded Sun Countrys 40-yearour social media audiences to make the that had recently flown through STL.livery; and the four-seed Alaska Airlineschallenge a success. However, much of While we post a Photo of the Week onOrca against the number five-seedour enjoyment comes from hearing how our website and social media platforms,American Airlines Reno. In the end,airport partners react to the contest. At we lamented that many great imagesMissouri One from Southwest wentthe start of this years challenge, an Air would simply be filed away in ourall the way, defeating its sister aircraft,Canada manager was overjoyed to learn mainframe to chronicle the airportsSouthwest Illinois One, in the finalthat the airlines Frosted Leaf livery was history. We wanted an innovative way toround after beating Americans AirCal,seeded sixth in the Terminal 2 Region. share these impressive photographs.Lufthansas Fanhansa and the UnitedLater, a wheelchair attendant stopped Will and I then started debating topicsFriend Ship in earlier rounds.me and explained which planes he that are so much more important. WhichThe 2022 champion was Americanswanted to see move into the Elite Eight. livery is the most distinctive? Which is theRetro TWA livery. But my favorite response was when most popular? From there, the bracketan airport restaurant manager jokingly idea fell into place. We launched ourThroughout the challenge, we keepasked me when our livery challenge contest by constructing a bracket withour airline partners updated so theywould be listed on the sports lines in 16 commercial airline liveries. Airplaneshave some skin in the game. This year,Vegas. Even with the fun were already qualified for our tournament if they flewnine different carriers had aircraft in thehaving, one can dream. through STL since the conclusion ofbeginning bracket.last years bracket. Selecting planes for each bracket allows the PR staff to have fun. We comb through some wonderfully crafted photos, remember especially creative shots and who took them, and then select the best to display online. The contest has also upped our shooting game and is inspiring some good-natured trash talk. Gerald McGrath, a local photographer, began lobbying me last December about one of his photographs by proclaiming it bracket-worthy. We consider Will Becker our VIP. As the teams bracketologist, he ranks planes from one to eight in two specific regions (one for each terminal). Following the NCAA format, we begin our challenge May | June 2023AirportImprovement.com'