Santa Barbara Airport Taps Hiltachk Marketing Group and Blaze PR to Deliver on Marketing and Outreach Objectives

Following a thorough RFP review process for new marketing expertise, Santa Barbara Airport has landed on the selection of Hiltachk Marketing Group and locally-based Blaze PR to support their goal of increasing outbound resident passenger traffic from SBA, California’s largest airport between Los Angeles and San Jose.

According to the airport, the Hiltachk/Blaze team was selected due to their understanding of the specific challenges the airport faces.

“We appreciate their thoughtful approach to really getting to the core of what we need to do as an airport in order to convert residents into resident travelers,” stated Deanna Zachrisson, SBA’s business development manager.

With founder Kimberlie Hiltachk at the helm, Hiltachk Marketing Group has been successfully driving awareness and outbound passenger traffic at Sacramento International Airport since 2010. Their success stems from their intimate knowledge of the aviation industry and a keen understanding of how to most effectively land targeted information with specific traveler groups when they are most likely to book a trip.

“From a marketing perspective there is nothing to spin with Santa Barbara Airport,” stated Hiltachk. “The airport offers unparalleled conveniences in a new airline terminal specifically designed to scale with increased passenger demand. And the new, larger Boeing 737 and Airbus 319-320 class aircraft serving SBA are contributing to double-digit passenger growth. SBA has built it, now it’s our job to ensure they come.”

According to Hiltachk, much effort will be focused on appealing to local travelers with real-world comparisons of the benefits of departing from your local airport vs. the costs in time, money and aggravation inherent with choosing a more distant, larger airport such as Los Angeles or Burbank.

“It’s psychological consumerism. Travelers too often make a ticket purchase based on number of stops and price. We tend to forget that driving or taking a bus nearly 100 miles south on congested freeways comes at a significant personal and pocketbook cost,” added Hiltachk.