If you've worked around airport parking long enough, you'll eventually experience a rate increase. When that happens, it's easy for marketing to feel like it's suddenly carrying the weight of the decision.

In reality, I don't think that's the role.

Rate increases are rarely marketing decisions. They're typically driven by operating costs, capital investments, demand, or broader financial objectives. By the time marketing becomes involved, the decision has usually been made, and airport leadership is often the group answering the difficult questions. They'll hear concerns at board meetings, they'll field questions from local media, and they'll inevitably receive feedback from travelers who aren't happy about paying more.

That's part of the process.

I've found the most effective marketing teams recognize that their job isn't to defend the business case for the increase. Their job is to help the airport weather the storm without creating unnecessary turbulence of their own.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is completely changing the marketing strategy because rates have changed. Campaigns suddenly become consumed with discounts, comparisons, or explanations about pricing. The airport begins talking almost exclusively about cost, when, in many cases, it had spent years building a much broader value proposition.

I don't think that's the right response.

Consistency matters, especially during periods of change.

If your campaigns have been built around convenience, planning ahead, predictability, or starting the trip with confidence, those messages shouldn't disappear simply because the daily rate increased by a few dollars. In fact, that's probably when they matter most.

I've also found it helps to redefine what success looks like.

Under normal circumstances, we're often trying to grow reservations, increase conversion rates, or improve return on ad spend. During a rate increase, the objective may be very different.

Sometimes a win is simply maintaining demand.

Sometimes it's keeping online reservation volume flat year over year despite higher pricing.

Sometimes it's preventing existing customers from changing their behavior while public attention is focused on the increase.

Those aren't particularly exciting headlines for a marketing report, but they're often exactly what the business needs.

I've always believed that marketing performs its best work when it gives the organization confidence during uncertain moments. A steady campaign, a consistent message, and a clear value proposition can help reinforce that the airport experience hasn't fundamentally changed, even if the price has.

Eventually, the headlines fade.

Board meetings move on to the next agenda item.

Travelers adjust to the new normal.

The airports that navigate those periods most successfully aren't usually the ones with the cleverest campaign. They're the ones that remain disciplined, continue communicating the value of the experience, and resist the temptation to let price become the only story.

Sometimes the best marketing during a rate increase isn't dramatic at all.

It's providing enough stability that the business comes out the other side with its customer base—and its confidence—largely intact.