Helsinki Airport is naming itself after passengers

Airports are traditionally named after famous or eminent people (and nearly always men). Think New York's JFK, Paris's Charles de Gaulle, Liverpool's John Lennon or Rome's Leonardo da Vinci. But Finland likes to do things its own way, and the country's airport has decided to name itself after the ordinary people passing through Helsinki airport instead.

The airport's operator, Finavia Corporation, and agency TBWA/Helsinki devised a campaign, "My Helsinki Airport," in which travelers can temporarily add their names to the official sign on the airport’s facade for the launch of their newly built main terminal, Terminal 2.

Passengers can add their name via the MyHelsinki Airport website and then wait just a few minutes for it to appear; the idea is that they can take a selfie in front of the sign and then share on social with the hashtag #myhelsinkiairport. The campaign comes as Helsinki Airport is hoping to position itself as Northern Europe's main transfer hub. 

"The idea came to be through a realization that there is still something really old in the naming convention which no one has yet dared to play with," said Mikko Pietilä, executive creative director at TBWA\Helsinki in a statement. "Basically, you are always visiting someone else’s airport when it could and should be yours. To truly connect with people, modern brands need to shift towards customizing and personalizing everything from products to brand experiences. We feel that this experience is the ultimate tribute for Finavia’s customers and paves the way towards what modern airport experience is all about."