San Jose

San Jose Airport Getting Ready for New Brand Identity to Emphasize Location

The new brand logo for San Jose's international airport.

San Jose's international airport is preparing for a rebranding in the new year.

Officially named Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, city officials said Tuesday that the airport has maintained the same logo and related branding elements for nearly 30 years. In 2001, when the San Jose City Council acted to change the name of the airport to honor U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, Mineta's name was added to the airport's then-existing logo without any other changes to brand identity.

Then, in June 2020, the City Council authorized the City Manager's office to negotiate up to five master consultant agreements with marketing firms to support the airport's marketing strategy and execution, followed by airport staff beginning a multi-year comprehensive review of the facility's brand identity to determine if its brand identity continued to best represent the airport.

City officials said there have been challenges in using the airport's name for marketing purposes; airport research indicated that travelers do not widely associate the airport's current branding with San Jose or the Bay Area. Additionally, it was also determined that the way Mineta's name was added to the existing logo in 2001 "has not successfully instilled a strong association between the airport and its namesake among stakeholders".

City officials said Tuesday that, to address the challenges, the airport plans to adopt a new brand names as part of its forthcoming new brand identity -- San Jose Mineta International Airport.

The new brand name was chosen to take advantage of the following: leading with the location to help travelers find the airport and strengthen the brand's association with San Jose; move "Mineta" to the heart of the new brand identity to strengthen the association between the airport and its namesake; and simplifying the airport's visual identity to match the airport's brand promise of a simplified, streamlined airport experience.

The new logo will debut in early 2023.

The official name of the airport will remain as it has since 2001.

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