I remember the day Cable News Network (CNN) aired the details about Hobbes the Tiger. I thought it was the sweetest thing I have seen an airport employee do. I have seen so many children lose their favorite toys and usually they are never found again especially in a public place. I lost a stuffed tiger when I was little that was designed after Louisiana State University’s live mascot and I cried for days. This story really sat with me.

Tampa International Airport’s target audience would usually involve frequent flyers and anyone flying for the first time. However, this particular group of audience would be families with smaller children. Everyone who read the title of an article related to this story I am sure wanted to see that Hobbes got back to the 6-year-old boy. All consumers need to know that the company their receiving service for is doing their all. This story is a great example as to how far the employees at TBA will go to make sure everyone is comfortable while waiting to fly.

The social media and consumer experience brought by the great story was completely amazing. According to Story Awards the employees at TBA drew up the story and the airport took over by “facilitating the conversations” between the employees, the airport and parents and their children (Shorty Awards). It can honestly be said that the airport was able to provide a connection that can sometimes be misplaced in the customer service world. It proved that traveling by way of Tampa’s airport is noticeably a good experience.

Tampa’s airport Facebook and Twitter account did well with the way they handled their followers with this story. They gained praise from well over “3,000,000 followers [for] the exceptional customer service (Shorty Awards).” At the same time, they noticed “nearly 115,000 people liked, commented and shared the story on Facebook [while the story] had 78,000 impressions” on Twitter (Shorty Awards). The amazing part of the airport’s story is that the growth was not just through their accounts, but it was also grown through other well-known Facebook and Twitter accounts. This story also allowed followers to express what Tampa International Airport did for their child as well. It brought families and employees together online and created what should now be seen as an important customer service lesson to all.

Tampa International Airport could have pushed the stuffed tiger’s photography experience at little further by getting their target audience involved. A social media campaign asking users, parents, to do the same thing the operations manager did with their stuffed animals. If flyers who are either native to Tampa or just happen to fly often with their children could build the same experience through social media. Having another stuffed panda or giraffe viewing all the sites at an airport could keep continuous interaction with consumers.

- Tia Renai