By Alex Gaggioli
When marketing and advertising your property, it pays to get creative and diversify your efforts. In a previous article, we discussed how any size property could benefit from advertising in airline magazines. Airports are another great place to advertise your property on a local or regional level. Like magazines, airports are unique because they offer a hyper-targeted audience. While advertising in an airport, you know that 100% of the people seeing your ads are interested in some sort of travel.
In a study conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority (UK), they pointed out some impressive stats related to airport advertisements. In their study, they found that 85% of passengers enjoy airport advertising, and 85% of passengers are open to finding out about new products and services through these channels.
Also, 71% of air travelers say that they have time to read advertisements, and 73% of frequent travelers take the time to read them.
The most important statistics from this study show that travelers are looking to plan their next trip while they’re already traveling. 85% of air travelers consider booking their next trip at the airport, and 64% of arriving passengers are looking for ideas for their next trip.
Your local or regional airport could prove to be a lucrative marketing channel.
Different Types of Airport Advertising
There are many different types of airport advertising. From billboard-type banners to digital ads on the airport’s wifi, each airport has many different options when it comes to advertising. Here are some examples of common airport advertising platforms:
Backlit displays: These types of displays are basically large posters that are lit up so that they pop out to those walking by.
Wraps and Clings: Wraps and clings can be applied to almost any surface, including columns, floors, walls, ceilings, and more.
Banners: Banners act like roadside billboards. They usually take up large amounts of space in order to demand attention.
Digital (TVs/Tablet/etc.): Digital advertisements have the ability to catch people’s eyes with moving graphics or interactive experiences.
WiFi: Many airports now offer free WiFi, thanks to advertising. Businesses can place their ads on WiFi landing pages.
Benches/Shelters: Some airports also allow benches and bus/tram shelters to advertise on them, either with posters or wraps.
Pricing:
Every airport will have different pricing dependent on location and season. Blue Line Media offers some general guidelines on how much these advertisements cost.
- Backlit displays range from $3,500 – $12,900 / 4-week period
- Digital display range $3,500 – $9,500 / 4-week period
- Airport banner range $15,000 – $30,000 / 4-week period
- Floor-to-ceiling “spectacular” range $11,500 – $19,900 / 4-week period
Many airports have minimum advertising buys and other restrictions depending on the medium, timing, and the local market.
Where to Advertise
Your property should choose to advertise based on your location. Find out which major airports your guests fly into. If you live in a major city, the options are probably obvious. For example, if you operate an independent property in Chicago, you would focus on advertising in the two major airports, Midway and O’Hare.
However, if you operate a property that doesn’t have an airport in your immediate area, you should ask your guests where they fly into. If your property is remote, you should focus on the regional airports that bring you, guests. You should also consider airport hubs that your guests connect through. Your property may not be located in Hong Kong, but if a large percentage of guests pass through that airport, it may prove to be beneficial.
How to Buy Advertisements
You have a few options when you purchase airport advertisements. You can go straight to the source and contact the airport for their media kit. You can also partner with one of the many media companies out there that manage airport advertising.
Airports
Most major airports will have a media section on their website. For example, San Diego’s International Airport has a media and advertising section that provides contact information for different types of media. They include airport television, the free brochure rack, display, luggage cart, and WiFi. On these contact pages, you’ll often see other information about the airport, like how many guests they see on average. (San Diego sees 18.7 million passengers annually).
Media Companies
There is a myriad of different media companies that manage large, medium, and small airports around the world. Some of these companies manage certain regions or represent many of the world’s airports. It all depends on their size and scope. Here are a few examples of companies you can use.
Clear Channel: Clear channel is one of the largest media distributors for airports. They have a strong US and international presence. You can see every airport they operate in here. Clear Channel does all different types of media and will be able to help you with everything from wall clings to digital experiences.
Blue Line Media: They do many different types of advertising, and you can see all the markets they operate in here. They can help facilitate buys in backlit posters, dioramas, banners, digital displays, and more.
Interspace Airport Advertising: Interspace focuses on New Zealand and Australian airports and offers digital services, lightboxes, backlit displays, scrollers, banners, specialty displays, brochures, and more. If you are a property located in New Zealand or Australia, they could be a great option for you.
Conclusion
Airport advertising presents a lucrative advertising channel for hotels of any size. They offer a hyperlocal approach and meet their target market where they are. If your property is interested in advertising in your local or regional airports, we highly suggest you check it out. With so many different types of advertising mediums within any given airport, there are many opportunities to reach potential guests.
