By Leslie Bensen, Founder and CEO, Departure Media Airport Advertising

Non-aeronautical revenues are more important to airports than ever before, and amongst the most important of these revenue streams is advertising. In order to see the highest return on an airport’s advertising infrastructure, it is critical to avoid the pitfalls.

As a cost-cutting measure, it may be tempting to manage this operation in house. However, there are a number of operational as well as financial reasons why this might not always work out for the best.

Firstly, without specialist experience, an in-house team is unlikely to understand the complexities of the program – what works, where it works and why it works. This expertise could be in the technical side of things, such as knowing what screens are best suited for digital displays, or expertise on where dwell time is at its highest, allowing for more impactful advertising locations.

Secondly, an external specialist’s only job is airport advertising, ensuring that they have ample time to dedicate to the program. Too often, when taken in house, the responsibility of managing the advertising program ends up in the hands of an individual or team managing an already overwhelming number of spinning plates. Assigning it to an agency ensures enough effort is dedicated to it and that it can be managed from a zoomed-out perspective, ensuring a cohesive program that complements the flow of the airport journey, as opposed to splitting it up into portions.

Finally, perhaps one of the most unique challenges that an external body is better positioned to deal with than an in-house team is the issue of sponsorship versus advertising. We come face to face with many airports who have talked themselves into a corner by forming relationships with local partners where – due to factors such as their role in the local community (a hospital for example) – the airport has blurred the lines between sponsorship and advertising, and therefore is unable to clearly designate space and pricing as an advertiser due to the murky waters. An external hand is apolitical and able to step in, navigate these waters and negotiate a fair and equitable solution that is respectful to all partners and values both the airport advertising space and the relationship between airport and local partners.

There is often a huge amount of untapped potential awaiting airports who use advertising intelligently. By handling it with the care it needs, airports can see a jump in profitability, customer satisfaction and productivity.

Leslie Bensen is founder and CEO of Departure Media Airport Advertising, the only out of home (OOH) advertising company in the US that focuses exclusively on airports. With more than 36 years’ experience, Leslie leads her team in creating advertising display programs that improve passenger experience and complement terminal aesthetics. Leslie can be contacted at lcbensen@departure-media.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER

This article was provided by a third party and, as such, the views expressed therein and/or presented are their own and may not represent or reflect the views of Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), its management, Board, or members. Readers should not act on the basis of any information contained in the blog without referring to applicable laws and regulations and/or without appropriate professional advice.