This story appears in the
November 2000 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Want to reach the upper echelons of corporate America? Try the
airport: Airport advertising is taking off as companies realize its
effectiveness in reaching captive audiences of frequent
fliers-those well-educated prospects whose household incomes inch
close to an average of $140,000 per year.
According to Joe Evans, CEO of Sky Sites Inc. (www.skysites.com), a New York City
media company that specializes in airport advertising, airport
media represent a diverse array of products that pinpoint the
desirable customers who frequently fly. Advertisers can purchase
large, illuminated displays in such high-traffic areas as the heads
of concourses and entrances to baggage claims, or buy media around
frequent-flier clubs. Businesses can even reach a smaller segment
of individuals, like those flying in from Europe or the West Coast.
Says Evans, "We can actually map out how a company can reach
virtually everyone who walks through that airport."
Pricing depends on the airport and the size of the
advertisement. Types of media include interactive phone centers,
which provide information about local hospitality and
transportation services; baggage-cart sponsorships, prominently
featured back lit displays atop baggage carousels; leaflet
dispensers; and in-airport exhibit space.
Sky Sites has also been testing a system of plasma screens on
walls throughout airports. These flat screens display local
information, stock quotes, weather, sports and your company's
ad.
Gwen Moran is president of Moran Marketing Associations, a
public relations and marketing communications agency in Ocean, New
Jersey, and founder of BoostYourBiz.com, a marketing information
resource. E-mail her at gwen@boostyourbiz.com.