Airport advertising has seen a drastic spike in popularity in recent years, and more and more businesses are opting for this marketing tool. This article will explore the top advantages of advertising in the busy walkways of airports. We will also briefly discuss the several popular options your brand could benefit from using.
Table of content:
- Airport advertisement
- The advantages of airport advertisements
- The different popular airport advertisement options
- Conclusion
Airport advertisements
In the last few years, we’ve seen a drastic change in the way brands engage with potential new consumers. Whereas the primary goal of advertising used to be to inform people, it has now changed to primarily entice them and create a demand for a specific product or service. To reach their target audience, businesses make use of a variety of marketing techniques and tools available.
While there are many marketing options to choose from, one is surely gaining popularity. Airport advertisement has become a trustworthy strategy partner, a must-use tool for many companies looking to engage with larger audiences and reach the masses all at once.
Over 21 million passengers go through O.R. Tambo International Airport each year. Another popular airport, Cape Town International Airport boasts 5 404 706 departing passengers. These statistics alone prove the wide demographic you’ll be able to reach and the power of value in airport advertising.
Airport advertisements target customers who are prepared to spend money and they provide the convenience of completing the purchase right away. A key objective of airport advertising is to promote brand awareness.
The advantages of airport advertisements
Airport audiences are responsive, by this, we mean that most travelers have a joyful, enthusiastic attitude that makes them more open to advertising, compared to advertising in other less desirable environments. Not only are they responding better to advertisements in an airport setting, but they are also an audience that is giving more attention to what they are seeing around them. Airport visitors are captive because they have nowhere to go and no place else to look. They’ll see your advertisement easier because they are more attentive to their surroundings, looking out for boarding gates, etc.
Lastly, these travelers tend to be more affluent. In airports, luxury companies do well, but so do other industries linked to the entertainment or hospitality sector. Just about anything goes in the busy hallways of local airports.
We’ve put together a detailed list of the top benefits your brand will get from airport advertisements;
You’ll be engaging with eager and enthusiastic consumers
Airport users make for a captive audience who are alert, enthusiastic, and receptive. Brands at the airport have an opportunity to reach a high concentration of consumers who enjoy the message and pay extra attention compared to their normal life. Many travelers are in high spirits while at the airport, marketing to a consumer with this mindset will prove more valuable to your brand.
Many travelers are in “business mode”
The airport is a hub of high-flying executives traveling to and from important meetings. Frequent traveling businessmen and women are already in the mindset of doing business and achieving their goals while at the airport on their way to their next important location. They will more easily tune into advertising that represents their current goals and views because they are concentrated on current or upcoming business happenings.
The airport environment adds to your brand value
People often associate the airport with a high-flying lifestyle and therefore the brands that advertise in this environment, which is also often filled with luxury retailers, add to the impression of prestige and premium quality of the product.
Your brand will get an instant boost of user satisfaction and consumers will link what you have to offer to something of high value and reputable.
Your advertisement will offer a welcome distraction
Passengers frequently wander the same areas and wait in the enclosed atmosphere of the airport. During this time they’ll view interesting and captivating airport advertising as fun and anticipate seeing relevant messaging.
Pro-tip: Make your airport advertisement worthy of their time and amusement by using catchy slogans, imagery, and content.
Airport advertisements offer consumers entertainment during peak travel times
Brands can interact with customers who, in most other settings, would be too preoccupied with their everyday activities to do so. Spending a lot of time in a captive environment allows businesses to communicate and convey stories that they might not otherwise have the time to do.
Popular airport advertisement options
Businesses use airport advertising as a “golden instrument” in their advertising campaigns to promote their brands, goods, and customer bases. Depending on the goals of the strategy, businesses can pick from the following kinds of airport advertising.

LED screens
These screens are perfect for larger groups in bigger areas, i.e airports. They are versatile, easily accessed, and expose your brand’s image to a huge demographic.
Backlit dioramas
Have you ever seen the colorful backlit dioramas while waiting at baggage claim? These are hard to miss. Backlit dioramas are an effective and smart way of engaging with busy consumers. Colorful imagery and catchy content will give them even more value.
Lightboxes
Similar to backlit dioramas and LED screens, the lightboxes are digitally driven. These types of airport advertisement tools are situated throughout the buzzing halls of the airport and will expose your message to a variety of influential buyers.
Traditional billboards
The largest standard-sized billboard that provides the most exposure to moving traffic on expressways, highways, and major arteries is a bulletin. The most common place to see it is over the airport interchange roads or even in the parking lots.
A billboard is often placed near a busy road leading to the airport so that customers can easily find it.
Marketing over wifi networks
One of the first things consumers do while traveling is switch on their cellphones and connect to the nearest wifi hotspot the moment they have spare time between catching connecting flights. In the case of retails, wifi marketing refers to the practice of businesses offering customers free wireless internet access in return for an email or a social media following.
By using nearby hotspots you can communicate directly to a specific consumer.

Banners
A substantial amount of airport walls are covered with banners, from the roof to the top of entrances and gateways. On these billboards, there are a lot of well-known brands advertising because they cost more and draw more attention.
Digital video screens
Digital video screen sets are common in airport concourses and entranceways, much as they are in malls where you can see them as you move between stores. Advertisers can create video commercials to share with other advertisers and play continuously.
Mobile billboard solutions on shuttles
Shuttles transport travelers between terminals and contain advertisements, which often work well due to the long stay time. These cost-effective airport advertisement billboards have a lower production cost and can boost your brand’s consumer interest.
To know which option will suit your business needs best we suggest focusing on your target audience and what you’re able to offer. Who you market to and what you show them must be a true reflection of what you’ve got to offer. Be sure to reach the right consumer by knowing who you are “speaking” to in your advertisement.
Conclusion
Airport advertising has proven effective in spreading brand messaging to a cosmopolitan audience. Most passengers are aware of the advertisements found in airports, and they consider the brands that do so to be reputable.
Like other modes of advertisement, airport advertising has a trusted reputation. The team at PlaceMyAd is ready to work with you on your next marketing campaign, contact the team today to talk to experts about your airport advertisement journey ahead.