Let’s set the scene: a passenger has just cleared security, their phone is tucked away, and they’ve got the best part of an hour and a half to kill before boarding. There’s no scrolling, no skipping an ad, no muting a video, just a terminal full of screens, posters and lounges with little else to vie for their attention.
That’s the exact environment Airport Adverts has built its entire business around, and it’s proving to be one of the smartest plays in out-of-home advertising right now.
Who Are Airport Adverts?
Getting right into it, Airport Adverts, as it sounds, is a specialist agency built entirely around one thing: getting brands into airport advertising space wherever in the world that space happens to be. They don’t just stick to a handful of familiar UK hubs; the agency plans and buys advertising space across a wide spread of airports covering major UK names like Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester alongside international ones including Amsterdam Schiphol, Dubai, Singapore Changi, JFK, and several more across Europe and Asia.
That’s not all; the agency’s own airport directory lists dozens of individual terminals it covers spanning the UK, the United States, Europe, the UAE and as far afield as Australia and Japan, giving a sense of just how far its planning reach extends beyond a handful of headline locations. There aren’t many agencies that can boast of reach like this, all taken care of under one roof. For brands that are running campaigns that need to land in more than one country, the benefit is one point of contact handling the whole thing rather than piecing together separate suppliers for every airport on the list.
Airport Adverts can be reached directly by phone or email and operates with an easy enquiry process through its website where prospective clients are invited to share a campaign brief to get a quote tailored to their specific requirements.
How Airport Adverts Actually Works
This is where things get really interesting. Airport Adverts doesn’t own any of the advertising space itself. This is something worth understanding. Instead, they work non-exclusively with major players like Global and JCDecaux, which in practice means you get independent advice on where a brand’s budget is best spent, rather than being steered towards one media owner’s own inventory because that’s all the agency has access to.
They have data to back up the benefits of this approach. The agency cites Nielsen sharing that 80% of frequent fliers notice airport advertising and 42% of travellers say airport ads are informative and influential in their decision-making. Add in the fact that airports see an average dwell time of around 90 minutes per passenger, and you can understand why many brands are shifting budget in this direction.
The Formats on Offer
Airport Adverts aren’t limited to a single format. That makes it such a flexible option. Campaigns can run across digital displays, billboards, experiential installations, baggage claim advertising, airport lounges and sponsorship opportunities. This gives brands a genuine choice according to their budget and objective. Business lounges in particular are singled out as a strong option thanks to the high dwell time and more affluent, business-oriented audience typically found here.
Why does this matter? Airport advertising isn’t one size fits all. This is what makes them a great option: they work with brands chasing mass visibility who lean towards a large-format digital display in a busy terminal, as well as a brand wanting to target business travellers via a lounge placement. Airport Adverts positions itself as being able to plan for either scenario rather than pushing every client toward the same format regardless of their goals.
The Kind of Brands on Board
As you might expect from a company of this standing, Airport Adverts has a pretty impressive roster of clients running campaigns through them. Some of their current and past campaigns are for names such as Hugo Boss, Jet2Holidays, Gucci, Johnnie Walker, Breitling and Hilton.
This is clear proof that the system works; they are capable of delivering a space where there is a captive audience ready for the taking. The calibre of brands they’ve worked with is proof of the premium positioning the agency is used to delivering with ease.
Pricing and Accessibility
Something that is surprising is that you don’t necessarily need a luxury brand budget to get started. Airport advertising via Airport Adverts comes with a refreshing transparency and price points that start from as little as £750 for a small poster placement. This then scales up to several thousand pounds for larger campaigns depending on the airport, format, campaign duration and audience reach.
It means that smaller brands aren’t automatically excluded from taking advantage of airport advertising in a space that’s notoriously associated with bigger global names.
What’s The Catch?
No agency is a perfect fit for everyone. And while Airport Adverts certainly has many benefits to boast of, there are a few things worth knowing before reaching out.
- It’s a planning and buying service, not a media owner. Airport Adverts does not hold its own airport inventory. This means access is wholly dependent on availability through its media owner partners like Global and JCDecaux.
- Lead time matters. Premium formats and popular airports get booked up early, so this isn’t the kind of service where a campaign can be turned around overnight.
Neither of these points is a dealbreaker as such, but they can be important for certain brands and campaigns, and they’re worth factoring in when planning a timeline.
Final Verdict
For brands that are looking for an agency with genuine reach across both UK and international airports, Airport Adverts’ independent approach to media buying has built them a strong case in a space that isn’t getting any less competitive. The impressive roll call of current and previous clients only attests to their positioning in this market, enabling them to help clients develop and plan the right airport advertising campaign that will genuinely bring results for those looking to take advantage of the vast audience airports offer.
