Eye Airports, the UK’s airport advertising experts, have announced major plans for their ambitious #RedefiningAirports Project, marking an unprecedented £8m investment in advertising media and technology across the Eye Airports network. This is the largest investment in advertising in UK Airports this decade and an opportunity to reach the biggest domestic Airport audience.
Billed as “a massive step in the evolution of Airport media”, the project is about huge investment in the latest high-spec media formats and advertiser opportunities to dominate the Airport environment. This is about capitalising on the significant multi-billion pound investment in UK Airports and in response to the rapid audience growth and the way consumers interact in airports, which has changed with the commercial landscape.
This will be seen across both Gatwick North and South terminals, offering new advertising and retail opportunities throughout the passenger journey. The pinnacle of these include digitized welcome screens, large digital screens in the terminals and a major refresh of screens with better, strategic placement of advertising sites in the open, inviting retail space. This includes new large format, high definition screens which, at 4mm, are the most advanced LED screens in their field and the optimum in the Airport Advertising industry. These were designed as part of the redevelopment of the airports.
The investment not only spans Gatwick and Stansted Airports but also Eye Airports’ national footprint at Manchester, Newcastle, East Midlands, Bristol and Southampton Airports. This will provide more opportunities to reach the UK’s largest domestic airport audience with cutting edge solutions that will also include mobile functionality, beacons and other new technology broadening the scope for advertising.
From December, advertisers and agencies will have new and unique opportunities to take strategic ownership of key spaces and fully integrate within both Gatwick and Stansted Airports.
With Eye Airports serving predominantly UK residents leaving the country or returning home, the Airport environment offers brands the chance to reach a large and valuable demographic whilst enhancing the passenger experience.
Ged Weston, Sales Director at Eye Airports, said: “This is a bold and confident step forward for the Airport industry. The whole Airport experience has fundamentally improved, and therefore we are changing our offering to reflect this… I cannot wait to see the reaction of our clients and the media industry.”
Sarah Parkes, Managing Director at Eye Airports, added: “Mobile and social media are also a massive part of the new Airport experience, as these are the most ‘checked into’ locations on Facebook. Smart phones are the essential travel companion for passengers, so joining up the dots between mobile, data and OOH now offers a fantastic opportunity for our clients to engage with the Airport audience. Our challenge is how we help and advise our advertisers to now take advantage of this unique opportunity.”