Its All In The Air

Baa-Adab Baa-Mulaahizaa Hoshiyaar ! (Be Alert and Pay Attention)

Yaatriyon ke shahenshah, Mr. Air Traveler is here. (Mister only for convenience of writing) And in walked Mr. Air Traveler (AT for short) strutting in with a swagger all of his own. So why is AT considered the king of travelers? Because his mode of travel is the costliest? Because his breed is the most coveted? Or because he transcends mystique and elusiveness? The less glamorous truth is probably because he attracts the topmost advertising dollars.

The largest brands worldwide spend billions of dollars to attract AT globally at his point of travel, viz. Airports, because he encompasses all that is true of the ideal prospect, potential buyer and existing customer. He has the money and the inclination to buy. Markets consider a brand as "arrived" if the brand has specific campaigns targeting AT. And make no mistake about it, AT loves all the attention even if in his snobbishness he pretends not to.

So what distinguishes a good Airport campaign from an outstanding one? Is it the creative? Is it a customized offer? Is it the positioning, size and type of the display within the Airport? One thing is sure, a brilliant Airport campaign is never by accident. Wise brands put in a lot of thought in all the above factors which play a pivotal role in the form and shape of the eventual campaign. Lets break down that process :

# Targeted positioning : Be very clear who is your TG.

a.) Is it ALL the air-travelers? Then stick to a decent location within main airport building. If its just a sustainability /recall campaign, find a space with a head-on "unmissable" visibility. If its a new product launch or a concept which needs some detailing then you are better off in the post-security waiting area which offers extended mileage time and hence the luxury of detailing.

b.) Is it only Frequent Flyers who are possibly flying Business or First Class? Then you are better off inside Airport Lounges. Tabletops, Digital Standees and mini Promotion kiosks apart from brochure distribution are now in vogue offering myriad options with focused targeting of frequent flyers

c.) Is it people too rich to even fly First Class? Then you have no business putting your message at the regular airport targeting mere mortals. Switch to chartered flight terminals and find your "unmissable" spot there.

# The creative - A "creative" creative is a must for any successful campaign but there is also such a thing as "over-creative". When a copywriter tries to act a little too cute and misses the bus. Or when a brand or agency misses an opportunity by not customizing the message based on the hyper-location within the Airport. e.g. both Departure Check-ins and Arrival Baggage areas have high waiting times in today's environment where Air travel is growing at a scorching pace and Airports are not able to keep up. Rarely has this writer seen a creative doing justice to the opportunity of capitalizing on this waiting scenario, something AT will immediately identify with since he's a fellow sufferer. AT has a minimum standard disposable income, intelligence and education. He is the ultimate sophisticated client. So yes, we can target a message which requires a little more utilization of those grey cells. But if he has to decipher the message like some cryptic clue, he will lose interest, he doesn't have valuable time to waste, there are too many other brands vying for his attention. So say what you have to in a few seconds..... or forever hold your peace.

# The offer : Like all prospects and customers, AT likes to feel special and privileged too. He knows brands are chasing him for their wares. To make him loosen his pocket. He would like to. Provided he gets what a famous movie immortalized - "an offer he cant refuse". So brands need to tailor-make their offer.....customized for AT......without alienating the rest of their customer base. Fulfilled offers are how brands build trust and a relationship with their customers. For Life. Who said Airport Advertising is a cakewalk?

In conclusion, why make so much of a fuss to target one particular class of your audience? Because its this same class which gets you majority of your sales. If your product is targeted at the classes and not the masses. Then this class of AT is what classes are all about. So Mr. Brand, bring on your best charming smile and prepare to woo AT..... if you have it in you. This is the place which separates the men from the boys and indeed the women from the girls. Happy AIRvertising!

Note : The author has been in the Airport Advertising industry since 1999 and is today considered an authority on the subject, but is still learning new nuances of AT after 25 years in the business.