Out of Home
Your client greeting airline passengers
By Kathy Prentice
Oct 15, 2007 - 1:01:54 AM

They're called jet bridges, those accordion-like corridors passengers walk through from the airport gate to the aircraft, and branding of those bridges is at last arriving in the U.S. from European and Asian markets. Advertisers can place their logo on the exterior and their messages on the interior of these tunnels.

To find out how to get your client’s message in front of passengers as they board and leave airplanes, read on.

This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.

Fast Facts

What
Branding on jet bridges that connect aircrafts with airport gates.

Who
Aviator, a London company with North American offices in New York.

How it works
Advertisers can place their logos on the exterior of jet bridges and ads on the interior walls. The interior ads are vinyl and run from floor to ceiling.

“The type of messaging on the outside is fixed branding, no more than logos. The interior is more for soft messaging," says London-based global chief executive Jonathan Goldsmid-Whyte.

"A lot of research has been done in airports on effectiveness, and jet bridge branding is one of the most effective mediums, pure and simply, because it’s the first message you see when you arrive and the last message you see when you leave.”

Exterior branding targets passengers already on board as well as those waiting to board in glassed-in areas near their gates inside the airport.

“People generally stand in jet bridges four to six minutes, at least while boarding,” Goldsmid-Whyte says. “So giving them something to read, minimal but powerful text, is not a problem.”

Interior ads are constructed using 3M adhesive wrap.

Jet bridge ads intended for branding. The programs are multi-year, which makes them impractical for promotions, such as for a movie opening or a sweepstakes.

“You tend to find jet bridges used as a branding platform with other media inside the airport for running promotions,” says Erik Bottema, managing director for North America.

Product exclusivity is built in. One advertiser buys the entire facility.

Markets
The program is now mostly in New York, available at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark International, but some signage is available in Chicago, Boston and Orange County, Calif.

Aviator will negotiate with airports not participating in jet bridge branding at an advertiser’s request.

How it is measured
Airports provide data on the number of passengers on each flight, their points of origin and destinations.

What product categories do well
Financial institutions, including banking and credit cards, are the top category, followed by consultants, business software, computers, telecommunications and office equipment.

Demographics
Airport advertising is generally focused on business travelers, Bottema says. “It’s an ideal environment for reaching early adapters.”

Making the buy
Lead time from initial discussions with airport authorities to installation can take 12 months, depending on the size of the airport and number of jet bridges.

Cost is determined by airport location and volume of passenger traffic.

Contracts generally run three years, but some airports are sold on a monthly basis.

Advertisers on long-term contracts tend to change creative every two years, Bottema says.

Who’s already on jet bridges
HSBC Bank has launched a program at New York’s JFK Airport and New Jersey’s Newark International Airport.

What they’re saying
“When you look at big airports there is a media association when you land in a JFK or a London Heathrow. There’s a clear sign that an advertiser is an international brand and associated with key international airports around the world. It’s almost like ownership of that airport.” – Erik Bottema, managing director North America for Aviator

Web site info
Aviator at www.kineticww.com/kineticww/ourcompanies/aviator.aspx