Wheels Up: Airport Sponsors Can Win Favor by Elevating the Total Travel Experience
Posted: 6/25/2009 8:16:31 AM by
Diane Knoepke | with 3 comments
Earlier this month, Property Consulting Group (PCG) gained “the sponsorship and experiential marketing rights” to Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway Airports. Brad Jersey, President of Airport Marketing Income (PCG is working through AMI), said in the press announcement that they plan to “bring additional revenue to the airports and enhance the passenger experience.”
As I write this post I am on a plane from Washington National to O’Hare, thinking of what might enhance my fellow travelers’ experiences at O’Hare and Midway (or any other airport), and how we travelers might reward successful sponsors with our business.
Many of us are grateful for the Samsung charging stations in a half-dozen US airports (relationship is with JCDecaux), and we notice the Rolex-branded clocks at the Las Vegas (a clock in Vegas!) airport and others around the globe. While appreciated, these are becoming ordinary and expected marketing activities. What will the next generation of sponsor-provided amenities be, and how will they speak to that stressed-out traveler who looks an awful lot like their customer?
What if a home improvement retailer demonstrated the quality of its installation services by switching the door hardware in all of the bathrooms so the stall doors open out instead of in? And use the stall door ad space to tell that story. Win for me: I can get my luggage in the stall without having to stand on the toilet. The DIY retailer gets credit for having the sense to make my travel day slightly more civilized.
How about a credit card company finds a way to stimulate card usage for taxi rides while travelers are still in the taxi line? An ATM-like device could estimate the cab fare and gratuity, charge the card, and spit out what is essentially a cash advance to use to pay the cabbie. Win for me: I get to use my credit card without getting a guilt trip from the cabbie or hearing another story about the machine being broken.
As air travel becomes more and more tenuous an industry—and I might argue less and less civilized an experience—how can sponsors solve problems and inconveniences for travelers? What is on your wish list? The expectations are fairly low, so what new ideas would resonate with travelers and translate into business for companies?
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Filed under: government/municipal, destination/tourism