Clear Channel Airports (CCA), a brand division of Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO), and a subsidiary of iHeartMedia Inc., announced today the results of a comprehensive consumer insights study, showing airport advertising offers consumers a great opportunity to absorb and respond to brand messaging. The CCA-commissioned Nielsen study reveals airport advertising is a highly effective media platform that reaches frequent flyers, tourists and business travelers and raises brand awareness while driving sales to local and national businesses. The study provides insights into frequent flyer responsiveness to airport advertising, the types of activities travelers engage in while waiting for their flights, and what actions consumers take after being exposed to airport advertisements such as social media activity, in-store retail shopping and e-commerce activity.
According to the study, frequent flyers are highly responsive to airport advertising, with 80% noticing the media and 42% taking action that includes visiting a website, going to a store or learning more about a product/brand/service. Nineteen percent of frequent flyers actually bought a product they saw advertised at the airport.

More specifically, airport campaigns are a significant driver of foot traffic, with 84% of frequent fliers likely to visit a restaurant, 50% likely to visit a clothing/accessories/jewelry store and 41% likely to visit a consumer electronics store.

The research report also confirms that active dwell time increases advertising exposure with 74% of frequent flyers arriving at the airport over an hour before boarding. Seventy-nine percent of frequent flyers shopped for food/beverages, 67% dined at a restaurant, 51% shopped for travel accessories/technology products/entertainment and 29% shopped duty-free. Additionally, 87% of frequent flyers spend time on their mobile devices while waiting for their flight with 36% visiting a website to find out more about products/services seen in an airport advertisement.

“This study confirms that airport advertising creates significant brand awareness and sales by helping advertisers reach highly coveted audiences such as the affluent frequent flyer and the key business decision makers around the world,” said Morten Gotterup, President of Clear Channel Airports. “At Clear Channel, our partnerships with major airports throughout the country foster some of the most influential, innovative advertising programs that enhance travelers’ experiences at the airport. We are excited about the opportunities ahead of us to work with brands on fun, experiential and impactful campaigns that build awareness and drive sales.”

Commenting on their recent VW van display campaign in Austin-Bergstrom Airport in January, Lyft Marketing Manager Will Lindow said, “I’ve always been a fan of disruptive marketing…something that interrupts the routine flow of a person or space and provides an authentic experience/moment with the brand. So I thought why not a giant pink VW in the middle of baggage claim, right?!”

Additional key survey findings show that 90% of frequent flyers are likely to dine/shop/visit brick and mortar locations after learning about them at the airport. 36% are interested in signing up for/learning about e-commerce services while at the airport. About half (48%) are interested in learning about travel rewards programs and one-third are interested in signing up for travel rewards credit cards while at the airport.

The study’s findings come on the heels of Clear Channel Airports (CCA) successfully closing on a series of impressive wins for the organization. Since 2015, CCA has announced significant new partnerships and concession renewals to provide comprehensive media programs with advanced digital capabilities to airports, including, Washington Dulles International Airport, Reagan National Airport, Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport, Punta Cana International Airport, Austin Bergstrom, Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport, Nashville International Airport, Honolulu International Airport and Santa Barbara Airport. Other major airport partnerships include Chicago O’Hare and Denver International — two of the nation’s Top 5 busiest airports.

The proprietary Nielsen Airports Study, conducted from August 8 through 18, consisted of 1526 online survey respondents and was conducted on behalf of Clear Channel Airports.

About Clear Channel Airports

Dedicated to airport advertising for more than 40 years, Clear Channel Airports is the premier innovator of contemporary display concepts. The Company, a division of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CCO), one of the world’s largest outdoor advertising companies, currently operates more than 250 airport programs across the globe and has a presence in 31 of the top 50 U.S. markets with major airports. More information can be found on Clear Channel Airports and Clear Channel Outdoor by visiting www.clearchannelairports.com and www.clearchanneloutdoor.com