Terminal velocity M+AD!

APN Outdoor engaged global researcher Millward Brown to produce The Airport Economy – an in-depth study looking at Auckland Airport and how it does business. This report – a follow-up to last year’s The Attention Economy – is out now, and will be introduced to the agency market later this week.

The NZ affiliate of the Millward Brown network is Colmar Brunton. The video (above) catches the reactions of Colenso’s Nick Garrett, Y&R’s ’s Nicky Greville, Contageon’s Richard Thompson to the latest airport offerings.

The report builds on key audience insights from 2014’s The Attention Economy, which investigated passengers and other visitors, travelling in and around Auckland and Christchurch Airports.

This new study has a specific focus on profiling the airport audience, taking into account their intentions and purpose for travelling, plus analyses of the behavioural attributes of the entire airport experience.

The study also looks into the subsequent mood and mind states associated with each stage of the journey, and examines the noticeability, propensity to interact and category suitability of advertising in this space. As well, it analyses advertising recall and overall audience perception, across advertising formats within the airport.

It uncovered several key audience insights that reaffirm the airport space as a natural fit for a variety of brands,” APN Outdoor general manager Phil Clemas told M+AD. “For example, it established that airport advertising reaches a broad cross section of the community, not limited to business travellers as often believed – in fact those travelling for leisure do so at a similar frequency to those travelling for business.

“This study is the first of its kind in New Zealand and is designed to help promote the wealth of advertising opportunities that exist in and around the airport precincts,”Clemas said. “There is an outdated – and in many cases invalid – perception about those who use airports, particularly regarding the audience make-up and their attitudes.

“Early insight has shown us that airports reach a broad cross section of the population with the added advantage that they regularly bring them into a concentrated area, being the airports themselves.

“The audience is growing with Auckland & Christchurch passenger numbers up 7.5% and 9.8% respectively and 36% of respondents have told us that they are currently travelling more than they were 12 months ago.”

The airport is as an environment that is conducive to advertising due to high dwell times, propensity to spend and the overall positive mind-set associated with travelling.

“The insights from The Airport Economy not only reaffirm this, but also uncover new and interesting information about the reasons for travelling, the behaviours and trends of this audience and their interaction, and perceived suitability of advertising in this space,” Clemas said.