Clear Channel Airports [1] a brand division of Clear Channel Outdoor [2] (NYSE: CCO), an indirect subsidiary of iHeartMedia Inc., has announced that it has won a 10-year contract with San Diego International Airport (SAN) to provide brands with innovative advertising solutions.
The new partnership began Nov. 1, 2018 and media upgrades begin mid-2019. Operated by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, SAN is experiencing record-breaking passenger traffic with double-digit passenger growth in the first half of 2018, bringing the airport’s annual passenger count to over 22 million.
Clear Channel Airports [3]’ new partnership with SAN rounds out Clear Channel Outdoor’s significant advertising presence in the San Diego metropolitan area. In May, it won a long-term contract with the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). Clear Channel Outdoor currently reaches 99 percent of the San Diego designated marketing area (DMA) on a weekly basis with its Out-of-Home (OOH) assets including; bulletins, posters, buses and transit shelters.
SAN is currently celebrating its 90th year of operation. And in 2017, the airport had a record-setting 22 million passengers and had a strong start in 2018, with traffic up 12.1% across the first half of 2018. San Diego was ranked the 30th Best City in the United States by U.S. News & World Report in 2018. The city is a growing tourist and convention destination as host to the iconic annual Comic-Con, and as such, SAN attracts an affluent and diverse set of passengers for brands to reach their target audiences with the new in-airport digital media network.
The new advertising solutions at SAN will create a unified terminal-wide network of assets which complement terminal aesthetics for advertisers to connect and engage with leisure travelers, frequent business travelers and local residents. It also provides flexibility through future terminal construction and expansions. Some key details of the new program include:
- Experiential and interactive media and sponsorship activations
- Energy-efficient, sustainable, environmentally conscious fixtures;
- Terminal-wide vertical digital LCD network; and
- A large-format digital LED arrivals network.
A recent Nielsen study [3] shows airport advertising offers consumers a great opportunity to absorb and respond to brand messaging. 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 bought a product they saw advertised at the airport. Additionally, 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.