Airport Sampling – Highlight on Dunkin’ Brands

One of the most popular elements of our integrated, airport-based marketing programs is Product Sampling.  For the past four years we’ve worked collaboratively with New England favorite, Dunkin’ Donuts, and each year we execute a series of Sampling events for them inside Boston Logan Airport.  In years past, Dunkin’ Brand Ambassadors have greeted early morning frequent flyers with free hot coffee upon arrival; welcomed college students back to school in the fall with prepackaged, ready to go coffee bricks; and turned heads and won hearts with their fleet of adorable Dunkin’ branded Yaris cars which circled the airport handing out samples to interested travelers.  Earlier this year, the Dunkin’ Brand Ambassadors handed out free Dunkin’ Perks Cards as part of the larger DD Perks Loyalty Program, and now Dunkin’ is at it again, but this time, in a new location.

A sweet treat for people waiting to pick up loved ones at Boston Logan this holiday

Airport Cell Phone Lots are the perfect venue to stage an experiential Sampling program.  The Cell Phone Waiting Lot at Boston Logan hosts over 300 vehicles per day and is a perfect venue for sampling new products and services to family and friends in need of a little pick me up.  The day before Thanksgiving, Dunkin’ Brand Ambassadors set up their Sampling Truck in the Cell Lot to surprise and delight those waiting to pick up their loved ones for the holiday.  To help raise awareness of the perk, Boston Logan Airport helped out by tweeting about the event, and encouraged those who might otherwise spend time circling the roadways, to stop by the lot for free samples of Dunkin’s own lattes and hot chocolate.  How sweet!

A Holiday Gift from Google – Free Airport WiFi!

Google announced this morning that it will be offering free WiFi in 47 airports across the nation from now until January 15^th as a special holiday gift.  This campaign epitomizes the effort to enhance and improve the air travel experience by allowing passengers to stay in touch with family, friends (and even work if necessary) while they make their way to their final holiday destination.  Travel during the winter season can be difficult and stressful for many, as more flights are delayed due to inclement weather, often leaving passengers stranded in the airport for significant amounts of time.  But Google has come to the rescue, making it easy and hassle free for people to log on and stay connected during the down time.

It is estimated that this gift from Google will reach the 100 Million+ people that are passing through the participating airports between now and mid January 2010. Those people who do take advantage of this generous offer and log onto the free service will have an opportunity to give back as well.  Passengers will have the option of donating to Engineers without Borders, the One Economy Corporation, or the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, and Google has vowed to match the donations made across all networks up to $250K.  Additionally, the airport network that accumulates the greatest amount per passenger by the first of the New Year, will receive $15K to donate to a local nonprofit of their choice.

For a complete list of all of the participating airports, click here.

A Cultural Experience

Chrysalis in IND. Photo Credit: R. Cao via flickr

It was recently written in the NY Times that Heathrow Airport let writer Alain de Botton, post up in the the port, and quietly record everything he saw, heard, and experienced as the airport’s first ever writer-in-residence.  His unedited words were then to be published and printed, in a short book titled “A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary.”  According to Dan Glover, the creative director at Heathrow’s public relations agency, the objective was “to make a passenger’s time at Heathrow the best memory of the trip.”

Mr. Glover is looking for an outcome that many other, if not all, airport authorities strive for.  While air travel can often be a source of stress and frustration for people, airports are constantly in search of ways to enhance the experience and improve the overall airport environment.  This experiment was profoundly unique, in that it put the airport’s visitors at the center of the story, allowing for them to feel more connected to their environment and a part of a bigger, more important story.  You can find excerpts from Alain de Botton’s book here.

Other airports offer their passengers cultural experiences by installing art exhibits and small-scale galleries for travelers to enjoy.  The New Indianapolis International Airport recently opened as the nation’s first brand new airport since 9/11.  Starting in 2005, however, the Indianapolis Airport has been collecting hundreds of pieces of public art as part of the Col. H Weir Cook Memorial Terminal Building installation.    The airport hopes to create a “visual gateway” to the city, allowing travelers of all ages and backgrounds to discover the unique heritage and history of Indianapolis.

So next time you find yourself at the airport with time to kill prior to departure, be sure to take a moment and explore the local art scene.  It could turn out to be one of the best memories of your trip!

Airport Tweetup

I’m sure you’ve been there before.   Stuck in the airport with nothing to do.  And if you’re like me, you’d rather do anything than simply sit and wait for your plane to board, considering you’ll be doing plenty of that once you actually get on it.

So how about this – take a break from your favorite time-wasting iPhone App to engage one-one in an Airport Tweetup.  Since seemingly everybody is tweeting away these days, why not take advantage of the microblogging site and use it to connect with other travelers stranded in the same airport at the same time.

You could designate a well known public area, sculpture or gate number as your meeting spot, or even just post your personal coordinates; then tweet up with a potential business partner to discuss how your companies could work together; or with someone from your same field to share ideas and insights.  You could even tweet up simply for social or personal reasons.

So I wonder, would you tweetup in an airport during a layover?  Or is the idea of going on a ‘Twitter blind date’ too out there?  Leave a comment and let us know.

A New “Paw-portunity”

You may have heard about the new pet-only airline, Pet Airways, which transports your furry friends through the friendly skies on a reconfigured Beech 1900 aircraft. “Pawsengers” who live in five major metropolitan areas, including Chicago, Denver and Baltimore-Washington, can hop a one-way flight for as little as $149. This new service goes hand in hand with a recently passed law requiring all airports to provide “Pet Relief Areas” for animals.

So we found out that:

• 63% of households have pets
• 67% of pet owners would travel with their pets if they knew more accommodations were made for their pets
• 19% of America’s 73 million dog owners take their dogs with them when they travel

This presents a unique opportunity for a leading pet products brand to really connect with their audience through a Pet Relief Area Sponsorship. We’re thinking free doggie treat samples, branded water bowls and fire hydrants, plus pet health information kiosks and promotional offers… There are a ton of fun ways one could market their brand while creating a positive experience for passengers traveling with their pets.  An Airport Pet Relief Area Sponsorship not only presents the chance to engage with your consumer in a brand new environment, but you’d stand out as exclusive providers of a unique new service.  This would surely make some tails wag.

A Healthy New Way to Travel

In response to the current threat of H1N1 and other viruses, airports as well as corporate leaders, are taking a more proactive approach to easing travelers’ health concerns this season.  Earlier this year, Harris Bankpartnered with Chicago O’Hare International Airport to provide conveniently located Hand Sanitizer Dispensers throughout the entire airport.  The Harris Bank Sponsorship Program included information pamphlets distributed near all Harris Bank ATMs around the airport, as well as accompanying sponsor signage above each dispenser.

But this is not the first time O’Hare has worked to encourage safe and healthy travel.  Last winter, the major airport led the way in offering Flu Shots to their passengers, and based on its overwhelming reception, this year they are expanding the program into new locations with extended hours.  Following their lead, several other airports are now offering the same service to their passengers this winter, and you can find the entire list in the USAToday column here (courtesy of Harriet Baskas, author of the blog Stuck at the Airport).

So as more and more cash-strapped airports are pushed to spend money to provide ways for their passengers to stay healthy, we begin the hunt for potential sponsors – ideally a company looking for non-traditional ways to connect with consumers while showing strong corporate citizenship and goodwill – a company eager to partner with these airports in the unified prevention of the spread of disease.  It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to be smart enough to do it…  are you?

Preparing for Take Off!

Welcome to the AMI Blog, Preparing for Take Off.  So today marks the beginning of our newest venture into the blogosphere, where we will set out to explore and discuss experiential marketing & sponsorship opportunities and the various environments where brands are brought to life.

We’ll come right out and say it – because of the time spent in this space, and the knowledge we’ve gained, our favorite environment for new marketing and non-traditional advertising opportunities is The Airport. Now we know what you might be thinking… airports are a nightmare. But we beg to differ. Over the past few years, we have become intimately familiar with airports. In fact, we love them (yes, this is true). But it’s the people that hang out in airports, that we as marketers truly appreciate.  A few interesting statistics:

• 61% of Frequent Flyers fall into the ultra-desirable 25- to 54- year age group
• 33% of Frequent Flyers net annual incomes exceeding $100,000
• 68% of Frequent Flyers have a college or grad school degree
• Frequent Flyers are two and a half times more likely than the typical consumer to have made corporate purchasing decisions in the past year.

A pretty stand-out group, if you ask us. Which makes an airport-based campaign a pretty smart strategy for connecting with a valuable demographic.

So, if your brand could engage with this prime audience, in the safety and security of the airport environment, what kind of experience would you create for them? And if you’re a road warrior, a frequent flyer, what kind of products and services would you be willing to test, try or taste while you wait for your plane to board? Comment here and let us know.