Last year HSBC launched its “Together We Thrive” advertising campaign, which spanned five languages and 17 airports, including London Gatwick and Heathrow, Vancouver International, Los Angeles LAX, Sydney International, Hong Kong International and Paris Charles De Gaulle.

Developed by Saatchi & Saatchi, the airport campaign covered 1,500 air bridges and 94km of airport walkways. The hexagon design – of which there were 79 versions overall – was created to represent key focus areas for the bank’s business, including education, trade and sustainability.

“Our airport campaigns have caught the attention of millions of travellers across the world over the years and remind our customers that we are there to share their journeys with them,” says Leanne Cutts, HSBC’s Group Head of Marketing. “With global air traffic forecast to double to 14 billion passengers per year by 2029, airports will continue to be a pivotal part of our marketing strategy.”

In order to understand just how much benefit comes through advertising to air passengers, HSBC created the Flyland concept, which the company uses to describe the potential value of the 11.9 million people who fly on a daily basis.

Research from HSBC states that Flyland’s economy is worth $400.5bn (GDP calculated as the sum of expenditures) with “$1.26bn being added every day”. This, they report, is similar, to Norway’s GDP, making Flyland the 25th largest economy in the world.

“Nine hundred million people around the world walk onto a plane through an HSBC-branded jet bridge every year, and make their journey into Flyland,” says HSBC UK head of personal banking Becky Moffat. “This country in the sky is a thriving economy where many travellers do some of their best business – whether it’s having the headspace to come up with the next big idea; free time to sit back and read that inspiring book; or meeting their future business partner.”

With the majority of air travellers arriving more than an hour before boarding and 88% walking the concourse, the airport offers plenty of advertising opportunities to a captive audience. Some of the most impactful locations for targeting travellers are eye-level screens and video walls in busy concourse areas, around flight information display units and baggage reclaim.

The CCA study profiles three main categories of traveller: air traveller (one or more trips per year), frequent flyer (three or more trips a year) and business frequent flyer (three or more business trips a year).

There is a wealth of opportunity for targeting business travellers at airports with 79% travelling as they believe face-to-face meetings are still important, despite the extensive range of communication tools technology offers. 

JCDecaux says a recent study revealed that 92% of business travellers would respond to an airport advertisement because companies advertising in this area are regarded as being trustworthy and important. It also showed that 93% use apps on the move with cloud-based file sharing one of the most popular. While the primary reason is for work, it’s also ideal for mobile banking and TV on demand.

In a bid to show brands and businesses exactly what passengers see as they pass through Sydney Airport, JCDecaux Australia recently created a virtual reality (VR) site tour by partnering with Catalyst VR, which enables advertisers to see where the specific touch points are and understand their economic potential.

Sydney Airport welcomes around 44 million passengers a year and is the busiest in Australia. The average dwell time is 135 minutes at Terminal One.

All touchpoints of a passenger journey are included, such as check-in, departure gates, the arrivals hall, as well as exterior locations such as car parks, which will help businesses to understand exactly what a traveller sees when they’re moving through the airport. 

“Advertisers will be able to view the virtual tour of Sydney Airport through existing devices, including their mobile or tablet, via a web browser or by using virtual reality headsets,” explains Catalyst VR managing director Jamie Gilroy. “It’s a unique, immersive and realistic experience of what a passenger sees.”