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Marketing: Channel and Media Review in the Airport

Posted by John Foley, Jr. on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 10:57 AM in Marketing

One of the ways that I measure the use of marketing items is when I am roaming the airport before my flight.  Yes, that’s right; I watch the humans and observe the channels and medias in use.  I want to know exactly what channels the travelers are using, whether it be Print, Electronic, or Television at that precise moment while at the airport waiting.  I also look into what medias in that channel they are using.  For example, in print, it may be newspapers, magazines, or books. In electronic, it may be mobile, laptop, net books, e-readers, iPods, and more. In television, I want to see what station is on, and then I try to gauge the interest of the people watching.  I do a quick count of the folks in a specific area and get a rough number of the audience.  Then, I do a quick count on the channels and medias so that I can report via Twitter and Facebook.   It is very interesting to see how things have changed over the years, but even day to day or the time of the day makes a difference.

I do it for fun, but if you were marketing to an audience in the airport it may be helpful to gather this sort of information.  I actually did a count several times, in the same way, while on the plane.  Some airlines have planes carrying Direct TV which changes the game, but typically the amount of printed material rises dramatically while on the flight.  On one trip I was really blown away by the amount of e-readers in use.  Now, Wi-Fi on board is finally making the push– something I have been waiting for a long time.   The ways to reach the target audience in the airport and in flights is changing.  As always, Marketing must remain flexible. 

See you at the airport.  – John

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