I wrote this article somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean at 35,000 feet. As I typed away on my laptop, which was plugged in to both power and Wi-Fi, I couldn’t help but marvel at the connected world we live in – while in the sky and on the ground. With just a few clicks and a trip to the airport, you can transport yourself to nearly every corner of the world and stay connected almost the entire time. This is remarkable, not just because you can conduct business, explore and indulge just about anywhere your heart desires, but more so because the process has become effortless.
Technology’s power to enhance the world around us - to simplify and to streamline - is undeniable. The more interesting side of the story is to see real-world innovation in action in places that are overdue for a great leap forward. One such place is the airport.
On my trip to Europe, I traveled through four airports - Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Paris. I took special notice of the digital screens, new and old. Whether the purpose of the screens was to serve informational content or to display paid advertisements, I found myself thinking about the systems and people that produce, deliver and maintain the content shown to travelers. Like a screenwriter who watches a film with an eye of scrutiny, I hold a unique perspective because of my background as CEO of digital signage software company – Adomni.com.
It stood out to me that airport screen content is pretty much the same as it was when the screens were first installed. The informational content looks and feels tired, sometimes identical to when it was originally placed many years ago. The paid advertisements are almost exclusively representative of major brands who have big budgets to reach the airport’s high traffic, captive audience. The technology operating the screens is lacking dynamic, creative or hyper-relevant messaging. There is no indication that the airport screens are internet-connected devices, even though many have all of the capabilities you have in the mobile device in the palm of your hand. And I bet if you ask the people operating the screens when they last benefited from innovation applied to their digital screens, you would get a lot of shrugs.
I believe this is all about to change.
Airport screens are ripe to undergo a wave of technology transformation; a leap forward akin to the advancements that overtook your computer screen, mobile device and living room TV. New systems and processes will transform airport screens into dynamic vehicles that carry meaningful, valuable, relevant content. The content will be as diverse as the audience that passes them by because for the first time, businesses of all sizes will have the advertising opportunity to reach airport audiences as easily as they reach targeted users on social media and search engines.
In the technology-enhanced airports of the near future, everyone benefits - travelers, advertising companies, advertisers, in-airport businesses and the airport itself.
Here are five major trends that will spark the smarter, connected airport screen evolution:
1. More digital screens and better software systems will be installed as replacements to static message boards
Airports, airlines and in-airport businesses will take advantage of continuously dropping screen hardware costs and affordable new online software systems, which make it easy to manage messaging and content on digital screens.
In many cases, a large capital expenditure isn’t required to take advantage of the latest software features, as new software systems can be retrofitted to existing hardware.
2. Audience intelligence technology will provide airports and advertisers with unprecedented insight into who is in front of the screens
Audience intelligence technologies such as beacons, mobile Wi-Fi and live video feeds will unlock proximity-based messaging. For example: a traveler who just arrived at her destination might look up and exclusively see her own flight’s baggage claim number.
You will also see a “big screen/little screen” effect, with the airport’s ability to pair personalized content on airport screens along with one-to-one proximity based push notifications or images to the traveler’s mobile device.
3. Informational content on screens will get more relevant
Partly because of the audience intelligence technologies, content will become more dynamic, such as the ability to provide immediate updates on changes to gates/flights alongside local weather, news and sports information.
The software delivering the content to the screens will be connected to external systems and will feature triggered, real-time dynamic content.
4. Advertising content on in-airport screens will be bought, sold and scheduled online, in a new way that allows advertisers of all sizes to participate
Currently, ads shown on airport digital screens are manually bought and sold in an offline process that requires a lot of human effort. Advertisers face high minimum spending commitments, long-term contracts and a time-consuming purchasing experience. It is reminiscent of the old way airplane tickets were bought and sold by travel agencies or airlines.
It is our belief that this model just doesn’t fit the world we live in. Online transactions are here to stay because of their convenience and fast execution. Just as plane tickets and rental cars are now booked and purchased online, so too will in-airport advertisements. Online marketplaces, such as Adomni.com or the ad space owner/operator’s company website will be utilized for advertisers of all sizes to find and buy ads, on any budget, with no contracts or minimum spend requirements.
5. New advertising revenue will be unlocked
The online process to buy and sell in-airport ads will enable owners of ad space to reach a larger, more diverse audience and increase occupancy rates. A typical revenue lift seen by ad companies in the first year after adding an online booking process ranges between 10-20% (source – operators who listed inventory on Adomni.com for at least one year, starting in 2016).
Furthermore, airport retail businesses will be able to monetize part or all of their screen real estate with ads sold to their own suppliers/vendors. Vendors will jump at the opportunity to place product ads at the most important time in the buying cycle, near the point-of-purchase.
For example: one of the five water brands sold in-store can purchase an ad and increase the likelihood that a traveler chooses their product(s).
Not only are these technologies new and transformative, so too are the companies that are providing them. As airports and their stakeholder businesses lean in with a forward-thinking mindset, innovation will follow. At Adomni, our mission is to create and foster the partnerships to deliver smarter, more connected, easier to operate airport screens; while at the same time increasing revenue. We see a bright, growth-oriented future for airport screens and the people who manage them. We are proud to be part of it.
Jonathan Gudai is the co-founder and CEO of Adomni.com – a leading provider of state-of-the-art software for digital screen owners/operators. He is a technology and e-commerce expert with over 17 years of web and mobile software development experience. You can reach Jonathan directly at [email protected].
Adomni’s suite of software includes an online content management system, media player software and an online booking system for ad sales. Their digital screen software can be found in the U.S., Canada and Australia on over 900 screens ranging from billboards, stadiums, grocery stores, bars/restaurants, mobile vehicles, hotels and airports
