Celtics co-owner Jim Pallotta is pouring money into a growing Florida firm that places ads in the bottom of the bins that carry passengers' cell phones, watches, shoes and other personal items through airport security checkpoints.
SecurityPoint Media's ad network reaches 1.2 million passengers at 31 airports and is ready for takeoff at another 30, including Logan International Airport, over the next 12 months.
'The senses are heightened for travelers as they're going through security, so we know the media ... really breaks through,' said SecurityPoint CEO Joseph Ambrefe. 'They're open to stimuli including the advertising.'
Chris Cakebread, a Boston University advertising professor, wasn't sure that brands would want to associate themselves with the often-negative experience of airport security.
'You can slap a logo anywhere, but if you're a professional marketer, the environment of your brand is crucial,' he said.
But many of SecurityPoint's advertisers resonate with higher income travelers and the ads relate to the items that people actually put in the bins - cell phone maker Kyocera, watch outfit Rolodex and online shoe seller Zappos are among the marketers.
'You have a highly sought-after demographic when you have their undivided attention,' said Sean Barror, co-managing director of Raptor Accelerator, the commercial development arm of Pallotta's Raptor Group. 'The idea is to brand when they're captive. The overall airport experience is what it is.'
The Transportation Security Administration and airports have welcomed the ads, because they get a cut of the profits and new, more colorful bins that replace the nondescript 'battleship gray.' security trays.
