MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) awarded the premier airport’s exclusive advertising concession to marketing powerhouse United Neon Media Group (UNMG) in a move that is seen to revolutionize and unlock the power of airport advertising.
“Our partnership with United Neon Media Group is a testament to our vision to provide the best services here at the Mactan Cebu International Airport. We are pushing for greater heights to sustain our world class status. We look to the award-winning creativity and innovative advertising executions of United Neon to support and complement our efforts and to provide an enjoyable and enriching experience for all our travelers and airport guests,” Nabil Rasheed, Deputy Chief Commercial Officer of MCIA, said.
Benjamin Ernest Lim, Deputy Chief Operations Officer of United Neon Advertising, Inc., said that the advertising concession with MCIA builds towards UNMG’s vision of being a one-stop shop that can effectively connect brands to audiences across a variety of backgrounds and locations.
“Airport advertising is very powerful and it has a global reach that would allow for brands to gain international exposure, reach a bigger audience and seize the opportunity to possibly penetrate new markets. This is especially true in the case of MCIA which is the second largest and busiest airport in the Philippines and has been globally recognized for its sustainability initiatives,” Benjamin said.
A global Airport Advertising Market study showed that the market is projected to grow from US$ million in 2023 to US$ million by 2032. A separate Nielsen research supports this forecast showing that over 90% of travelers notice airport ads, and 80% of them take time to read or engage with them, showing how powerful airport advertisements are.
Known for its innovation and world-class advertising executions, Benjamin said UNMG is set to push on what’s possible in airport advertising and hopes to deliver world-class advertising executions befitting MCIA as a world-class airport.
“Over the coming years, UNMG will be investing in new digital display technology in the airport and focus on coming up with unique experiences that truly connect brands with their audiences,” he stressed.
He explained that for brands, UNMG would continuously create more ways to reach their target audience, from campaigns focusing on increasing brand awareness to campaigns with a goal of driving business growth. For travelers, he added, UNMG’s goal is to create unique branding experiences that would make their journeys more enjoyable.
Benjamin underscored that airport ads are not only powerful but also strategic to brands because travelers see airports as premium places and brand presence in airport advertisements boost their credibility.
He added that travelers in the airport, especially those with longer waiting times, would normally be in a good mood to pay more attention to airport ads and remember them better.
As MCIA’s exclusive advertising concessionaire, all branding activities would go through UNMG starting November 1, 2024 and for the 5-year duration of the contract.
“We are very optimistic about this partnership with MCIA and we are confident in growing the airport’s advertising revenue in the coming years. There are strong indications, too, that air travel will recover and even exceed the pre-pandemic levels and with that momentum behind us, we hope to achieve great things with MCIA,” Benjamin concluded.
