Queenstown is the jewel in New Zealand’s tourist crown and, following a successful bid for the exclusive advertising rights at the resort town’s airport, iSite Media is now the proud owner of a fairly hot piece of media property.
iSite, which is owned by Infratil, runs bus and billboard advertising throughout New Zealand and also has the advertising rights for Infratil-owned Wellington Airport (it claims to have 31 percent of the total outdoor market in New Zealand). But unlike many of the other major airports, Alana Bevan, iSite’s trade marketing manager, says all the advertising options in Queenstown will initially be indoor, something she puts down to RMA restrictions and council rules that don’t allow billboards in the area (this scarcity of outdoor signage does add to the value of the internal signage, however).
She says it’s baby steps at the moment, but after the takeover process is completed and some of the long-term contracts come to an end at the end of February, she says the company will be looking into “increasing the advertising opportunities” and, particularly, finding out what it might be able to build outside.
Not surprisingly, she wouldn’t say how much the deal was worth or who was involved in the pitch (Interspace Airport Advertising was the incumbent), but, because they are always in demand due to the numbers of guaranteed eyeballs and offer access to wealthier demographics, they are always pretty lucrative (airport deals usually involve a revenue sharing model).
Queenstown airport, which Auckland International Airport recently bought a 25 percent stake in, is the fourth busiest (and most dangerous) of New Zealand’s airports, as well as the fastest growing airport in Australasia, and iSite chief executive Wayne Chapman says it offers advertisers a unique offering in what is universally acknowledged as the adventure capital of the Southern Hemisphere.
“The region is deservedly acknowledged as a domestic and international destination of choice, with tourists injecting around half a billion dollars into the economy per annum over recent years,” he says. “As the gateway, the airport has enjoyed sustained growth and provides visitors with a positive experience… A refresh of the advertising assets is planned over time to ensure that brand opportunities are integrated appropriately and properly reflect the quality and setting of the airport”.
Advertisers will be able to book advertising space from the 1 February 2011.
