The boundaries between work and private life are becoming increasingly blurred and mobile working has become a trend in recent years. The main reason for this is probably the pandemic, which has led to a change in work and travel behaviour and made "new work" popular in the business world: home office, more self-determination in the workplace and easy online access to data are just a few examples. The ability to better combine work and leisure time is a particularly valued benefit. For example, 64% of working passengers at Frankfurt Airport spontaneously associate flexible working with independence of location.
Whether working in a beach café on the other side of the world or city tours on a business trip – work and private endeavours are no longer strictly separated. This is reflected not least in the increasing popularity of bleisure trips – a term that combines business and leisure: in 2019, only 7% of professionals extended business trips for private purposes, compared to 18% in the last 12 months. There was also a significant increase in workations, i.e. working from a holiday location: While 6% worked remotely from the office in 2019, the figure was 21% last year. These are the results of a recent survey of working passengers conducted by the new online panel Travelpinion by Media Frankfurt and Fraport.
Mobile working also means that different locations serve as workplaces when travelling on business. The airport comes in third place: 61% state that they have worked there during their stay in the last 12 months. On planes, 50% of the employees surveyed used the time to be productive. Overall, 41% of all working passengers say that they work more while travelling than before the pandemic in 2019 (16%).
Fig. 1: Mobile working on the move has increased significantly since 2019.
The changing world of work and the growing popularity of bleisure travel are increasingly combining the professional and private roles of passengers, which has an impact on their emotional state. For example, 32% of working passengers say they are more enterprising than in 2019. 29% consider themselves more motivated and 28% feel more relaxed. In addition, 24% believe they have a better work-life balance than before the pandemic and a total of 40% feel more like travelling for business or pleasure. The positive emotions create optimal reception conditions for advertising at the airport.
Fig. 2: The changing world of work and the increase in bleisure travel are having a positive effect on the mood of passengers.
Business travellers are open to advertising regardless of the purpose of their trip – focusing on the new target group of "business decision-makers" is recommended
Another survey conducted with Travelpinion among passengers travelling at least occasionally on business shows that 73% of those who are at the airport for business reasons are open to advertising messages. Among business travellers who are there for private purposes, 75% make this statement. The data shows that business travellers are generally interested in B2B advertising even if they are at the airport as private individuals. Conversely, advertising for the private sector is also perceived in a professional environment. The purpose of the journey therefore plays no role in the advertising impact. It is also noticeable that the interest in topics and products is similar for business and private air travel.
It therefore makes sense for airport advertisers to gear their content towards the new target group of business decision-makers - professionals in decision-making positions, such as board members or department heads, who can be found at the airport regardless of the purpose of their trip and are reached in both a professional and private context.
The focus should be on the entertainment value of B2B products
Advertising for consumer electronics – a sector whose products can be used for both professional and private purposes – generates some of the highest levels of interest. Against the backdrop of the increasing interlinking of travel purposes, it can therefore be worthwhile to focus on the entertainment value and the diverse product benefits for both professional and private life. In this way, advertising messages can be targeted specifically at Business Decision-Makers.
Conclusion
Companies can benefit from the results of the Travelpinion online panel survey in several ways: They show how advertising at the airport achieves maximum impact and also make it clear that the new target group of business decision-makers is highly relevant due to their openness to advertising content at the airport, even if they are travelling privately. Advertisers should therefore definitely include the results in their advertising planning.
Would you like to advertise at Frankfurt Airport and find out how you can best reach business decision-makers? We will be happy to advise you in order to develop the best customer approach together with you: Speak to our experts
