Positivity and feelings of happiness have been shown to contribute to advertising effectiveness and recall. A new study shows that airports are by far the place where the most positive emotions are experienced compared to other advertising environments: up to 50% of Finns feel excited at the airport and 41% feel happy. This confirms the airport's position as one of the most relevant outdoor advertising solutions.

Kantar Media Finland has conducted a survey in August 2024 to identify the emotional states experienced by Finns aged 18-74 in different outdoor advertising environments.

The results show that consumers feel particularly positive at Helsinki Airport, where positive emotions were three times more pronounced. The airport stood out in the results as a place where Finns, regardless of their place of residence, occupational status and income level, are in a particularly good mood. The airport worked particularly well in reaching Finns from different target groups under one roof.

• 3x more feelings of excitement
• 3x more feelings of happiness
• 1.5x more feelings of interest

<sub>(Source: Kantar Media Finland 2024. Outdoor advertising environments and emotional states, August 2024 (Kantar Kanava, target group Finns aged 18+, n=1011)
Question: 'Which of the following options would you use to describe your emotional state most of the time when ........' (multiple answers possible)
* The index describes the difference between the other environments surveyed and the average of their emotional states.</sub>

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Why are the results relevant to the advertiser?

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Several studies show that consumers receive advertising messages best when they are in a positive frame of mind. Positivity has been proven to create additional marketing effectiveness, in particular by improving advertising recall. People are also more likely to try advertised products when they are in a good mood and to have a more positive attitude towards advertising in general. ¹

"Helsinki Airport offers a unique environment where passengers are open and receptive to advertising thanks to their positive emotional states. This creates an excellent opportunity for brands to create strong emotional connections with consumers."Kristian Fagerström, Research Manager at Bauer Media Outdoor,  comments on the results.

Diverse audiences at the airport

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Helsinki Airport has 47,000 passengers per week. On average, passengers spend around 2-3 hours at the airport, which means that advertisements have a longer repetition and impact period than usual. In addition to Finns, the airport also reaches foreign passengers, most of whom arrive in Finland via Helsinki Airport.

The airport is the most accessible B2B media, and leads are 2.6 times more prominent there. 40% of business travellers are directly responsible for the purchasing decisions of the companies they work for. The airport therefore offers a rare opportunity to directly influence those who decide where company funds are invested.

The airport also reaches consumers with above average purchasing power and experience in a unique advertising environment. The airport is an ideal advertising platform for brand building, for example, precisely because of its exceptionally wide reach and the strong impression created by its original advertising surfaces.

The joy is contagious even without a plane ticket

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It may come as a surprise to many that people nowadays come to the airport for leisure even if they have no intention of travelling. Helsingin Sanomat reported in early February that "the airport is full of people who are not going anywhere" and that "Helsinki Airport has begun to resemble a small shopping centre." People come to the airport for shopping and dining, but mainly for the pulse of the airport and the positive atmosphere that is charged there ^{. 2}

Whatever the reason for being at the airport, or even the traveller, it is a place where strong emotions, from longing to positive excitement, from anticipation of a holiday to growing excitement, are combined. Airport advertisers therefore have a good opportunity to experiment with emotive advertising and to exploit the positive attitude of consumers to the reception of advertising.

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Contact us and leave a mark on your brand in one of the highest quality and most positive advertising environments in Finland!

_{1. Europe's Journal of Psychology Europe's Journal of Psychology}

_{2. Helsingin Sanomat 2025 Helsingin Sanomat 2025}

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