Sympvertising and secrets for business travellers: Airport Havens

As the holiday season marches on, business travellers around the globe are no doubt shuddering at the prospect of the nightmare they’ll have to endure each time they take a trip through the world’s airports. Hoping to give such travellers a little extra respite, a new website aims to help them find the hidden oases in many airports where a rare moment of peace and tranquility can be found. Sponsored by 3M Privacy Filters—which, not coincidentally, are also aimed at avoiding the prying eyes of fellow airport-goers—Airport Havens lets users search from a list of airports across the United States to find recommendations on where to head for a break or to get some work done during that 5-hour layover. Suggestions are derived from tips submitted by fellow road warriors, such as one from James of Brookfield, Wisc., for example, recommending “a hidden lounge which no one seems to know about” at LAX: “There is a nice, soft sofa on which you can spread out and get some work done. The noise from the walkways is faint, and with ample wifi coverage and no interruptions, it’s a great place to work comfortably at one of the world’s busiest and most hectic airports.” Similar suggestions can be found for more than 40 other airports in the nation, and users of the site are invited to submit their own as well. Reaching out beyond the online world (OFF=ON, after all!), 3M even sponsored a real, offline airport haven of its own at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport during the two days prior to Thanksgiving. On Tuesday, Nov. 25 and Wednesday, Nov. 26—infamous as two of the busiest travel days of the year—the 3M Privacy Filters Airport Haven offered Atlanta travellers VIP service with free wifi, snacks, beverages and massages. Have we mentioned that traditional one-way advertising is dead? By serving up a blend of sympvertising, free love and community-generated content instead, 3M is likely to reach its target consumers in a way no mass-media ad could hope to do. Spotted by: RK