
I'm typing this from gate G19 at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. An earlier flight was cancelled, so I'm waiting for the next one.
I had a few hours to kill. Hundreds of other people did, too. Waiting for flights puts our busy society into a mode that we're not used to: We look for ways to kill time. That can mean big business for the businesses here at the airport catering to all of us weary, bored travelers.
For instance, I just finished off a Cinnabon roll. I'd never do that in my normal
day. Yesterday, I had a chicken sandwhich at an airport Burger King. I never eat at Burger King. The only time I find myself in line at Starbucks is at an airport (turns out I invented a new drink that the barrista really thought was good: a regular iced team with just a splash of passion fruit. Try it.) I only buy magazines and books at the airport.
Flying takes us out of our normal distracted routine. I've determined two things sitting here today: First, I would weigh approximately 400 pounds if I traveled regularly. Second, marketers have a captive audience that is looking for stuff to eat or buy while they're killing time. If you're looking for more ways to get sales leads into your business, try hard to get a presence at an airport.







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