How to Advertise at Heathrow Airport: Formats, Planning and Creative Tips

How to Advertise at Heathrow Airport

Advertising at Heathrow Airport is often seen as a prestige move. It delivers global visibility, premium positioning and access to a high value audience. But for brands considering the space, the key questions are practical ones.

What formats are available?
When should you book?
And how should creative differ from other out of home environments?

Here’s a straightforward guide.

Step 1: Understand the Audience

Heathrow is not a typical commuter environment. It attracts a mix of international tourists, business travellers and transfer passengers. Long haul routes dominate, which means dwell times are longer than in many other transport spaces.

Passengers typically move through check in, security, retail areas and boarding gates over several hours. This creates multiple touchpoints during a single journey. From an advertising perspective, this means frequency can be built naturally within the same visit.

If your brand targets business decision makers, international visitors, luxury shoppers or frequent flyers, Heathrow offers direct relevance.

Step 2: Choose the Right Format

Several formats are consistently in high demand at Heathrow.

Large format digital screens
These deliver impact at scale and allow for motion creative. They are commonly used by luxury, automotive, finance and technology brands. Digital formats also allow for daypart messaging or creative rotation.

Terminal dominations
A domination allows a brand to take over key areas within a terminal, creating repeated exposure across walls, columns and screens. This works well for major launches or brand building campaigns where consistency is important.

Arrivals placements
Advertising in arrivals areas targets passengers at the point of entry into the UK. These formats are popular with global brands, tourism boards and premium services aiming to make a strong first impression.

Retail corridor sites
With Heathrow operating as a major retail destination, advertising close to duty free and high-end stores can support purchase intent. These formats are often used by beauty, fashion and spirits brands.

When planning, consider where your audience will spend the most time and what mindset they are likely to be in.

Step 3: Plan Around Travel Peaks

Demand for Heathrow advertising is highest during peak travel periods. Summer holidays, Christmas, Easter and major global events drive increased passenger numbers. Booking early is essential for these windows.

Business heavy periods such as early autumn and late winter can also be effective, particularly for B2B, finance or technology brands.

Align your campaign timing with both passenger volume and brand relevance. A travel brand, for example, may benefit from appearing during peak holiday planning seasons, while a luxury watch brand might prioritise high spend travel months.

Step 4: Adapt Creative for the Environment

Airport creative should feel premium and uncluttered. Heathrow’s architecture is modern and spacious, so artwork needs to complement rather than compete with the surroundings.

Keep messaging simple and legible from distance. Passengers are navigating signs, screens and directions, so clarity is crucial.

High quality imagery performs well, particularly in large format placements. Minimal copy, bold typography and strong brand presence are often more effective than dense messaging.

It is also worth considering multilingual audiences. While English remains the dominant language, Heathrow attracts a global mix of travellers.

Step 5: Think Beyond Awareness

While Heathrow advertising is often used for brand positioning, it can also support measurable objectives.

Digital screens can align with broader campaigns running across online video, social or connected TV. Airport placements are frequently photographed and shared, extending reach beyond the terminal itself.

For brands launching internationally, Heathrow offers a visible statement of scale. Appearing in this environment signals ambition and global presence.

Is Heathrow Right for Your Brand?

Heathrow advertising tends to suit brands looking for:

Premium positioning
International reach
High value audiences
Extended dwell time exposure

It may be less suitable for hyper local messaging or short-term tactical promotions, unless tightly aligned with travel behaviour.

In a fragmented media landscape, Heathrow offers something distinctive. It combines scale, influence and physical presence in a single location. For advertisers willing to plan carefully and invest in strong creative, it remains one of the most powerful transport environments in the UK.

If you are approaching it for the first time, start with clear objectives, align formats to audience flow, and design creative that respects the space. Done well, airport advertising is not just visible. It is memorable.