SEPANG, Oct 10 — Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), together with Meru Utama Sdn Bhd, has taken a step forward in enhancing the experience of travellers to the country with the installation of four giant digital screens, measuring half the size of a football field at the international arrival hall of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Passengers arriving at KLIA will now be treated to a high definition visual extravaganza of international advertising mixed with a welcome to Malaysia message running in different languages alongside spectacular video footage of Malaysia.
Completed early this week and unveiled yesterday by MAHB Commercial Services senior general manager, Mohammad Nazli Abdul Aziz, and Meru Utama chief operating officer Jonathan Goldsmid, the installation is the first of an extensive advertising redevelopment plan.
The project was proposed to MAHB by Meru Utama, now under new management control with Goldsmid — a former Clear Channel International executive who was responsible for the development and management of its advertising business in Europe — leading the business.
Nazli, who has been with MAHB since 2016, said, “We are delighted with this first installation. The advertising at KLIA has been in need of upgrading for some time now so we are really pleased to see this innovative project by Meru Utama take off. It will certainly help us with our plans to enhance the overall passenger experience.”
He added that Malaysia is at the epicentre of aviation growth and with more than 60 million passengers annually, KLIA 1 and 2 are among the fastest growing airports in the region.
“We are working hard to make KLIA a great all-round experience for passengers. These screens are dynamic tools that are able to present video content in different languages.
“It’s a great platform that reaches out to global travellers arriving at KLIA as it showcases what the country and its businesses have to offer.”
MAHB is investing heavily in big data analytics to improve its services and ultimately drive income growth by understanding passengers’ purchasing habits This, continued Nazli, enables MAHB to deliver a seamless airport experience which in turn can help drive commercial revenues further.
“Part of delivering a seamless experience for passengers is being able to deliver targeted messaging and value-added content to our passengers in the right language at the right moment and at the right point in their journey. Advertising has an important role to play in this.”
When asked about the broader advertising redevelopment plans for KLIA, Goldsmid, said, “This installation is just the first of a comprehensive advertising redevelopment exercise and major investment programme that we have proposed to MAHB and that would see KLIA surpass other airports including Singapore Changi and Hong Kong International Airport in terms of advertising quality and innovation.
Goldsmid’s project prior to KLIA was the Rome-Fiumicino International Airport, which has arguably become the international benchmark for excellence in digital airport advertising.
“We have earmarked almost RM30 million for the full transformation project and are ready to move to the next phase subject to final talks with and approval from MAHB.
“If all goes well, we should be able to achieve this goal in the next 24 months.”
Goldsmid explained that to deliver a seamless passenger experience, all the different concessionaires, together with the airport, have to work well together.
“From an advertising standpoint, this means finding ways to share the best locations around the airport so that commercial messaging can be blended with value-added content.
“This first project is a clear example of this as we are using one of the best and most high-profile locations to provide spectacular coverage and impact for advertisers while using the space to greet passengers, help MAHB create a sense of place and give passengers a warm feeling and new arrival experience that they they can share on social media.”
He added that Meru Utama is currently working on linking the digital screens with arrivals data to automatically change the welcome message language to suit the native language of travellers when they walk in to the arrival hall.
Meanwhile, when asked about the redevelopment plan, Nazli said MAHB aims to have a dynamic and progressive retail format that meets travellers’ needs.
“In addition, we want to be able to use all the advertising mediums to conveniently connect travellers to brands. With partners like Meru Utama, we expect to be able to position ourselves as a big player in this field,” he added.
