Team of the Week: JCDecaux Airport

The members of the JCDecaux Airport team are responsible for selling advertising across all seven BAA airports, plus London Luton Airport.

 

The team also sells the advertising for the rail concessions Eurostar and Eurotunnel, as well as the rapid-transit City-airport rail services Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Express.

 

Although a part of the JCDecaux Group, the team members like to distance themselves from the label of "traditional outdoor contractor".

 

As well as selling short-term six- and 48-sheet campaigns, the team claims that its core business is selling long-term landmark structures, such as the Concorde site at the entrance to Heathrow.

 

The team was also responsible for bespoke sponsorships including the Royal Bank of Scotland branding of the Heathrow Express and the Vodafone Experience Centre at Heathrow Terminal 1.

 

It also masterminds one-off opportunities, such as promotion stands, giving clients access to the heavily ABC1-biased airport audience.

 

The team is headed by sales director Lee Lawrence, who was previously at Capital Radio Sales for four years.

 

The 18-strong JCDecaux Airport sales team is split into five teams in London and one team in Scotland. 

 

The average day can involve anything from meetings in town to airport tours, which can often disappoint new members of staff who realize that it takes them no further than the gate room. As well, of course, as marketing the aforementioned wide range of exciting products, the team admits one of the major benefits of the job is access to tax-free stores in the airport.

 

Add this to numerous client hospitality days of sailing and polo and it doesn't sound as if they have such a hard lot.

 

By Night

 

For those who do need to let their hair down at night, the recent influx of "youngsters" over the past 12 months has, apparently, upped the interest in sport and alcohol.

 

The JCDecaux football team has almost completed its first full year of existence and, more importantly, just recorded its first victory - against Manning Gottlieb OMD.

 

This has prompted the sales team members to downgrade their forecast for this year's MGOMD billings.

 

Not to be outdone, the girls attempted to raise a netball team last summer and had a number of practice sessions. This attempt, however, fell flat
when the team's managing director, Don Sperring, became involved in designing the girls' football kit.

 

Any member of staff particularly desperate for a drink is guaranteed some company in the form of sponsorship girls Rebecca Male and Alexis Stillwell, who have been known to drink Paddington dry on occasion.

 

With the onset of summer evenings approaching, however, you are more likely to find the JCDecaux Airport team spending those balmy evenings in De Hems just off London's Shaftesbury Avenue.

 

Key People

 

Lee Lawrence, sales director; sales managers Alan Sullivan, Denise Briggs, Pannie Hopper, Jonny Bennett and Murray Bothwell.

This article was first published on Media Week