Bids Placed for Bermuda Airport Advertising

Aardvark Communications and Bermuda Blueprinting Co Ltd are waiting to find out which company will be awarded the five-year $5 million LF Wade International Airport contract for advertising, according to the Royal Gazette Online. The process, which is very tender, closed on Friday, with Cabinet announcing a decision sometime this week on which company will be issued the contract. The contract will begin in March, when the contract of Rock Media ends.

Rock Media is owned by Jim Kerwin and operates in New Jersey.

The Ministry of Transport issued a request for proposal back in April according to the Royal Gazette Online. The Ministry of Transport declined to issue a reason as to why it was restarting the search again for a new advertising company. The original deadline of May 23 expired with no announcement of a winning bid.

The managing director for Aardvark Communications, Ben Fairn, claims that the local bidding team led by his company is hoping to bring production and creative jobs to Bermudians.

“We have the local talent, knowledge and experience to make the airport a new visual experience for our tourist and business visitors,” he said. “And having this work done by our local firms will secure and create local jobs at a time when the local marketing industry is under great pressure.”

The new plans for the airport is to include landscapes of resorts, golf courses, beaches and other attractions found on the island. The focus for Aardvark will be the ability to provide affordable advertising to local businesses that need visual access to high net worth visitors.

Fairn claims that in the past, advertising for the airport was exclusive to specific clients. That list of clients used to exclude small hotels, guest houses, retailers, charter boat operators, jet ski companies and excursion operators.

“These small local businesses are the engine of our economy and need an affordable opportunity to promote their services in Bermuda’s biggest gateway facility and new visitors to the Island need to see accommodation alternatives, know where to go to rent a scooter, go deep sea game fishing find restaurants and entertainment and all the services necessary for a great vacation in the quick passing glimpse of big beautiful visual, and at the moment those vendors cannot be found in any substantial promotion in the airport,” he said.

“The visitor experience and introduction to Bermuda can be greatly enhanced. Aardvark and It’s local partners have proposed to invest more than $250,000 as part of the new five-year contract to make visitors and local alike experience the wow factor when they arrive or depart the airport.”

Back in 1997, the first company to sell advertising at the airport was Aardvark.