A marketplace fits
You know the unit; the buy is simple
One or two airports, digital screens, a flexible week, creative ready, and a team that can handle specs, approvals, and reporting. Browse, price, book.
Marketplace vs. airport advertising media agency Marketplace or airport
media agency? Wheneach one fits.
Self-serve out-of-home marketplaces such as AdQuick let you browse airport inventory and book it yourself. For some campaigns that is the right tool. For others, the work that decides whether the campaign succeeds, which units, which position, which week, whose contract, happens off the platform. This page says plainly which is which, from EAM Advertising, an airport advertising media agency that plans and buys across 125+ airports and 40+ media vendors.
- 125+Airports worldwide
- 40+Media vendors
- 5Continents served
You’re in good company
The short answer
Marketplace or media agency:
which fits your airport campaign?
A marketplace fits when you already know what you want, the units are digital, the airports are few, and you can run creative approvals and production yourself. An airport advertising media agency fits when the plan spans several airports or media owners, includes static units, security trays, lounges, or international airports, needs a specific position in a specific week, or has to be planned rather than booked. The media owner's availability, the airport's approval, and event-week pricing apply either way.
A media agency fits
The plan is the hard part
Several airports and media owners, static and specialty formats, a conference week where position decides everything, international airports, or a budget that needs a plan before it becomes a booking.
Either way
The airport still decides
Availability is confirmed by the media owner that holds the airport's contract, the airport approves the creative, and event weeks price the same whichever way you buy. No route changes those three.
What this page is not
A case against marketplaces. AdQuick and platforms like it are good at what they list, and the comparison below gives them their due. The point is to match the tool to the campaign.
Start your plan
Not sure which route fits? Start here.
Pick the path that matches where you are. Every path ends with current availability and a recommended mix.
Still comparing routesGet our media kitFormats, planning ranges, and booking windows across 125+ airports. We follow up to learn who you need to reach and when.Get the kit Have airports and datesSend a briefWe check every media owner at every airport in the plan and come back with availability and a recommended mix.Send it Want a straight answerBook a 15-minute callA short call to say which route fits your campaign, including when it is the marketplace.Book it
Side by side
How does a marketplace compare with
an airport advertising media agency?
The difference is less about access to inventory and more about who does the work between the brief and the posting: checking availability for a specific week, choosing position, clearing approvals, producing static units, and holding every media owner to one contract. A marketplace gives you the tools to do that work. An agency does it.
| Marketplace (AdQuick as the example) | Built for multi-airport plansAirport advertising media agency (EAM Advertising as the example) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A self-serve out-of-home platform; AdQuick describes itself as a marketplace with access to inventory at 394 airports, plus plan support on request | An agency, independent of any media owner, that plans and buys airport media for the advertiser across all of them; EAM Advertising buys across 125+ airports |
| What you see | Listed units with marketplace pricing and benchmarks; availability for your dates is confirmed with the media owner | Current availability for your dates at every airport in the plan, checked with each media owner before anything is quoted |
| Who plans the mix | You, using the platform's tools and benchmarks, with support available | The agency, from your audience, airports, dates, and budget |
| Formats | Strongest on digital screens; static, specialty, and sponsorship units depend on what each operator lists | Every format: digital networks, spectaculars, static, wall wraps, baggage claim, trays, lounges, Wi-Fi, exteriors, experiential |
| Position and share of voice | Terminal-level targeting; position in a loop and share of voice follow what is listed | Secured with the media owner by unit, loop position, and share of voice, which is where event-week value sits |
| Creative approval and specs | You submit creative; AdQuick's own guidance notes airport approvals add a week or two to street-level timelines | The agency adapts creative to each airport's specs and traffics it through each airport's approval before contracts are signed |
| Production and installation | Arranged through the platform or by you, per unit | Quoted with the media, scheduled with the media owner's crew, and checked against spec before printing |
| Contracts and invoices | Platform terms per booking | One contract and one invoice across every media owner in the plan |
| International airports | Listed for many international airports; currency, VAT, and local approvals are handled per booking | Planned in the same plan as the U.S. airports, quoted in dollars, with currency, tax treatment, and approvals handled behind one contract |
| Proof and reporting | A unified dashboard with impression, attribution, and brand-lift tools | Posting confirmation before the first arrival wave, photos of every static unit, play logs for digital, one report across every airport |
| Entry point | Low: no per-airport minimums; self-serve marketplace minimums in the low thousands | A campaign built to be noticed: from about $7,000 for one unit at one medium-size airport |
| Best for | A quick digital buy at one or two airports, a pilot, a team that runs its own OOH | Multi-airport plans, event weeks, first campaigns, specialty formats, international, budgets that need planning |
The marketplace column describes AdQuick as it describes itself on its own site as of October 2026 (see sources). Platforms change; confirm current features before deciding.
When self-serve fits
When is a marketplace
the right tool?
When the buy is simple and the team is experienced: a digital screen network at one or two airports, a pilot or test with a flexible start date, creative already finished to spec, and someone in-house who will handle approvals, reporting, and the follow-up when a unit changes. In that case a marketplace is faster than a brief and cheaper than a plan you don't need.
A digital pilot
One or two airports, flexible dates
Book a network loop, run four weeks, read the dashboard. If it works, the next buy is the plan.
A known unit
You have bought it before
Same airport, same screens, same week as last year, with the specs on file. A platform saves a round of calls.
An in-house OOH team
Someone owns the details
Approvals, production, posting checks, and reporting have an owner who has done them before. The platform is their tool, not their replacement.
When an agency fits
When does an airport advertising
media agency earn its place?
When the campaign has more moving parts than one person can hold: five airports from several media owners, a conference week where the best units commit months ahead and position decides who gets seen, static or specialty formats that have to be produced and installed, international airports with their own currency and approvals, or a budget that has to be turned into a plan before anyone books anything. In those cases the booking is the easy part; the plan and the coordination are the work.
Several airports, several media owners
One plan, one contract
Ten airports can mean fifteen contracts. The agency checks availability everywhere, builds the mix, and signs once.
Event weeks
Position, not just presence
The strongest units in CES or SXSW week commit four to six months out. An agency secures the unit, the loop position, and the share of voice with the media owner, not just a listing.
Specialty and static formats
Trays, lounges, wraps, spectaculars
Produced, installed, approved, and photographed, airport by airport. The agency owns the schedule and the spec check.
International
Dollars, one contract
Barcelona, Heathrow, Dubai, Singapore in the same plan as JFK and LAX, with currency, VAT, and approvals handled behind one invoice.
Who sells airport advertising and who plans it: media owners, marketplaces, and agencies compared.
Alternatives
What are the alternatives
to AdQuick for airport advertising?
Four routes, each right for a different campaign. Programmatic DOOH platforms sell airport screens by impression for targeted digital tests. The media owner at a specific airport sells its own units directly for a known buy. General out-of-home agencies plan airports as one channel among many. An airport advertising media agency such as EAM Advertising plans and buys airport media only, across every media owner, for multi-airport and specialty campaigns.
Programmatic DOOH platforms
Screens by impression
Audience-targeted digital buys across many venues, airports included. Fast and measurable; digital only, and loop position is not yours to pick.
The media owner, direct
Its own airports, its own units
JCDecaux, Clear Channel Airports, oOh!media, and others sell what they control at the airports where they hold the contract. Right for one known unit at one airport.
A general OOH agency
Airports as one channel
Plans billboards, transit, and airports together. Right when airports are a small part of a larger out-of-home plan.
An airport advertising media agency
Airports only, every media owner
EAM Advertising plans and buys airport media across 125+ airports and 40+ media vendors, including static, specialty, event-week, and international buys, under one contract.
Deciding
Six questions that settle
marketplace or agency?
Answer these and the route usually answers itself: How many airports? How many media owners? Is any unit static or specialty? Does the week matter? Is any airport outside the U.S.? Who on your team will own approvals, production, and proof? One airport, digital, flexible week, and an owner in-house points to the marketplace. Anything else points to an agency.
One to two airports, digital, flexible
Marketplace
Book it yourself and keep the plan for later.
Three or more airports, or any static unit
Agency
Coordination and production are the work.
A conference or event week
Agency
Position and timing decide the result, and both are secured with the media owner, not a listing.
Why EAM
What does EAM Advertising do that
a platform leaves to you?
The work between the brief and the posting. We check what's open at every airport for your dates, which loops are crowded and which units will sell out, and where on the arrival path your audience actually walks. We recommend the mix, secure the units and the position with each media owner, adapt creative to each airport's specs and traffic it through approval, quote media and production together, sign one contract across every media owner, confirm posting before the first arrival wave, and deliver proof of posting and play logs after. When the marketplace is the better tool for your campaign, we say so.
Global, five continentsDynatraceParis, London, São Paulo, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico City, and more. Digital large format and screen networks across five continents, under one contract. 60 million people reached.Why it needed an agency: airports on five continents, one contractSee the campaign 
National, several media ownersFortinetLas Vegas, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Washington, D.C., Dallas, and more. A nationwide campaign across the U.S. and Canada, bought from multiple media owners as one coordinated buy. 40 million impressions.Why it needed an agency: several media owners in two countries, one buySee the campaign 
One airport, end to endFabricSan Jose (SJC). A full airport takeover for one flight: 82 digital faces covering 5,252 square feet, plus all 760 security trays.Why it needed an agency: every network and every checkpoint tray at one airportSee the campaign
See every campaign on the case studies page.
Tell us the airports, the dates, and the range. We come back with current availability across every media owner and a recommended mix, or a plain answer that a platform will do.
Ready to plan?
More than a booking?
Send a brief.
Tell us the airports, the dates, and the budget range. We check every media owner at every airport in the plan and come back with current availability and a recommended mix.
125+ airports · 40+ media vendors · Since 2015
“EAM made a nationwide airport campaign feel much easier to manage. The team was responsive, organized, and always on top of the details. They helped us make smart decisions with the budget, kept everything moving, and ultimately delivered exactly what we were looking for.”
Chief Marketing OfficerFortinet · nationwide airport campaignFor agencies and consultants
Your client. Your plan.
We handle the airports.
Agencies and consultants bring EAM Advertising in as the airport specialist behind a client’s plan. The client relationship stays with you. We plan, buy, and report under NDA, and can work white-label.
Get our media kit- Your client stays yours.We work behind your team, not around it.
- White-label and NDA.Plans and reporting can go out under your name.
- One contract, one invoice.Every airport and media owner in the plan, under one set of terms.
- Numbers before the client commits.Current availability and planning ranges at the proposal stage.
Airports
Thinking of a specific airport?
Start with its page.
EAM Advertising plans and buys at 125+ airports across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, India, and Africa, and any combination runs under one contract. The most-requested airports are below; every airport, with search by city or code, is on the airport advertising hub.
Questions
Questions buyers ask
about marketplaces and agencies
Is AdQuick an airport advertising agency?
No. AdQuick describes itself as an out-of-home marketplace: a self-serve platform with access to airport inventory and plan support on request. An airport advertising media agency such as EAM Advertising owns no platform and no inventory; it plans and buys for the advertiser across every media owner.
What are the alternatives to AdQuick for airport advertising?
Programmatic DOOH platforms for digital screens by impression, the media owner at a specific airport for a known unit, a general out-of-home agency when airports are one channel among many, and an airport advertising media agency such as EAM Advertising for multi-airport, event-week, specialty, and international campaigns.
AdQuick vs. an agency: which is cheaper?
The media is priced by the media owner either way, and event weeks cost what they cost. A marketplace has the lower entry point for a small digital buy. An agency earns its place when the plan is the hard part: several airports, static or specialty units, a conference week, or international airports, where the cost of a missed hold or a rejected creative is larger than any platform saving.
Can I buy airport advertising self-serve?
Yes, for digital screens at many airports through marketplaces and programmatic platforms. Static units, spectaculars, security trays, lounges, and Wi-Fi sponsorships are mostly bought from the media owner, directly or through an agency, and loop position and share of voice are secured with the media owner rather than chosen from a listing.
Does a marketplace show everything that is available at an airport?
It shows what is listed. Availability for a specific week, position in a loop, and share of voice are confirmed with the media owner that holds the airport's contract. AdQuick's own guidance says to ask for current availability at the specific airports on your list.
Who handles creative approval if I buy through a marketplace?
You do, with the platform's guidance. Every airport reviews creative before it runs, and AdQuick notes that airport approvals add a week or two to street-level timelines. An agency adapts creative to each airport's specs and traffics it through approval before contracts are signed.
Can a marketplace run a multi-airport campaign?
It can book units at many airports. What it leaves with you is the plan across media owners, the position and share of voice at each airport, the approvals, the static production, and the proof. An airport advertising media agency does that work under one contract.
When should I use a marketplace instead of an agency?
When the buy is simple and the team is experienced: one or two airports, digital screens, a flexible week, finished creative, and someone in-house who owns approvals and reporting. For a pilot or a repeat of last year's buy, the marketplace is the faster tool.
Does using an agency change what the airport approves or when units sell out?
No. The media owner's availability, the airport's creative review, and event-week pricing apply whichever way you buy. What changes is who does the work of securing the unit, clearing the creative, and proving it ran.
What does EAM Advertising handle on an airport campaign?
Everything after the objective. We check what's open for the week, which loops are crowded and which units will sell out, and where on the arrival path your audience actually walks. We recommend the mix, secure the units, traffic the creative through airport approval, confirm posting on day one, and deliver proof of posting and play logs after. If the airport is one market in a larger plan, the same relationship covers the others.
Airport advertising media agency. 125+ airports. Est. 2015.
More than a booking?
Start with the media kit.
Send your work email for the media kit: formats, planning ranges, and booking windows across 125+ airports. We’ll follow up to learn who you need to reach and when, then come back with current availability and a recommended mix.
125+ airports · 40+ media vendors · Since 2015
Sources
Sources
and methodology
- AdQuick's description of its airport advertising marketplace: adquick.com/airport-advertising/all (394 airports, no per-airport minimums, unified dashboard, plan requests) and its help center article on airport advertising (formats, concession structure, approval timelines), as published in October 2026.
- AdQuick's published marketplace figures: 6,636 bookable airport digital placements across 41 operators, and self-serve marketplace minimums in the $1,500 to $3,000 range, from adquick.com/answers, July 2025 to June 2026 data as stated there.
- Agency column and planning ranges: EAM Advertising planning and buying records across 125+ airports and 40+ media vendors, 2015–2026; see the airport advertising cost page for ranges.
- Media owner descriptions: each company's own published description of its airport advertising business. Airport contracts change; the companies named are examples.
Updated October 4, 2026 · By EAM Advertising
EAM Advertising plans, secures, and buys airport and in-flight media across 125+ airports and 45+ airlines worldwide. Founded in 2015; collective operator experience in airport media buying spans two decades. Recommendations are based on what performs for the advertiser, not on inventory we have to sell. Clients include Dynatrace, Fortinet, Rubrik, McGraw-Hill, and Wharton.