Airport Ad Contract Up for Bids This Month-Dulles Internationaland Reagan National Airports

Airport Ad Contract Up for Bids This Month 
Washington Post, DC 

Monday, December 8, 2003; Page E03 


The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, operator of Dulles 
International and Reagan National airports, will invite local advertising 
agencies this month to compete for its one-year marketing contract, which is 
worth as much as $1 million. 
 
The contract, with two one-year renewal options, will cover a variety of 
marketing campaigns, such as promotions for new services, print ads and radio 
spots, said Mike Giardina, the authority's procurement technology systems 
specialist. The authority's request for proposals will be posted to its Web 
site and listed in a newsletter. The authority expects to award the contract 
early next year. 

Los Angeles-based agency Pulsar Advertising has had the authority's ad contract 
for the last three years, said authority marketing manager Pam Alme. The 
account had been managed by Rainmaker Interactive, a Reston marketing firm that 
won the contract in 1998. Rainmaker closed in 2001. The authority also hired 
Baltimore-based Campbell Group to work on marketing projects such as a program 
promoting free parking on Thanksgiving Day at Dulles Airport, Alme said. 

Samantha S. Stark, Campbell Group public relations account executive, said the 
agency will not bid on the contract because it is the agency of record for 
Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Campbell managed the Washington 
authority's advertising from 1994 to 1997. 

The authority also is soon to request project proposals to publish and 
distribute Washington Flyer magazine, a bimonthly free publication distributed 
at Dulles and Reagan National. The agency chosen will also install and operate 
video systems inside the airports. The incumbent agency is District-based 
Magazine Group, 

Peter Abrahams, Magazine Group's advertising director and publisher of the 
Washington Flyer, said the 62-employee agency has had the magazine account for 
six years and introduced the authority's airport video systems and touch-screen 
information kiosks in 1997. 

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