Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 Turning Into Giant Two-Week Ad For Samsung

UPDATE: A rep for Heathrow provided the following statement to Consumerist:
“Heathrow Terminal 5’s signage and passenger wayfinding has not changed. Samsung have rented advertising space in Terminal 5 with a tongue-in-cheek campaign using the line: ‘Terminal Samsung Galaxy 5S.'”

——–
Starting Monday and for the next two weeks, travelers passing through London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 who don’t want to see advertising for Samsung’s Galaxy S5 will have to close their eyes and walk very, very carefully: The electronics company is taking over the terminal for two full weeks, in a brand saturation the likes of which Heathrow hasn’t seen before.

Heathrow’s newest terminal has seen its share of advertisers come and go, but never on the scale of Samsung’s plan, reports The Verge. It’s even going to be renamed Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5, for crying out loud.

The bombardment is what the VP of marketing for the UK calls “one-off opportunity to push the boundaries like no other brand has been allowed to do before.”

“The initiative includes all signage throughout the Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5 terminal – at the entrance and drop-off locations, in the lounges, at security and at the gates,” Samsung says. “In addition, all 172 digital panels in the main terminal, gate rooms and baggage reclaim areas will feature the rebrand ‘Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5’ and images of the Galaxy S5 smartphone.”

An airport spokeswoman explained that Samsung hasn’t actually nabbed the right to rename the terminal, it’s just a really expansive ad campaign.

“Samsung want to call it Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5 and we are relaxed about that,” she says.

All signs will of course lead to the travel store where fliers can buy the phone on the spot, if they want. And there’s no respite on the terminal’s site, either, as it’ll also feature a Samsung-branded homepage.

Samsung rebranding Heathrow’s busiest hub to ‘Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5’ [The Verge]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.