• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 11, 2011

SecurityPoint Media, which helps advertisers reach airline passengers with ads on security checkpoint bins for personal belongings, has received a new round of funding from Raptor Ventures and RaptorAccelerator, which it will use to strengthen its commercial infrastructure and extend its advertising platform.

SPM did not reveal the amount of the Series A financing.

Founded in 2001, SPM provides trays and carts to airport security checkpoints in exchange for advertising space, typically inside the trays where passengers place their personal belongings before sending them through security x-ray machines. Many of the ads have a direct-marketing component. The company claims the ads reach over 1,200,000 airline passengers per day in 30 U.S. airports, for a total 850 million passengers annually (including repeats).

The companies did not provide concrete plans for how the money would be spent. However, Joseph T. Ambrefe, Jr., CEO and founder of SecurityPoint, hinted at possible overseas expansion: “The compelling model we have developed has significant opportunity for broader application domestically and abroad.”

SPM is not the only company trying to reach airline passengers in the airport.

Most recently, the Hilton Garden Inn has begun placing advertising on airline gate information displays, according to The New York Times Media Decoder blog, which reports that 407 United Airlines gate screens are carrying the ads in 15 major media markets, including Chicago and Washington. The ads appear for 10 seconds every five minutes, minimizing the chances of hindering travelers looking for information. 

Airline passengers remain a desirable demographic for advertisers, as they tend to be better-educated and more affluent than the population at large. Eighteen percent of airline passengers have household incomes of $100,000 per year or more, versus just 10% of the U.S. population overall, according to Arbitron’s 2004 Airport Study. Meanwhile, 51% have household incomes of $50,000 or more, versus 37% of U.S. households overall.