The downtown Skyway systems fluctuate daily, with weekday traffic driven by office commuter trends and weekends shaped by conventions and events. During the week, Tuesday through Thursday are the busiest days because most downtown companies operate on a 4-day in-office schedule with a flex day on Mondays or Fridays. Weekday traffic is also impacted by business conferences, trade shows, meetings, and sporting events. On weekends, the Skyway system becomes highly event- and nightlife-driven. Major sports and entertainment venues in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Rochester are skyway-connected, allowing visitors to park and access restaurants, bars, concerts, and games via the system. All three cities also have convention centers linked to the skyways, hosting multiple major weekend events that attract regional visitors.

No, winter is not the only effective season for advertising in the Skyway system. Although it is true that Minnesota winters drive more people up into the Skyway, so do the hot humid summers, cold spring or fall days, and everything in between. Skyway consumers, just like many other transit users, use the system for their daily routine, so year-round commuters use the platform to go from their parking ramp, to grab a coffee, to the office, to grab lunch, and back at the end of the day.

Depending on a brand’s KPI goals, there are benefits to running a long-term campaign or a short-term promotion.

Long-term campaigns capitalize on the Skyway being an excellent frequency medium, increasing brand recognition. Our Skyway ad formats are located in key locations, allowing brands to rotate their messaging, reaching audiences in different parts of the city throughout the day. Additionally, with a vast number of hotels, event venues, corporate employers, and conference spaces, your messaging will get noticed by new consumers in the Skyway system week to week.

Short-term promotions also have success in the Skyway for new product launches, event-based branding, and brand activations. Many of the specialty Skyway formats are eye-level, larger-than-life messaging that provide the perfect backdrop for social-worthy content. With locations near venues that host professional sports, concerts, and so much more, Skyway Media is the perfect pair for brands looking to make a short-term impact.

Turnaround times vary based on the type of media formats purchased. For the Skyway digital networks, the turnaround time from booking to placement is much shorter than static formats; a typical turnaround time can be as little as 3-4 days. Static media campaigns require more proper planning and print time, making 3-4 weeks the ideal turnaround time for us to best partner with brands. With any campaign, exceptions can be made, and OUTFRONT is happy to try to work with advertisers to get their campaigns up and running in the Skyway as soon as possible.

The Skyway platform is unique in that it is located on the 2nd story of most buildings, making it challenging for attribution measurement using viewsheds or location geofencing. However, just like billboards or other traditional transit formats, we rely on advertisers to utilize tactics like QR codes, call to actions, redeemable discounts, and customer surveys to measure the success of their Skyway campaign. We also recommend pairing your Skyway buy with our Mobile Network to build a trackable campaign that reaches consumers in real life and online.