YES - Gareth Evans, Business development director, Frukt Communications
Historically, airports have been functional, uninspiring transit hubs - a necessary evil en route to excitement, romance, relaxation or discovery.
Terminal 5 has seen the light, creating a bright, clean, spacious and even tranquil environment. It's an extra destination that is now an integral part of the travel experience. Where better then to engage a receptive audience with the things they love, and curate unique entertainment experiences?
Heathrow is the gateway to a culturally diverse country that is building toward the Olympics - a festival during which visitors from around the world will queue up for a uniquely British entertainment experience. Terminal 5 should become the first of many venues that reflect 21st-century Britain's cultural diversity.
As T-Mobile has shown, affection is heightened between loved ones at airports, and entertainment only broadens the smiles. If Heathrow is part of the memory, why wouldn't you save some of that affection for the airport itself?
MAYBE - Hugh Robertson, Founding partner and chief executive, RPM
Unusual venues such as airports and railway stations have played host to a range of marketing activities, from flash mobs to gig venues and cultural activity from tourist boards. Thousands of people arrive and depart from these points every day, so engaging that audience, particularly when they have time to kill, could be a smart move.
However, airports can also suffer as a venue because they are emotionally charged. People may be tired from a long journey, or associate them with delays or the fear of flying. So if they are to be used as venues, marketers must take this into consideration.
Brands should also ensure they choose venues based on a smart strategy and suitability for the creative idea. With people flocking to London for big events such as the royal wedding, the Olympics and, hopefully, the 2018 World Cup, Heathrow can give brands an opportunity to interact with an international audience.
To gain event organisers' affection, however, Heathrow still has challenges to overcome.
YES - Michelle Clothier, Co-founder, Livity
This is fantastic 'blue skies' thinking from the Heathrow marketing team. Did they brainstorm on a 747?
To inject personality and life into a brand and space that often feels soulless and perpetually transient seems like a smart move for the long-term business.
The imaginative and open-minded use of public and private space is to be encouraged, and generates numerous benefits for both the space-holder and those using the space.
So often we don't make the most of our own spaces. Imagine how many stories are being played out at Heath-row each day and how the brand and space has the potential to become a colourful and meaningful backdrop to every visitor's story.
It's a great idea, but will it actually be good? Authenticity will be a crucial ingredient to truly engaging with a youth audience and instilling a sense of affection over a long period of time. A co-created and co-curated programme of events and happenings with young people would help to establish trust, relevance and ownership.
YES - Tom Huxtable, Managing director, 23red
Heathrow, especially Terminal 5, is the Westfield of airports: glamorous, modern and associated with stylish architecture and design. Some people head there early just to shop.
BAA and T-Mobile recently showed its suitability as a marketing event venue with their 'flash-mob' ad. Nonetheless, events must be relevant to the space, audience and brands.
The Heathrow audience is a community of travellers in a happy mindset. A captive audience in a positive frame of mind, about whom you have an extraordinary amount of data to create relevant communications and events, is the marketer's holy grail.
This is an opportunity not to be overlooked: in 2009, Heathrow had an average weekly flow of 130,000 passengers, and you're guaranteed two hours of their time.
Don't just focus on younger travellers, though, as it is older passengers who hold the purse strings.
The Marketing Society is the most influential network of senior marketers dedicated to inspiring bolder marketing leadership.