PumpMedia to install gas station screens at Chevron's

Pumping gas becomes a little more entertaining now that Chevron has approved PumpMedia to become a vendor at a number of their Western U.S. locations. Here is the link to the full article at aka.tv: http://www.aka.tv/articles/article.asp?articleid=1087

This is not the first install of gas pump televisions we've seen. The past few years we've seen the growth of outdoor media in several sectors, this being one of them. Advertisers consistently want to reach people where they believe they have a captive attention. One of those places would definitely be the 3-5 minutes that we all spend standing next to our car while our gas bill rings up well over $50.

NBC is involved in a similiar venture that began last year. Here is the link to that article:http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6325558.html?display=Breaking+News

I was fortunate to see a dummy version of the NBC pump last year at the Outdoor Advertising Association of America's trade show in New York. I don't know how PumpMedia's platform works but the NBC version will only start when the pump handle is lifted and gas begins. This way you are not just serving advertisement impressions all day without a verified eye ball. CPM's can be much higher when it is a proven 1 to 1 impression, just like the internet.

Many companies believe that advertisers will purchase space on these screens because they have a particular product inside the store. Maybe a new stick of gum, beverage, scratch ticket, or a candy bar. Will these advertisements get you in the store? The bigger question is, will you stand outside your car and watch or will you go right back into your vehicle like you've typically done in the past? I think it's a great idea but it's going to take a while for it to set in with consumers. We don't always adapt well to new technology and ideas and although it is non-obtrusive content that includes news, traffic and weather reports, it might take a while before this becomes a favorite among consumers.

The bigger question is will advertisers want to get in on this opportunity? How much value is it will depend on the overall cost, number of ads served on a daily basis, and the total volume of different products they sell inside that convenience store where the gas is being pumped. Advertisers have to embrace this opportunity though. If a goal is to increase sales then why wouldn't Wrigley's, Pepsi, Coke, etc. want to get involved in this. Advertisers spend millions of dollars on television advertising each year, which I'm all for, but the difference is that most of us don't live less than 25 feet away from the location where we can buy these products.

Look out for these small television screens at a gas station near you.