News

Ad-ding up new revenue

The potential for advertising revenue at the ATM is the subject of much debate, but most agree it's an idea whose time is coming.

January 7, 2002

In recent years, an additional revenue stream has begun developing for the ISO: advertising sales.

Financial institutions have always used some form of advertising at the ATM, from messages printed on the back of receipts to placards mounted atop the machine. Over the past five years, though, advertising professionals have brought new concepts to market. In theory, they seek to sell advertisers on the concept that eyeballs are always focused on the ATM, and a message placed there has value.

The idea makes sense in a world where advertising can be found everywhere from park benches to bus stops, taxicabs to 18-wheelers. Visibility and length of eye contact are key factors to advertising buyers, and ATM marketers have had some difficulty convincing buyers of their numbers. Some ATMs enjoy high traffic, and customers using them pay careful attention to what they are doing while making their transactions. This captured audience appeals to ad buyers. But in fact many ATMs don't enjoy lots of traffic, and it's difficult to justify the numbers of an advertising program on ATMs.

Advertising products at the ATM can come in a variety of shapes, sizes and forms:

Full-motion video. Newer machines can be programmed with fully animated ads that run during the "attract loop" (the screens which are displayed between transactions), the "please wait" screen, or after the transaction is completed.

Static on-screen ads. Similarly, non-animated ads can be placed at several points throughout the transaction flow.

Placards/toppers. Printed billboards are placed at various locations on the machine itself. Most manufacturers offer optional attachments that are designed to hold ads, either on top or along the front of the machine.

Transaction receipts. Everybody who uses an ATM receives a piece of paper when the transaction is complete - so why not put an ad on it? This is effective for simple product branding, a teaser to visit the advertiser's website, or as a coupon.

Wraps. A piece of vinyl, with an advertising message on it, is wrapped around the entire ATM, much as is done with city buses in large cities.

As with any other medium, ATM advertising has its strong and weak points. According to Mike Szimanski, president of ATM Advertising, Inc., the most effective impressions are on-screen messages during transactions.

"Unless one of these ATMs is outfitted with a topper, the 'Please Wait' screen still seems to hold the greatest interest for the advertisers," Szimanski said. "Transaction receipt advertising doesn't always fit the marketing plan of the advertiser."

Full motion video is catchy, but Szimanski said that it is not necessarily worth the higher cost. "It's nice, but it's not always necessary," he said.

Szimanksi said the least effective on-screen messages are at the beginning and end of transactions.

"Our feedback indicates the attract loop and the 'Thank You' screen as having the least amount of value," Szimanski said. "I've heard colleagues discuss the value of the attract loop, but I don't think it's part of the active visual field."

For the ISO, the concept of advertising revenue is enticing. For now, it's often more trouble than it's worth. Media buyers use an ad industry benchmark called "cost per thousand" to determine where best to place ad dollars. "Cost per thousand" (abbreviated CPM) refers to the amount it will cost the advertiser to have an ad seen by one thousand individuals. In the case of most media - billboards, radio, television - CPM is a single-digit number. For ATMs, CPM can be as high as $100, and can be more difficult to document. Low CPM is a significant hurdle for ATM advertising.

Szimanski said that too much attention is focused on national ad dollars, when it's local advertisers that hold the most promise and may be more willing to give ATM advertising a try. That way it can be price so that it's in reach for a small advertiser. More importantly, it can be used to persuade the ATM user to patronize a business that might be in sight of the ATM.

"That is really the answer right now - regionalized ad sales," he said. "I think in many ways, that's a more appropriate customer. Your pricing options are better. You could go to the local supermarket, the bowling alley, or the tropical fish store and say 'for $200 I'll put you on this ATM down the street from you, and it'll spit out coupons for you around the clock, and the customer will have cash in hand when they get your coupon.' And the bowling alley would probably gladly write a check for that."