News

Will it play in Peoria?

A pilot for Snapple all-natural beverages may help show that ATM advertising isn't just for city slickers.by Ann All, editor

March 20, 2002

ATM advertising has experienced some success in big-city markets like San Francisco and New York City, but how will it play in Peoria? Diebold Direct, the marketing arm of the North Canton, Ohio-based manufacturer, is about to find out. Diebold is launching an ATM advertising program for Snapple in seven cities -- some high-profile national markets like Baltimore and Indianapolis, along with lesser-known venues like Harrisburg, Pa., and New Haven, Conn. While advertisers generally covet the largest metro areas, that may not always be the best strategy, said Pamela Barron, director of direct marketing. "In these big markets, you have sensory overload. Going to sub markets may be much more valuable." Bill Bowser, Diebold Direct's business development coordinator, described negotiations with a dot-com that wanted to place ATM advertising in San Francisco and New York. Bowser suggested that the company consider high-volume machines located in Ohio instead. "I asked them, 'What's the difference if someone buys your product online in San Francisco or Ohio?'" After some consideration, the dot-com decided to roll out its ads in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Card Capture Services, the Portland, Ore.-based ISO, helped Diebold locate about a quarter of the 79 retail sites in the Snapple program. Barron said the locations include "a wide variety of machines and machine owners, including non-Diebold machines." All of the machines will be rolled out by the first week of August, and the program will run through the end of January. The program utilizes wraps, sheets of heavy-duty vinyl applied to an ATM to completely cover it with an advertising message. While most companies that have experimented with ATM advertising have opted for screen ads combined with a coupon, Bowser said that wasn't the best option for Snapple because it normally does not discount its products. Much like the use of smaller market areas, Barron thinks the eye-catching wraps have "some newness value." She said, "No one has taken the wrap concept and really exploited it." In large quantities, wraps are less expensive than some other forms of ATM advertising. Because they are highly visible to passersby and thus may base "views" on overall foot traffic rather than transactions, they may carry a lower CPM (cost-per-thousand). Applying wraps entails a trip to each machine -- no possibility of remote management here -- but Barron said that can work in an advertiser's favor. "Once they're on, you typically want to keep them on for a long time for maximum exposure. So you get a great value for your investment." Durability is an issue with wraps. "You have to walk a fine line" between a product that can be applied easily yet is not prone to vandalism, Barron said. "We think we have just the right blend." Like most other ATM advertising pilots, Diebold Direct considered the newness of the medium when determining its price structure. "The whole program was devised in a way that everyone would have a positive experience and hopefully come out of this saying, "This is a wonderful way to advertise. We want to roll this out nationally or even internationally.'" Barron said.

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