MONTREAL, Feb. 28, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Astral Out-of-Home, a division of Astral Media Inc. (TSX: ACM.A ACM.B), innovates once again by announcing the adoption of Near Field Communication technology for its street furniture in Toronto and Montréal. The technology provides consumers with a totally new experience by allowing them to interact directly with advertising faces via their smartphone to get all kinds of information instantly and securely.
This new feature, developed with the partnership of Gauge Mobile, consolidates the position of Astral Out-of-Home as an innovative leader in outdoor advertising in Canada. Using NFC cutting-edge technology will give smartphone users the opportunity to watch the trailer of an upcoming movie, get a discount coupon for a boutique or restaurant, visit the virtual showroom of a car dealership and much more just by touching the chip on NFC-enabled faces with their smartphones.
"Consumers are very active and increasingly demanding, and our NFC-enabled street furniture will allow them to quickly get relevant information about products that they like," said Debbie Drutz, Director, Media Innovation, Astral Out-of-Home. "For its part, the advertising community will have at its disposal the most advanced technology to prolong its interaction with consumers."
NFC technology is currently compatible with several smartphone brands, including BlackBerry, Samsung, Nokia and HTC models with others to follow. It will be integrated into bus shelters in Toronto, and Columns and MegaColumns in Montréal.
Astral Out-of-Home is one of Canada's leading out-of-home advertising companies with more than 9,500 strategically-placed advertising faces in key markets in Québec, Ontario, and British Columbia. As a forward-looking company, Astral Out-of-Home has embarked on a series of green-and-clean initiatives to reduce its ecological footprint and actively participate in sustainable development.
Founded in 1961, Astral one of Canada's largest media companies. It operates several media properties—pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties—among the most popular in the country. Astral plays a central role in community life across the country by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers alike. To learn more about Astral, go to astral.com.
Media
Hugues Mousseau
Director, Corporate Communications and Synergies
Astral Media Inc.
514 939-5000
[email protected]
Trade Publications
Nathalie Doré
General Manager Marketing and Creative Media
Astral Out-of-Home
514 529-3204
[email protected]
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