Astral Out-of-Home uses NFC technology to award ad campaign to leading CPG marketer

TORONTO, April 20, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - On April 19, over 300 consumer packaged goods (CPG) marketers attended the 9^th annual Best New Product Awards conference, workshop and gala. Its theme was Marketing in a Brave New World - How New Media is changing the marketing landscape. A key conference partner for a second year, Astral Out-of-Home (Astral OOH) engaged attendees with an NFC-enabled transit shelter that greeted them throughout the day and evening.

The transit shelter invited marketers to "tap or scan" their smartphones to enter a mobile quiz for the chance to win $50,000 in street-level media. The quiz offered marketers key insights: NFC-equipped shelters are located within 250m of major grocery retailers, OOH is the medium women are most exposed to on a weekly basis, and the more that brands invite smartphone interaction in OOH campaigns, the more positive consumers feel about their brand.

"The conference and gala were a great success," said Debbie Drutz, Director, Media, Markets and Innovation for Astral Out-of-Home.  "We were pleased to be able to introduce the NFC-enabled transit shelter to so many direct marketers. It demonstrated the benefits of adding mobile interaction to OOH campaigns and gave them first-hand experience of what their consumers will encounter on the street." 

The winner, announced at the end of the awards show, was Cory Snider, Brand Manager at Parmalat, who will now work with Astral OOH to develop a street-level media campaign.  Astral OOH launched NFC-enabled street furniture in Toronto and Montreal last month.

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.

Image with caption: "CPG marketers discover NFC technology on Astral Out-of-Home face. (CNW Group/ASTRAL)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120420_C7554_PHOTO_EN_12562.jpg

Debbie B. Drutz 
Director, Media, Markets & Innovation 
Creative Production 
Astral Out-of-Home 
Tel : [phone] ext 7297