Measure your power of attraction - Astral Out-of-Home launches a new service for Visual Optimization developed by 3M

MONTREAL, April 10, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Astral Out-of-Home, a division of Astral Media Inc. (TSX: ACM.A ACM.B), innovates once again by unveiling a new Visual Optimization service. This service will allow Astral Out-of-Home advertisers to measure the visual impact of their ad within the first 3 to 5 seconds of eye-contact.

"In Out-of-Home, audiences are mobile and advertisers only have a few seconds to grab their attention. To attract the eyes of passers-by, OOH campaigns need to be visually striking - this is what our Visual Optimization service allows you to measure" said Philippe René, Senior Director, Research, Astral Out-of-Home. This new Visual Optimization feature will be part of MARK, Astral Out-of-Home's Campaign Optimization service.

"Our research shows that the visual aspect of OOH advertising campaigns is as important as the media strategy that shapes them. Our new service allows advertisers to validate the attractiveness of each visual element in their ad and make adjustments before it hits the streets - for increased efficiency".

The software behind MARK's Visual Optimization service was developed by 3M and is based on decades of vision science experience. The predictive accuracy of this service against the actual behavior of the human eye is greater than 90% based on eye tracking studies

Astral Out-of-Home is one of Canada's largest out-of-home advertising companies with a network of nearly 9,500 advertising faces strategically located in the key markets of Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. Firmly committed to the future, the company has developed a series of initiatives to minimize its environmental footprint and actively participate in sustainable development.

Founded in 1961, Astral is a leading Canadian media company. It operates several of the country's most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties. Astral plays a central role in community life from coast to coast by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit astral.com.

Philippe René
Senior Director, Research
Astral Out-of-Home
514-529-3245
[email protected]