Blog

Coaster Advertising Enables Better Targeting than Traditional Advertising

Learn more how coaster advertising can enable better targeting.

Digital ads are not as targeted as marketers think

According to a study conducted by Viant, Inc., an advertising technology company owned by Meredith Corporation, there are three factors hindering success in digital ad campaigns. Audience reach is only 30 percent; targeting inaccuracies stand at 27 percent; and anonymous ad targeting accounts to 26 percent (1).

The research firm Lumen demonstrated that only 9% of digital ads are viewed for more than a second (2). The study has used laptop-mounted eye tracking cameras on 300 consumers’ laptops to collect visual data on what they notice when they are online. During the study, it were recorded 30,000 minutes of data, with evidence relating to around 15,000 digital ads.

Billboards and distracted drivers

Billboards are an expensive and laborious advertising method. Many commuters are subjected to dozens of billboards each day with limited attention span. Billboards becomes easy to be ignored and the short exposure limits the recall rate of the audience.  On the top, most billboard companies require advertisers to close long-term contracts. If your campaign strategy requires flexibility and multiple messages delivered at specific times, billboards might not be the right media.

Guerrilla Advertising and  Coaster Advertising

Several guerrilla advertising methods have been emerging as low cost and high impact strategies. Guerrilla marketing is an advertisement strategy in which a company uses surprise and/or unconventional interactions in order to promote a product or service. The core principle of the guerrilla approach is to draw attention to the advertising message using something unusual. The surprise effect makes a change in the cognitive activation and enhance assimilation of the message.

Guerrilla advertising can overcome this challenge. The concept relies on the placement of advertising in unusual and unexpected places often with unconventional methods and being first or only ad execution to do so. In-the-Hand Advertising is a ramification of Guerrilla advertising and relies on the placement of ads on vehicles that consumers touch at daily basis as: coffee cups, pizza boxes, drink coasters, hotel room key cards, Prescription bags, dry cleaner hangers.

Coaster Advertising: how does it work?

The logo and message of the advertiser are printed on bar/restaurant coasters and distributed to the network of venues. Specific targeting is enabled with an in-house technology to profile the demographic region and pick addresses according to the campaign plan. Coaster Advertising provides a very targeted audience.

Coaster Advertising Impact

Bar coaster advertising is a creative option to spread your message in a relaxing environment. The venue places the coasters on the dining or bar tables generating a direct impact on consumer who receives the message in their hands. This is guaranteed impressions, as they have to take the coaster in their hands. Approximately 1,500 coasters/month can be distributed by each venue generating estimated 0.7M of impressions/month. The ‘unusualty’ raises level of interest in consumer and hence their willingness to expend cognitive effort to process message.

Bar coasters are viewed by on average 4-6 other people in a relaxing environment enabling your target audience to better assimilate your message. Bar coasters advertising programs can be run locally or nationwide. Most of the metropolitan regions are covered.

Coaster Advertising Costs

For purpose of comparison, consider the costs of a traditional OOH as benchmark, e.g. Billboards. The costs of billboards depends on format, circulation and demographics. Traditional billboards can cost between $14,000 and 20,000/month in larger markets.

For the same cost, the advertiser can place its message on 40,000 bar or restaurant coasters at 20 different venues during the same time.