Consumers can interact with advertisers' messages projected onto floors, walls and screens when they visit Las Vegas. The giant ads are on display from the time they arrive at the airport and throughout their stay as they roam the casinos and the resort city's various entertainment venues.

To find out how to get your client’s message in front of tourists as well as business people during the trade show capital’s busiest convention season, read on.

This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.

Fast Facts

What
Large projected ads in public spaces that consumers can interact with.

Who
Monster Media, headquartered in Orlando.

How it works
The ads, which are displayed in hotels, public transit stations and at the airport, change when a consumer walks into a space, waves an arm or otherwise engages with the display.

“Whether you walk over the screen on the floor or walk by the wall, the image will change,” says Patrick Pharris, senior vice president sales. For example, passing by an ad showing the exterior of an automobile can trigger a new image of either the car’s interior or under the hood.

The program, called MonsterVision, has instant messaging and Blue Tooth capabilities, along with audio.

At Las Vegas Monorail stations, projected ads are 8 feet by 12 feet interactive maps bordered by advertiser logos. Users can activate the ad by responding to special offers, with a reply sent to the user’s cellular device. Up to 14 advertisers can be on the map.

Advertisers can also buy 30-second spots on the entire screen.

Ground and wall projections at the casinos, hotels and convention centers range from 6 feet by 8 feet to 8 feet by 30 feet in height. Airport screens range from 6 feet by 15 feet to 9 feet by 22 feet.

Markets
The focus of this program is Las Vegas, though interactive projection media is available in other markets.

Numbers
There are 23 advertising venues in the network, including five at the airport, nine on the Las Vegas Monorail and nine inside casino resorts like Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand and the Mirage.

Las Vegas had 33 million visitors in 2007, according to data provided by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Five and a half million visitors were there to attend 20,000-plus conventions, spending $7.5 billion during their stays.

How it is measured
People counters and devices that measure how long an ad is viewed are used to determine impressions.

Research
An August of 2007 study by Information Resources for Monster Media found that  41.3 percent of the sample group were able to recall the ads they saw unaided, with people 25 and younger having a 74 percent unaided recall rate and those over 25 a 38 percent rate.

What product categories do well
Alcohol, automotive, cellular phones, rental cars and consumer electronics top the list, Pharris says. Luggage, travel, quick service restaurants and credit card companies also do well.

Demographics
According to a 2006 visitor profile provided by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority:
- 52 percent of visitors were male and 79 percent were married
- In terms of age, 12 percent were 21 to 29, 19 percent 30 to 39, 22 percent 40 to 49, 21 percent 50 to 59, and 26 percent 60 and older
- Ethnicity breakdown was 85 percent Caucasian, 4 percent African American, 4 percent Asian American and 6 percent Hispanic
-In terms of household income, 1 percent were  less than $20,000, 6 percent were $20,000 to $39,999, 18 percent $40,000 to $59,999, 21 percent $60,000 to $79,999, 15 percent $80,000 to $99,999, and 24 percent were $100,000 and higher.

Making the buy
Lead time is two weeks. The cost is $62,500 per week for all five airport screens, plus production fees.

The monorail network costs $7,500 per month for a 30-second spot and $3,500 per month for the interactive map, plus production costs.

Casino screens cost $10,000 per month per location, plus production.

Advertisers can buy one hotel location, but the monorail is sold as a network.

Campaigns run one week, a month or a year.

Who’s already on interactive screens in Las Vegas
Orbitz, Adidas, Advantage Car Rental and Subaru are recent advertisers.

What they’re saying
“As an advertiser we’re always looking for something unique because in this market there are so many messages targeting tourists. The feedback we’ve had is that folks are interacting with the screens quite a lot while they’re waiting for their trains and in hotel lobbies.” – Ingrid Reisman, vice president corporate communications Las Vegas Monorail

Web site info
Monster Media at http://www.monstermedia.net