In the old days, not so long ago, advertising in bars typically meant putting one's logo on coasters and napkins. How things have changed. These days marketers have a slew of choices for getting their messages across in saloons.

Almost any space in a bar has become space for an ad message, from walls to tables to jukeboxes, to restrooms, to digital signage, to shelves behind the bar, to the bottles of liquor, to drink stirrers, to the wrists of patrons.

There are even plastic ice cubes that light up with ad messages.

Marketers now can also buy through networks that can simultaneously put their messages in markets across the country.

To find out how to get your client’s message in front of bar patrons, read on.

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

Fast Facts

What
Advertising at bars and clubs to catch the drinking crowd.

Who
Numerous companies in the U.S. offer advertising options in bars. For this article Media Life spoke with Zoom Media & Marketing in New York, Americhip in Torrance, Calif., and JI Worldwide in Washington, D.C.

How it works
More traditional campaigns can be run on ad networks such as that of Zoom Media, which places static signage in more than 4,000 venues in about 50 markets, as well as digital signs in 500 venues.

The digital signs typically run 10- to 15-minute loops of static ads, and marketers can update their messages as often as daily if they choose.

A number of companies, among them Americhip in Torrance, Calif., create, produce and distribute promotional items like coasters and branded drink stirrers to bars at no cost to their owners.

There are now bar napkins with photo-quality creative, and they come from JI Worldwide, which distributes them through a 10-market network that includes 100 venues each in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

There are even green napkins, also from JI, that are printed on 100 percent recycled paper, though they don't yet come with high-definition printing.

Patrons who play the jukebox or video games at the bar are likely to find interactive ads on those devices (see links below).

Patrons who go to restrooms will find all manner of signage over urinals, in stalls and on hand dryers, as well as video ad displays (see links).

Among the newer bar ad venues are seat-savers for patrons skipping outside for a smoke (see links) and flashing liquor pourers and plastic ice cubes that light up with a logo, both from Americhip.

A recent Bombay Sapphire campaign used tinted glowing ice cubes to give martinis a blue glow, blue being the signature color of its gin.

Also relatively new: wristband for club patrons that comes with advertising (see links).

Markets
Virtually any form of bar advertising is available in any market where there are bars.

Numbers
About 40 percent of people who frequent bars do so more than 10 times a month, according to a survey earlier this year by Arbitron for Zoom Media, and it found that respondents spent an average of 2.5 hours per visit.

How it is measured
Bars can provide door count information to calculate exposure to ad messages, and for promotional items like napkins the exposure is tracked by the number of items distributed.

What product categories do well
The bulk of in-bar advertisers promote alcoholic beverages, and after that comes entertainment. Other ad categories are automotive and local events and businesses.

One recent campaign that ran on bar napkins in Pittsburgh was from a group trying to stop a 10 percent drink tax imposed by the Allegheny County Council. Napkins were distributed to bars and petitions were also on hand.

Demographic
Audiences can be targeted by location, age, ethnicity, income and other demographics. Many networks are aimed at the 21-34-year-old crowd, but some are aimed at other demos, such as the older and more upscale country club crowd.

Niche networks include sports bars and bars frequented by Hispanics.

Making the buy
Zoom Media & Marketing: Lead time is typically four to six weeks. Pricing for its digital network averages about $400 per month per venue, although buys are available for any length of time.

Americhip: Lead time can vary because the company creates custom products for marketers, but it usually runs a few weeks. Typically orders are for between 10,000 and 50,000 items. Pricing is available through the company.

JI Worldwide: Lead time is six weeks. For 1 million full-color napkins distributed across 100 bars in New York over one month the cost is $38,000. For 6.5 million napkins distributed across the 10-market network the cost is $257,000. Ads on napkins of recycled paper cost about half as much.

Who’s already in bars
Malibu, Dos Equis, Skyy Vodka, Bombay Sapphire, The CW, the movie “Knocked Up,” Whiskey Rebellion (StopDrinkTax.com).

What they’re saying
“For a Malibu Rum piece we did flashing liquor pourers, which draws attention to the fact that bartenders are using it. People would ask, ‘What’s that? What’s going on?’” – Mark Avenson, vice president of marketing at Americhip

Web site info
Zoom Media & Marketing (Static and digital sign networks)
http://www.zoom-media.com

Americhip (Promotional items)
http://www.americhip.com

JI Worldwide (Napkins advertising)
http://www.napads.com

Billboard Bands Wristbands (Wristband advertising)
http://www.billboardbands.net

Seat Saver Coasters (Coaster ads)
http://theseatsaver.com

Ecast (Jukebox advertising)
http://www.ecastnetwork.com

Airvex Media (Washroom and hand dryer ads)
http://www.airvexmedia.com