Drugstores have gradually stretched their inventory to offer convenience store items like bread and milk in addition to the more traditional pharmaceuticals and health and beauty aids. Now advertisers can brand the entrance to drugstores with five-foot-high banners wrapping the security pedestals that patrons walk through as they enter.

To find out how to get your client’s message in front of consumers at the point of purchase, read on.

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

Fast Facts

What
Branding images are displayed on security pedestals at the entrance to pharmacies and other retail chains.

Who
StoreBoard Media is headquartered in New York.

How it works
Ads are placed on the entrance security pedestals in retail chains. They’re called StoreBoards.

Ads are five feet high and two feet wide full-color panels on both sides of each security pedestal.

Creative is provided by the advertiser and typically features a logo for branding.

“We believe that reducing visual clutter has more impact,” says CEO Doug Leeds.

One advertiser gets every pedestal in a store in a cycle. The ads are typically identical on the two sides of the pedestal, but some advertisers may choose to feature different brands on either side.

Most campaigns are for national brands, but in New York Broadway shows have been advertising at Duane Reade outlets.

Markets
StoreBoards are in 43 states. Markets include the top 50 DMAs with New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, Tampa, Phoenix, Seattle, Minneapolis, Miami, Cleveland, Denver and Orlando topping the list.

Numbers
Storeboards are in 17,000 stores nationwide, including CVS, Rite Aid, Eckerd, Save-on, Duane Reade, Longs and Jewel-Osco generating a billion plus monthly impressions.

How it is measured
Impressions are estimated based on the number of cash register transactions at each location.

Each transaction is multiplied by 2.76 to cover each consumer entering and leaving the store and consumers who accompany the customer making the purchase.

Research
The results of studies conducted by Masi International for StoreBoard Media found that:

-One candy brand that advertised on security pedestals at Duane Reade stores in Manhattan saw sales increase by 17 percent to 22 percent.

-Sales of one brand of toothpaste rose 6.5 percent at Chicago CVS outlets during another security pedestal campaign, while oral rinse sales increased 6.9 percent and the toothbrush sales increased 8.7 percent.

What product categories do well
Products that are sold in the store, at the point of purchase, top the categories list including health and beauty, food and household products.

Entertainment, including television, movie releases and Broadway shows, also do well.

Demographics
The average American shops at a drugstore 1.2 times each month, according to data provided by StoreBoards.

There is some targeting available, such as reaching college students by advertising in stores near campuses.

Making the buy
Lead time is eight to nine weeks, depending on availability.

Advertisers can buy a market, a percentage of a market or a particular chain.

StoreBoards are sold in four-week flights.

Top markets are more expensive at a CPM of $2.11 for New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, a CPM of $1.69 for the next 19 markets and $1.39 for the remaining markets.

Who’s already on StoreBoards
Aveeno, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Hershey, Energizer, Pfizer and Vonage have used StoreBoards.

What they’re saying
“These are the natural last point of contact between the consumer and the product and a great way to get that last message to the consumer before they make that ultimate decision. A relevant message in a relevant location that resonates.” – David Koppelman, vice president of New York-based MacDonald Media. MacDonald Media recently placed a campaign for Aveeno

Web site info
StoreBoard Media at http://www.storeboards.net