Bus shelters have long been a venue for ads, reaching as they do people waiting for buses but also pedestrians and passing cars. The new thing is 30-second commercials broadcast from screens mounted on bus shelters.

Accompanying signage on the shelters complements the video with additional information.

To find out how to get your client’s message on New York streets, read on.

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

Fast Facts

What
Ads displayed on video screens in bus shelters in the New York market.

Who
Cemusa, with U.S. headquarters in New York.

How it works
Ads run on LCD screens in bus shelters. The 30-second spots repeat continuously.

“In the case of the Discovery Channel, they played a 30-second preview of a new show,” says Katie Schwab, director of government and corporate relations at Cemusa.

Creative is provided by the advertiser and can be developed specifically for bus shelter screens.

Bus shelters can also have illuminated posters, both on the exterior and interior.

The video screens are 40 inches wide by 23 inches high and are placed on the shelters’ exteriors. Below each video screen there is a 48-inch wide by 24-inch high static ad. Both spaces are generally taken by the same advertiser.

Additionally, there is a border above the video screen with space for additional branding.

In the case of Discovery Channel TV show, the sign below the screen was used to relate the day and time or other facts about the program.

Bluetooth capability is also available. Consumers can use their hand-held devices to opt in for additional video content.

Video screen creative can be changed monthly. For example, Discovery Communications will feature the Travel Channel this month and will launch Planet Green on the screens in June.

The illuminated panels inside the bus shelters can carry ads coordinated with the video ads or for another advertiser entirely.

National advertisers predominate on bus shelter signage but they would also work well for local advertisers, Schwab says.

Bus shelter video screens can be used as a stand-alone, but most often they're part of a media mix.

“We look at this bus shelter network as providing a base level of awareness, working in conjunction with television and magazines leading up to premieres,” says Michael DeLucia, senior vice president at PHD, which placed the ad for Discovery Communications.

Markets
Video screens are available in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx.

Static signage is available in bus shelters in all five boroughs.

Numbers
Currently 10 bus shelters have video screens. Additional screens are waiting for approval by city officials.

There are a total of 3,300 bus shelters in the network.

How it is measured
Daily Effective Circulation (DEC) is provided by TAB.

What product categories do well
Entertainment including both new movie releases and television, tourism, airlines, retail and luxury items are top categories.

Demographics
Groups can be broadly targeted by location.

Making the buy
Lead time ranges from a week to several weeks, depending on availability in the case of video screens.

Rates for static bus shelter signage run $175,000 to $500,000 for four weeks for 90 to 360 panels. There's a premium of 20 percent where the advertiser requests panels in specific locations.

The cost for video screens depends on the length of the spot, number of screens and locations.

Who’s already on video screens in bus shelters
Discovery Communications is currently advertising on bus shelter video screens.

What they’re saying
“This is a mass awareness kind of medium that’s of particular interest for showcasing high-definition content. It’s new and not available elsewhere so it sparks interest.”—Michael DeLucia of PHD

Web site info
Cemusa at http://www.cemusa.com