The upcoming Oscars are snagging broadcast and print coverage and drawing consumers into movie theaters from coast to coast.
   While those moviegoers,  upwards of a 150 million a month,  are waiting in line for popcorn they’ll be able to pick up free finger wipes, those moist towelettes that come in sealed packs, at the concession counters of targeted cinemas. On each side of each two-inch square package that they grab is ad space.
   The towelettes are free to the theaters, free to the movie patrons, and one of the newest out-of-home venues to target consumers while they’re at the mall with their wallets open.
   To look at the markets, the numbers and how to make the buy, read on.
   This is one in a Media Life series on how to buy the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.

Fast Facts:

What: 
   FreshADs are advertisements, logos and coupons printed on the wrappers of individually packaged  towelettes that are distributed free to patrons in movie theater lobbies.

Who: 
    LoudBurst Media out of Sunnyvale, Calif.

How it works:
    Branding is the primary use of FreshADs.
    Advertisers can buy one or both sides of the package. Scholastic Recruits and jobs.com, both recruiting companies, partnered on FreshADs’ launch, each taking a side. Another possibility is one advertiser promoting two products, one on each side.
   Ad-covered towelette packages are delivered to theaters across the country with their concession supplies, free of charge.
    LoudBurst Media has contracts with 10,000 of the 33,000 theater screens in the country, including Cinemark, Regal, Cinemaster, Edwards and United Artists, to supply the towelettes.
    Presentation and placement vary from theater to theater. 
   "Every one has a different layout, so we give that to the theater manager," says Michael Nasif, LoudBurst Media president. 
   "There’s incentive to get rid of them quickly, and as a result the advertiser’s message is out in high traffic areas like concession lines."
    There are a variety of dispensers available, including counter-top units and a large dispenser on wheels that holds 10,000 pieces.
   Movie patrons are encouraged to take more than one FreshAd – even handfuls – to stash and use later. "I saw one woman put 50 in her purse and that’s perfectly okay," Nasif says.
   Advertising messages are both interactive and repetitive, says Nasif, as patrons actually handle the towelette packages. They must tear them open, and in doing do they are bound to see the message several times at least.
    FreshADs can be placed in theaters that are demographically targeted by advertisers.
    FreshADs can stand alone or as part of a media campaign, Nasif says.
    "Advertisers can go either way, possibly working with TV, billboards or inside the theaters themselves."
    Product exclusivity is available.
   Advertisers can launch their FreshADs campaign to coincide with a movie premiere.
   In addition to logos and promotions, advertisers can print unique ads. Scholastic Recruits and jobs.com played on the fresh theme using both their logos and tag lines "fresh start" and "fresh jobs."
    Advertisers have the choice of printing one or both sides of towelette packages.
   Printing can be done in one to four color. There is a ¼ inch unprinted border on each two inch by two inch package.
    Bold colors work best to grab patrons’ attention, Nasif says. Advertiser provides creative and can specify font style.

Markets:
    "We have access to theaters in every major metro area in the states," Nasif says. "This particular type of advertising utilizes an existing infrastructure and provides the ability to target specific markets/neighborhoods. Most screens are located in multiplexes, but small, neighborhood theaters are also part of the network."
     Scholastic Recruits’ campaign targeted 30- to 40-year old college grads attending movies at multi-screen theaters.
      "We wanted the megaplexes where they’re showing action and comedy and love stories," says Monica Kaldani, president and founder of the online company. "Larger gives a larger demographic range. It wouldn’t be as attractive to us if it was a small mom-and-pop theater."

Numbers: 
    How measured? Online advertisers count hits or responses to an offer or campaign. Couponing is also available.
    When LoudBurst launched FreshADs in four major markets (San Francisco/Oakland, Los Angeles, Denver and Dallas) on Dec. 15 of last year the company hired Blaauboer Research Worldwide of San Francisco to conduct an advertising effectiveness study. Exit interviews were conducted with 100 participants over a five-hour period. Interviews averaged three minutes and all questions were close-ended. The goal was to measure impact, recall and grab ratios. 
   According to researcher Mike Blaauboer, 84 percent of the patrons surveyed took FreshADs from the display bin. Of those, the majority, 73 percent,  immediately recalled the advertiser. The average "grab" number of FreshADs that patrons picked up was seven. "That means six impressions were stored in a purse or pocket to use later," Nasif says.

Research:
    What products and categories do well?
    Entertainment, jobs, retail, restaurants, consumer electronics, high-tech and dot.coms looking for strong brand recognition and enhancement, Nasif says.
    "You see the same stores at every complex – Walmart, Circuit City, Applebee’s – and you can create an immediate call to action."
    LoudBurst Media won’t take tobacco, liquor or anything "lewd" for ad content, says Nasif.
   FreshADs are a fairly new medium, and so far the focus has been on national campaigns. 
   "The infrastructure is set up well for major brands to hit five or 10 DMAs at the same time," Nasif says. "But certainly as we expand and target more local markets we’ll offer that as well."
    Moviegoers frequent theaters 1.5 billion times annually. Attendance has increased 35 percent over the past 10 years. Forty-four percent of moviegoers attend at least one film each month.

Demographics:
    Moviegoers are 70 percent adult (age 18 - 49) with a median age of 32. Females make up 54 percent of movie audiences and males 46 percent.
    The average household income of moviegoers is $62,000. High school graduates make up 88 percent of movie audiences, while 74 percent have some college. Professional and management moviegoers make up 44 percent of audiences. (Source: MPA Worldwide Market Research, 1999)
   Over 50 percent of moviegoers have leased or purchased an automobile in the last year, and 68 percent are homeowners.
   Moviegoers combine shopping with a theater visit 69 percent of the time and eating out 73 percent of the time.

Making the buy:
    Pricing depends on level of targeting, ranging from $40 to $100 per CPM.
   Other variables that affect pricing are number of units (with volume discounts) and length of campaign.
   Buys can be made targeting individual theaters, groups of theaters or markets.
     Contracts are based on quantity and typically last from one week to six months.
   Lead time is ideally eight to 12 weeks but a campaign can be launched in as little as four weeks.
    High-profile and high-attendance periods like Thanksgiving and Christmas, Fourth of July and Oscar week won’t cost more but should be secured far in advance.

What’s unique: 
    In contrast with other place-based consumer-oriented media, such as bar napkins, straws, paper coasters, patrons are encouraged to fill their pockets with ad-covered towelettes for future use.

Who’s already on FreshADs? 
    Jobs.com and Scholastic Recruits were the launch advertisers.

 What they’re saying: 
     "This was really different than some of the other marketing media that we looked into, and it’s exciting to try something new." Monica Kaldani, founder and president of Scholastic Recruits in Cupertino, Calif., who says she found out about FreshADs through "the good old-fashioned network, a friend."

Web site info: 
www.loudburst.com

-Kathy Prentice writes about out of home advertising for Media Life, penning her stories from the resort town of Traverse City, in the upper reaches of Michigan.

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