Westinghouse Digital Electronics (Anaheim, CA), the fourth-best-selling manufacturer of LCD TVs in the United States, according to the NPD Group’s retail-tracking service, announced an exclusive arrangement with AdtekMedia Inc. to accelerate the national expansion of PumpTop TV, AdtekMedia’s digital-media network.
Westinghouse Digital will build and install turnkey display systems for fuel pumps serviced by AdtekMedia’s narrowcast network, which will deliver news content and advertising to gas-station consumers as they fuel their vehicles. Westinghouse will supply complete systems to be installed on gas-station pumps in each of 60 of the largest U.S. markets, thus creating one of the largest, OOH digital-media networks in the United States, reaching more than 100 million drivers each month.
PumpTop TV presents a five-minute program of news, sports, entertainment, weather and traffic, interspersed with advertising. Using both audio and video, advertisers reach a captive audience of adults during a natural dwell time out of the home, where nearly 75% of purchase decisions are made.
Cinemas, grocery stores, shopping malls, retail stores and other “captive environment” venues are already delivering advertising and programming to consumers via networked digital displays.
Westinghouse Digital’s system includes dual, 19-in., widescreen, high-resolution displays (on both sides of the pump), computer and networking components with wireless delivery and a server backbone. Westinghouse Digital will incorporate technologies for increased brightness and daylight viewing along with environmental protection and climate control for sensitive system components. “With our strong manufacturing capability and leading-edge technology, Westinghouse Digital is well positioned to significantly impact the digital signage industry. Working with AdtekMedia allows us to build one of the world’s largest outdoor digital media networks and to deliver a valued information and entertainment experience to a captive audience of adults,” states Richard Houng, CEO of Westinghouse Digital Electronics. “Westinghouse Digital is very bullish on out-of-home digital media. We see significant value in creating digital media networks in consumer-occupied venues, closer to where purchase decisions are made. Over the next few years we plan to place as much LCD technology out of the home as in the home.”
“Access to Westinghouse Digital’s technology and scale not only allows us to rapidly build a national digital media network in gas stations, but gives us a technology platform to create and enable clients to build other vertical digital media networks out of the home,” according to Dick Paulsen, AdtekMedia’s president. “With PumpTop TV, gas station sales are increased, consumers are entertained, and advertisers are thrilled with this medium’s measurability and effectiveness.”
PumpTop TV is currently evaluating national and regional content providers for its network. The near term roll out plan for PumpTop TV calls for completion of the current build-out of the Los Angeles market, quickly followed by entry into other key U.S. demographic markets including San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.