Branded Cities and Signpatico partner to offer agencies and advertisers the second largest digital Out-of-Home network in Western Canada
Toronto, Canada - Branded Cities, a premier Out-Of-Home and iconic media company in North America, and Signpatico, a leader in Western Canada’s digital Out-of-Home media, have signed an exclusive sales and marketing agreement to offer brands an expansive and impactful digital signage network across Western Canada’s major markets.
The existing Branded Cities inventory in Western Canada will receive a significant boost with the addition of Signpatico digital assets, which includes over 250 digital faces throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia. The partnership will provide advertisers with the broadest digital footprint, reaching valuable audiences across the expansive geographic area of Western Canada. Signpatico digital signage locations have been strategically selected for their high reach and frequency of consumer visit, creating maximum impressions for advertisers.
Additionally, the digital network is equipped with dynamic capabilities designed to draw attention and engage audiences. Advertisers will be able to bring their brand to life with capabilities including day parting, user-generated content, weather triggered advertising, social media, live scores, countdowns, trends, and board dominations.
"Signpatico is excited to commence its partnership with Branded Cities, aligning our platforms to create new opportunities in the marketplace for clients to present their brand to consumers,” states James McDonnell, President & CEO of Signpatico.
Further to this, Adam Butterworth, President of Branded Cities Canada adds, “we are delighted to be partnered with Signpatico. Both companies are challenger brands in the Out-of-Home industry and together we bring a strong and robust digital Out-of-Home network, and a real alternative to what is currently available in the western market. Through this strategic partnership we look forward to empowering advertisers and helping grow brands with this impactful digital network.”
This announcement follows the recent injection of Shamrock Capital’s growth investment to continue the expansion trajectory of Branded Cities across North America.
About Branded Cities:
Branded Cities, a subsidiary of EL Media, is a leading Out-of-Home media company with an integrated network of premier digital and static signage across North America. The digital and static media assets span across some of the largest markets in the United States and Canada (New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and many more) and are situated in the country’s most valuable Out-of-Home environments such as, Times Square, the Las Vegas Strip, West Hollywood, Union Station, Yonge - Dundas Square, and Canada’s leading shopping centres. Branded Cities empowers brands to deliver impactful and engaging messages to North America’s most desirable, hard-to-reach audiences. EL Media is an affiliate of The Ellman Companies (“Ellman”). Ellman is a privately-owned media, real estate and investments group founded in 1972 with diverse interests in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. For more information visit: brandedcities.com, brandedcities.ca, or ellmanco.com.
About Signpatico Sales Ltd:
A subsidiary of Signpatico Outdoor Inc, Signpatico Sales Ltd is an Out of Home media focused company, with a Western Canadian reach. With the 2nd largest DOOH media placement offering in Western Canada, Signpatico offers clients unique market positioning in their media interests. For more information on Signpatico, please visit www.signpatico.com.
For additional information, please contact:
Adam Butterworth | President
abutterworth@brandedcities.com
(416) 408-0800
BrandedCities.ca
Branded Cities Closes A Growth Investment From Shamrock Capital To Continue Expansion Trajectory
New York – Branded Cities (“BC”), a digital and spectacular Out-Of-Home (“OOH”) media company, announced today a large minority investment from Shamrock Capital (“Shamrock”), a Los Angeles based media, entertainment and communication focused investment firm. Shamrock partners, Steve Royer and Andy Howard, will join the BC board.
Formed in 1998 and led by industry veteran Steven Ellman as its Founder and CEO, BC has significantly expanded its OOH platform and has become one of the leading digital players in the industry throughout the U.S. and Canada. BC has created strategic alliances with Panasonic Corporation of North America and ABC Regional Sports and Entertainment Sales in the U.S. and expanded its international reach with sales partnerships including DEFI (Europe and Asia) and Ocean Outdoor (UK). BC’s current management team, headed by Steven Ellman and Vaibhav Gupta, and Adam Butterworth, BC Canada President, will continue to manage the business.
Today, BC assets are located in iconic and high-impact destinations in the U.S. and Canada and offer brands a unique opportunity for dwell time and engagement. BC is extremely well-positioned in the industry and poised for double-digit annual growth.
“We are very excited to partner with Shamrock on the next chapter for Branded Cities,” said Steven Ellman. “We are aggressively seeking signage acquisitions, joint ventures and digital and mobile collaborations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Shamrock’s expertise in media and experience investing in innovative companies will highly complement and support our growth strategy and the digitization of our signage portfolio,” added Ellman.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Steve Ellman and the entire Branded Cities team,” remarked Shamrock’s Steve Royer. “They have built an uncomparable, premium out-of-home advertising company with iconic digital boards in the most desired locations. Their growth over the years has far outpaced the industry and we are looking forward to furthering that growth with our investment.”
Rothschild & Co., led by David Baron, Head/Western Region, served as exclusive financial advisor to BC and Ropes & Gray provided legal counsel. Latham & Watkins provided legal counsel to Shamrock.
Terms of the Shamrock investment have not been disclosed. EL Media, the parent company of BC, has simultaneously repurchased Cantor Fitzgerald’s interest in the Company. EL Media also recently acquired Clear Channel Outdoor’s interest in Clear Channel Outdoor Canada, making EL Media the 100% owner of the Canadian company. BC now controls over 3,000 signs throughout the U.S. and Canada.
About Branded Cities:
BC’s current North American platform includes New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Edmonton. EL Media is an affiliate of The Ellman Companies (the “Company”). The Company is a privately owned media, real estate and investments group founded in 1972 with diverse interests in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. For more information, visit: brandedcities.com or ellmanco.com.
About Shamrock Capital:
Shamrock is a Los Angeles-based alternative investment firm with approximately $1.9 billion of assets under management, investing exclusively in the media, entertainment and communications sectors. Shamrock was originally founded in 1978 as the Roy E. Disney Family Investment Company and has since evolved into an institutional money manager with a leading group of investors including endowment and pension funds. Shamrock partners with strong management teams and takes an active, collaborative approach to creating value in each investment. Shamrock’s current investments include Appetize, Branded Cities, BTI Studios, Consilio, FanDuel, Giant Creative, Isolation Network, Maple Media, Mobilitie, Omega Wireless, Questex, RB Media, Screenvision Media, Silvergate Media and Wazee Digital. For more information, visit: shamrockcap.com.
For additional information, please contact:
Branded Cities
Vaibhav Gupta | EVP, Chief Operating Officer
vgupta@brandedcities.com
(602) 224-3106
Shamrock Capital
Andy Howard | Partner
ahoward@shamrockcap.com
(310) 974-6611
Branded Cities takes home two awards at the Canadian Marketing Association Awards Gala
Branded Cities Canada, a premier Out-Of-Home and iconic media company in North America, has taken home two bronze awards at the 50th-anniversary special edition of the Canadian Marketing Associations (CMA) Awards, Canada’s #1 Marketing Awards. This is the second 2017 award competition in which Branded Cities has been recognized and awarded for their work in the Out-of-Home industry.
The CMA awards is a celebration of the outstanding work produced by the partnership between client and agency, and are open to both members and non-members in 54 marketing-related categories. CMA award judges, experienced senior marketers who represent Canada’s top marketing talent, evaluated hundreds of submissions from across Canada and in all marketing disciplines. Branded Cities was presented the bronze award in the Direct Engagement (Direct 1:1 & Loyalty) – Business Products & Services category and, most notably, took home the bronze in the Data Marketing category. Both awards recognized the one-of-a-kind Street Furniture Planning Tool that leveraged Environics Analytics (EA) data, incorporating data on demographics, values and lifestyles characteristics. The tool enables Branded Cities customers to select transit shelter media based on their ability to reach a target audience.
“Considering our stellar performance at The Advertising Club of Toronto’s annual OOH Showdown and now the pair of CMA awards, this has undoubtedly been an exceptional year for Branded Cities, unmatched by any other Canadian Out-of-Home media company,” states Adam Butterworth, President of Branded Cities. “More importantly, these recognitions and awards substantiate our place at the forefront of ideation and execution in Canadian Out-of-Home advertising.”
“Using customer insights to target audiences with specific Out-of-Home media assets has been a game changer for Branded Cities,” says Jan Kestle, President of Environics Analytics. “The success of this innovative marketing tool is not only turning heads on the street.”
Earlier this year, Branded Cities took home four awards at the Ad Club’s OOH Showdown, which recognizes and honours the best and most innovative Out-of-Home campaigns executed in Canada over the past year. The four awards are now joined by the two CMA bronze awards at the head office in Toronto; a great reminder as the year concludes of the many achievements Branded Cities has earned for their work in the Out-of-Home industry.
To learn more about Branded Cities award-winning campaigns, visit: brandedcities.ca/audiences/case-studies
Introducing Canada's Largest Digital Screen
Branded Cities (“BC”), a premier Out-Of-Home and iconic media company in North America, and Cadillac Fairview announces the launch of the largest digital OOH display in Canada, the union of two massive screens on CF Toronto Eaton Centre (CF TEC) Digital Tower, offering a one-of-a-kind advertising opportunity.
A year ago, in September 2016, Branded Cities (formerly Clear Channel Canada) and Cadillac Fairview launched two adjacent 90’H x 45’W high resolution digital screens on CF TEC Tower. Recently, Cadillac Fairview instigated the addition of a bullnose unifying the two screens, now measuring 90’H x 94’W for a total of 8,454 square feet of stunning DOOH. The tower takes the title of Canada’s largest digital display, an impressive 45% larger than the second largest, Branded Cities’ 5,820 square feet digital display on the Atrium on Bay (AOB) Media Tower. Supporting static digital, full motion video, and Activate, Branded Cities’ mobile and experiential engagement service, the display offers a unique advertising opportunity and allows for unparalleled creative flexibility.
“It’s our strong partnership with Cadillac Fairview and our aligned view of the power of Out-of-Home, that allows ambitious projects, like building the largest digital display in Canada, to be possible,” states Paul Seaman, Vice President- Operations, Real Estate & Public Affairs at Branded Cities Canada.
Further to this, Adam Butterworth, President of Branded Cities Canada, adds, “not only is the redesigned CF TEC Digital Tower an iconic asset, it also is situated on the CF Toronto Eaton Centre and facing Yonge-Dundas Square, allowing brands to effectively deliver their message at one of Canada’s busiest landmarks, on an extraordinary display.”
“As a landmark shopping destination, CF Toronto Eaton Centre welcomes more than 50 million people annually making it one of the busiest tourist attractions in Canada,” said Jodi Clare, Director, Partnership Marketing, Cadillac Fairview. “The Digital Tower at CF TEC marks an evolution in our advertising offerings and we are thrilled to feature this truly unique and stunning asset at our flagship property.”
Standing prominently atop the northeast entrance of CF Toronto Eaton Centre, the massive redesigned digital display reaches 146,000 daily Yonge-Dundas Square visitors and over 50 million annual mall visitors. This audience includes locals, business professionals, students, shoppers, and tourists. Brands can deliver their message and drive action with ten second ad spots throughout a 3 minute loop. In addition, with the two largest digital displays in Canada adjacent to one another, brands have the unique opportunity to dominate this landmark and reach the on the go consumer along their path to purchase.
The launch of the newly redesigned CF TEC Tower by Cadillac Fairview follows the recent acquisition of Clear Channel Canada, now Brand Cities – adding to a network of some of the most prestigious OOH media assets in iconic locations, including New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Canada’s busiest building, Union Station and Canada’s top Cadillac Fairview shopping malls.
About Branded Cities Canada:
Our network, spanning Canada’s six largest markets (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg), comprises the country’s most valuable Out-of-Home environments, such as Union Station and Billy Bishop Airport, the iconic Dundas Square, and leading shopping centres. Branded Cities Canada helps brands deliver impactful, engaging messages to Canada’s most desirable, hard-to-reach audiences.
To see all unique advertising opportunities on Branded Cities’ iconic assets, please visit:
BrandedCities.ca
Out-Of-Home Industry Veteran, Toby Sturek, Joins Branded Cities
Branded Cities (“BC”), a premier Out-of-Home iconic and digital media company in North America today announced that it has named Toby Sturek as Senior Vice President, overseeing Business Development and Acquisitions. This follows BC’s recent acquisition of Clear Channel Outdoor’s 50.01% interest in Clear Channel Outdoor Canada. Toby will focus on organic and strategic growth initiatives thru new development and acquisitions across North America.
Steve Ellman, CEO of BC, said, “We are pleased to welcome a proven leader of Toby’s caliber. Along with his extensive experience in the Out-of-Home industry, Toby brings an exceptional track record of delivering bottom-line results and developing new assets. I have worked with Toby for many years as my counterpart at Clear Channel Canada and have experienced his leadership skills first hand.”
A veteran of over 16 years, Toby spent his career with Clear Channel Outdoor where he held several key leadership positions during his tenure with the company. In his most recent role, he served as Chairman of the Board for Clear Channel Outdoor Canada and Executive Vice President of the Midwest Region and Airports. Prior to that, he served as President of Airports for four years where he led the award of 16 new airport contracts, spearheaded the integration of the Interspace acquisition and grew sales from $135M to $180M.
“I am honored to join the talented team at BC and am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead,” said Mr. Sturek. “BC is an outstanding company, and I look forward to working closely with the management team to execute on our strategic goals.”
About Branded Cities:
Branded Cities, a subsidiary of EL Media, is a fully integrated, digital, spectacular signage media company. BC’s current U.S. platform includes New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Denver. BC is owned by The Ellman Companies and Cantor Fitzgerald. Ellman is a privately-owned media, real estate and investments company founded in 1972 with diverse ownership interests throughout the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. For more information visit: brandedcities.com or ellmanco.com. Cantor Fitzgerald is a preeminent capital markets investment bank serving more than 5,000 institutional clients around the world, recognized for its strengths in fixed income and equity capital markets, investment banking services, prime brokerage and commercial real estate financing. For more information please visit:cantor.com.
About Branded Cities Canada:
Our network, spanning Canada’s six largest markets (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg), comprises the country’s most valuable Out-of-Home environments, such as Union Station and Billy Bishop Airport, the iconic Dundas Square, and leading shopping centres. Branded Cities Canada helps brands deliver impactful, engaging messages to Canada’s most desirable, hard-to-reach audiences. For more information please visit: brandedcities.ca.
For additional information, please contact:
Vaibhav Gupta
EVP, Chief Operating Officer
vgupta@brandedcities.com
(602) 224-3106
Branded Cities dominates at Ad Club’s OOH Showdown, taking home 4 of 9 award categories
Branded Cities, in collaboration with its clients, takes home four awards and several top two contender recognitions at Ad Club’s 6th annual OOH Showdown
Branded Cities Canada, a premier Out-Of-Home and iconic media company in North America, in collaboration with its clients, has won four awards at Advertising Club’s 6th annual OOH Showdown competition held at Arcadian Court, Toronto. The competition recognizes and honours the best and most innovative Out-of Home campaigns executed in Canada over the past year.
The OOH Showdown consisted of nine distinct categories, attracting submissions from a variety of top Canadian OOH media providers. Branded Cities took home four awards for the categories: Large Format Static Billboard for the Golden Horseshoe billboard, Street Level/ Transit/ Transportation for the Moosehead 150 campaign, Non-traditional Out-of-Home Advertising formats for Masterbrand 2017, and Multi –Platform Campaign for the Nordstrom Toronto Store Openings 2016.
“This year’s competition was fierce, with brilliant campaigns and excellent use of the OOH medium – reaching and engaging audiences in creative and memorable ways,” states Bill McDonald, Vice President of National Sales at Branded Cities Canada. “With such competition, it’s a great honour to have been recognized in almost all categories and to have taken home four awards; a true testament to our iconic media assets, our creative flexibility and the ingenuity of our clients.”
Further to this, Adam Butterworth, President of Branded Cities, adds “We could not have won without the collaboration of our media agency clients, bringing forward clever, fun, and impactful campaigns that effectively used our iconic media assets.”
In addition to winning four awards, Branded Cities was a top two contender in another four categories: Large Format Digital Billboard, Experiential, Mobile Integration, and Canada 150. For a list of all Branded Cities OOH campaign video submissions, please visit: brandedcities.ca/audiences/case-studies/
ABOUT BRANDED CITIES NETWORK:
Branded Cities Network, a subsidiary of EL Media, is a fully integrated, digital, spectacular signage media company. BCN’s current U.S. platform includes New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Denver. BCN is owned by The Ellman Companies and Cantor Fitzgerald. Ellman is a privately owned media, real estate and investments company founded in 1972 with diverse ownership interests throughout the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. For more information visit: brandedcities.com or ellmanco.com. Cantor Fitzgerald is a preeminent capital markets investment bank serving more than 5,000 institutional clients around the world, recognized for its strengths in fixed income and equity capital markets, investment banking services, prime brokerage and commercial real estate financing. For more information please visit: cantor.com.
Branded Cities Unveiling the Much Anticipated Spectacular Digital Signage in Downtown Philadelphia at East Market
Branded Cities (“BC”) and National Real Estate Development announced today an exclusive representation agreement to sell digital advertising and integrated marketing campaigns on four LED displays at East Market, Philadelphia’s transformative mixed-use development. The signage, measuring over 5,000 square feet in total, will be displayed on two retail podiums facing Market Street. The signs will be marketed by BC as the East Market Collection and will be sold as a synced network. Aside from being able to deliver video content, all four digital signs will be capable of advanced Out-of-Home programming, including triggered and dynamic creative, interactive programs and advanced media metrics.
“Delivering large format digital signage to downtown Philadelphia is a fantastic opportunity for both the city and BCN,” said Steve Ellman, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of BCN. “Philadelphia is a forward-thinking market and we will be able to deliver impactful and meaningful programs to its citizens. We are honored to add the East Market Collection to our portfolio of spectacular signage that is BCN’s hallmark.”
“East Market will be a vibrant destination for shopping and dining in Philadelphia. With our project and other investments being made along Market Street, the area is returning to its roots as a center of retail and leisure activity in the city,” said Charles Norman, development manager at National Real Estate Development. “Digital signage is an important part of this experience. We’re proud to partner with BCN, as they are known for engaging and iconic digital signage programming that is customized to the culture of each city and project it serves.”
The first phase of the 4.3 acre East Market development, encompassing 200,000 square feet of office space, will also include 322 modern residential units and 130,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
About Branded Cities:
Branded Cities a subsidiary of EL Media, is a fully integrated, digital, spectacular signage media company. BCN’s current U.S. platform includes Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver. EL Media’s current platform, through its Canadian joint venture with Clear Channel Outdoor, includes Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg. BCN is owned by The Ellman Companies and Cantor Fitzgerald. Ellman is a privately-owned media, real estate and investments company founded in 1972 with diverse ownership interests throughout the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. For more information visit: brandedcities.com or ellmanco.com. Cantor Fitzgerald is a preeminent capital markets investment bank serving more than 5,000 institutional clients around the world, recognized for its strengths in fixed income and equity capital markets, investment banking services, prime brokerage and commercial real estate financing. For more information please visit: cantor.com.
About East Market:
East Market, a pedestrian oriented development in the heart of Philadelphia, will revitalize an entire city block, from Market to Chestnut, 11th to 12thStreets. This mixed-used project will blend urban and artisanal shopping and dining experiences with contemporary work and living spaces. The project is owned by National Real Estate Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered asset management advisor investing in major U.S. urban markets and subsidiary of the National Electrical Benefit Fund; Joss Realty Partners, a New York-based private real estate investment firm; Young Capital LLC, a Philadelphia-based real estate investment firm affiliated with Classic Management, Inc.; and SSH Real Estate, one of the largest privately held commercial real estate companies in the Greater Philadelphia Region. East Market is being developed by National Real Estate Development, LLC. For more information, please visit www.eastmarketphilly.com or email at eastmarket@natrealestatedevelopment.com
For additional information, please contact:
Denise Levine, Chief Revenue Officer
Branded Cities
dlevine@brandedcities.com
(646) 650-2637
For any sales inquiries, please contact:
Ben Martish, National Sales Director
Branded Cities
bmartish@brandedcities.com
(646) 650-2647
For East Market media inquiries, please contact:
Kaitlyn Haney
khaney@briancom.com
(484) 385-2904
Branded Cities Network Acquires Clear Channel Outdoor’s Interest in Clear Channel Outdoor Canada Establishing 100% Ownership of its Premium OOH Canadian Assets
Branded Cities Network (“BCN”), a premier Out-Of-Home and iconic media company in North America, is proud to announce the strategic acquisition of Clear Channel Outdoor’s 50.001% interest in Clear Channel Outdoor Canada – thereby becoming the 100% owner of Clear Channel Outdoor Canada (“Clear Channel Canada”). Through such acquisition, BCN further increases its North American footprint.
“Assuming full ownership of Clear Channel Canada is a strategic play for our North American portfolio with the Canadian market exhibiting exciting growth prospects which will build our successes, including the Yonge & Dundas Digital tower, Union Station and Edmonton Street Furniture” said Steve Ellman, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of BCN. “We founded this company in 1999 in Toronto with Clear Channel joining us as a partner in 2001. Canada continues to be a key market for BCN and this acquisition furthers our goal to offer brands the ability to dominate in large format digital advertising through iconic media in iconic locations.” Further to this, Adam Butterworth, President of Clear Channel Canada, adds “Having worked for Clear Channel globally for more than two decades, I have had the pleasure of being a part of some amazing opportunities and this transaction is going to bring more exciting opportunities for Canada’s OOH industry allowing us to offer global brands a North American presence with impressive assets on both sides of the border.”
With the acquisition of Clear Channel Canada, Branded Cities is now uniquely positioned to offer brands some of the most prestigious OOH Media opportunities in Canada such as the big and iconic assets in Yonge Dundas Square, Spectaculars along Toronto’s busiest road the Gardiner Expressway, Billy Bishop Airport’s prestigious terminal, Canada’s busiest building Union Station, as well as Street Furniture Networks in Edmonton & Ottawa. The amalgamation of the two markets creates perfect strategic sense for BCN with the shared vision of expanding and growing assets as well as offering brands impactful and engaging OOH assets on both sides of the border.
ABOUT CLEAR CHANNEL CANADA
Clear Channel Canada connects brands with people. Our network, spanning Canada’s six largest markets (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg), comprises the country’s most valuable Out-of-Home environments, such as Union Station and Billy Bishop Airport, the iconic Dundas Square, and leading shopping centres. Clear Channel Canada helps brands deliver impactful, engaging messages to Canada’s most desirable, hard-to-reach audiences. For more information please visit: clearchanneloutdoor.ca.
For additional information, please contact:
UNITED STATES
Vaibhav Gupta
EVP/Chief Operating Officer
vgupta@brandedcities.com
(602) 224-3106
CANADA
Toby Sturek
President, Canada
(416) 408-0800
Chinese Fans Finance Ad Campaigns On Crowdsourcing Platforms
Source: Advertising Age
When Chinese boy band singer Karry Wang turned 17 a few months ago, fans congratulated him by buying ads. Lots of ads. They booked time on 11 giant screens in Times Square in New York. In China, they put his face on a helicopter and on a light rail train. They bought outdoor ads in Paris, Seoul, Beijing, Taipei and Reykjavik.
Altogether, fans probably spent over $15 million on Wang, the lead singer in Chinese boy band TFBoys, said Ruey Ku, a Publicis Media exec in Shanghai. And that was not an isolated case.
For Chinese fans, buying out-of-home ads has become a common way of showing devotion for their favorite stars — a media-savvy, big-budget twist on the teenage tradition of taping posters over your bed. Chinese fans finance ad campaigns on crowdsourcing platforms, by selling T-shirts or making coffee-table books of photos shot by fans. Often, there’s a charity element too. Fans have planted trees, donated to animal shelters and given music lessons to schoolchildren, choosing causes they hope will please the stars they love.
Asia’s intense fan culture probably started in Japan or South Korea, but it snowballed in China, which has 1.4 billion people and online fan clubs big enough to make serious media buys.
“I think the mentality for fans is, ‘I love (my favorite stars), and my goal is to make sure more people know about them,'” said Ku, Publicis Media Content GM in greater China. “They’re willing to spend money or a lot of time to help particular celebrities or groups build their influence.”
Ku says Publicis Media hasn’t arranged any such buys, though it’s been tracking the trend of big fan love, especially for young male stars who are referred to in China as “young fresh meat.” (A Publicis Media team working on a Chinese reality show with a big star once couldn’t find hotels near the shoot because so many fans had booked rooms to be near him.)
For the crowdsourced ad campaigns, most fans can only afford small sums, but “very often, one or a couple of very wealthy fans will front a very big chunk of money,” Ku said. “They’re almost looking at their idol as an investment. They want to make sure he is bigger and can go even further and become even more massive and influential.”
Fans are also thoughtful about their media spend. For the 17th birthday of teen idol Wang in September, fans put his picture on a rail line in Chongqing, the city of his birth. Fans bought ads in Iceland because Wang had expressed a desire to travel there, and fans wanted to make sure his reputation preceded him.
Times Square is one of the most popular locations for Chinese fan ads; there are a lot of Chinese ads there in general, including propaganda ads from China’s government. Tourists inevitably are surprised to see ads there in their language and post pictures on Chinese social platforms, which gives them added resonance.
Branded Cities Network operates a suite of 11 screens at 3 Times Square in Manhattan, where campaigns paid for by Chinese fans have aired. The company says some of their requests have come through Chinese or South Korean agencies, though it couldn’t name specific ones. “We think it’s great,” said Michael Galkin, director of marketing and research. “If you have a bunch of people pooling money together you can make an impact halfway across the world.”
Earlier this month, an online fan club in China used the 11 Times Square screens to mark the 5th anniversary of quirky K-pop band called EXO, whose members are marketed as aliens with superpowers, like teleportation or healing.
Sally Yang, a 22-year-old college English major from the southeast city of Guangzhou, helped the fan club work on that campaign. The group functions through teams of volunteers, where everyone has a specific role; there are social media experts, translators, and people who raise funds by selling albums imported from South Korea. “What I do is support our idols, like sending them gifts when they have a birthday,” she said. “I just want to make them happy.”
Branded Cities Launches New Digital Signage in Manhattan at the Gateway to the New West Side
Earlier this year, Branded Cities Network (“BCN”) and SJP Properties announced an exclusive representation agreement to sell digital advertising and integrated marketing campaigns on two full-motion LED displays, each sized 20’ x 60’ with 20’x 8’ returns, located at the southeast corner of 42nd Street and 8th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan at the new Eleven | X. Launched in June of 2017, both signs, measuring over 2,700 square feet in size, are angled to oncoming traffic, maximizing viewability and impressions for clients. The signs are marketed by BCN as the “Midtown West Digitals” and are positioned directly across from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, capable of targeting its over 225,000 daily commuters, as well as the pedestrian and vehicular traffic on eastbound and westbound 42nd Street and northbound 8th Avenue. In addition to their ability to deliver video content, both signs are capable of innovative Out-of-Home programming, including triggered and dynamic creative, interactive programs and advanced media metrics.
“We are excited to add these two iconic digital signs to our portfolio of spectacular signage on one of the biggest intersections in the heart of Manhattan,” said Steve Ellman, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of BCN. “Manhattan continues to be a key market for BCN and to have the ability to add the ‘Midtown West Digitals’ to our media footprint of large format digital signage furthers our goal of having iconic media in iconic destinations.” Further to this, Denise Levine, Chief Revenue Officer of BCN, adds “the ‘Midtown West Digitals’ provide our clients with impactful coverage to their consumers and breathe new life into a key and highly demanded area of Manhattan, further strengthening New York City’s digital transformation.”
“On behalf of my partners at Eleven | X, PGIM and Norges, we are very pleased to have Branded Cities Network on-board marketing and managing these two great signs and expect very strong demand for them,” said, Steven J. Pozycki, Chairman and CEO of SJP Properties. “When Eleven | X was in the planning stages, we developed a signage program that the ‘Midtown West Digitals’ will be the centerpiece of. A number of our tenants have chosen to take advantage of the signage program for ‘The Gateway to the New West Side’.”
Netflix, Michael Bolton and Branded Cities Network Help Get You In The Mood This Valentine's Day.
This February, Michael Bolton and a cast of well-known comedians will be bringing a variety comedy show to Netflix. Titled, “Michael Bolton’s Big, Sexy Valentine’s Day Special,” the Netflix original is a tongue-in-cheek program “designed to inspire the world to make love.”
Supporting the variety show is Branded Cities Network’s Bryant Park digital spectacular. In keeping with the theme of the program, Netflix has added a live counter to its creative, detailing how many babies have been “conceived” since the launch of the show. Netflix’s goal was to have the counter go from 0 to 75,000 over the course of the four-week campaign. Since something like this would typically fall outside the range of available dynamic content, BCN’s tech team needed to simulate the counter without the need of time consuming art renderings.
BCN’s VP of Technology, Shawn Taylor explains, “The significance of creating an auto counter that will go through the month and reach its final number is huge. Traditionally, the creative agency would need to render out a video for each change in the number, for multiple videos each day for 28 days. What we have done here is automate Netflix’s desired effect in an intuitive way so every time their spot plays, the number will increase towards the 75,000 goal.”
How Many Lids Does it Take to Make a Billboard?
Branded Cities Network, noosa yoghurt and their agency Project X recently partnered to bring a wonderful 3D embellishment to the streets of downtown Denver. Over 3,250 noosa yoghurt lids were used in the creation of this 3D spectacular, with messaging highlighting the yoghurt’s local Colorado ingredients.