Branded Cities Launches New Network of High-Impact Digital Transit Shelters Across Ottawa
Branded Cities continues to elevate their Digital offering with the announcement of three new networks of high-impact Digital Transit Shelters (TSAs) across the City of Ottawa. Digital TSAs are an effective medium to deliver maximum reach and frequency at major intersections, throughways and hard-to-reach neighborhoods. They also provide advertisers with a new level of flexibility through performance boosting digital capabilities such as time sensitive messaging and creative dayparting. These new networks are being rolled-out in phases, each containing 10 strategically situated 75” LCD displays replacing previous static assets. These digital units support up to 8 static advertisements in 10 second ad spots throughout an 80 second loop length*.
Transit Shelters and Street Furniture are an intrinsic component of the Ottawa transportation network, allowing brands to reach and connect with drivers, pedestrians and transit users. The 500+ locations that are evenly distributed across Canada’s capital city, from the downtown core to the suburban communities, provide unmatched city-wide coverage for any brand looking to reach the consumer on-the-go. Our extensive network of over 1,100 transit shelter and street furniture faces also offer impressive 13,113,625 daily impressions and can reach nearly 340,000 daily transit commuters*.
Connect with our team today to get started on booking your next campaign:
E: communications@brandedcities.com
P: (416)-408-0800
* As required by Ottawa City By-Laws, only static ads are permitted on all Digital TSAs.
**Source: http://www.octranspo.com/about-octranspo
Branded Cities announces one-of-a-kind iconic digital and static media opportunity in Canada’s busiest intersection, Yonge and Dundas Square.
10 Dundas East is the newest addition to the Branded Cities asset portfolio dominating Dundas Square with unparalleled OOH Media and creative executions.
(TORONTO, CANADA – July 30, 2019) Branded Cities, a premier and iconic Out-of-Home (OOH) media company in North America, proudly announces their new affiliation with BentallGreenOak (Canada) Limited Partnership, a leading property management company in Canada. This relationship with BentallGreenOak expands Branded Cities iconic footprint in Dundas Square (Yonge & Dundas), Canada’s one of a kind iconic OOH digital media platform by adding 24,856 sq.ft. of signage including 10,995 sq.ft. of digital media and 13,861 sq. ft. of large format static.
“This agreement with BentallGreenOak represents the loud and powerful presence that Branded Cities continues to build across North America,” says Steve Ellman, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Branded Cities. “And with the neighboring digital Towers available at CF Toronto Eaton Centre (TEC) and the Atrium on Bay (AOB), advertisers will have the unique opportunity to reach 860,000 daily visitors with visually stimulating campaigns from any vantage point in the Square.”
Located at the heart of Canada’s busiest intersection, 10 Dundas East is an iconic, animated and desirable commercial hub offering incredible advertising opportunities, fine dining and restaurant chains, as well as Toronto’s second highest-grossing movie theatre, Cineplex VIP Cinemas.
Angelo Di Palma, Principal, Portfolio Manager for BentallGreenOak states, “We are excited to partner with Branded Cities to deliver new, highly engaging opportunities for advertisers at 10 Dundas East in the heart of one of Canada’s most vibrant and visited commercial districts.”
Neighbouring 10 Dundas East is Yonge-Dundas Square, a bustling entertainment, dining and public gathering spot. Dundas Square sponsors more than 200 events annually and is in extremely close proximity to popular landmarks such as Ryerson University, Massey Hall and Ed Mirvish Theatre. Most notably, on the southeast corner of Yonge-Dundas Square is North America’s largest mall, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, with an annual footfall exceeding 50 million.
The addition of 10 Dundas East aligns perfectly with the success of Branded Cities’ 20-year celebration in the North American Out-of-Home Industry. By anticipating and meeting specific needs and interests of advertisers, the partnership with BentallGreenOak further solidifies Branded Cities’ position at the forefront of the OOH Industry. The new engagement will commence upon the expiration of the existing media agreement.
About BentallGreenOak
BentallGreenOak is a leading, global real estate investment management advisor and a globally-recognized provider of real estate services. BentallGreenOak serves the interests of more than 750 institutional clients with approximately $46 billion USD of assets under management (proforma as of March 31, 2019) and expertise in the asset management of office, retail, industrial and multi-residential property across the globe. BentallGreenOak has offices in 22 cities across nine countries and three continents with deep, local knowledge, experience, and extensive networks in the regions where we invest and manage real estate assets on behalf of our clients. BentallGreenOak is a part of SLC Management which is the institutional alternatives asset management business of Sun Life Financial Inc.
BentallGreenOak includes BentallGreenOak (Canada) Limited Partnership, BentallGreenOak (U.S.) Limited Partnership and the real estate and commercial mortgage investment groups of certain of their affiliates, all of which comprise a team of real estate professionals spanning multiple legal entities. The assets under management shown above include real estate equity and mortgage investments of the companies within BentallGreenOak.
For more information, please visit www.bentallgreenoak.com
About Branded Cities
Branded Cities, which is owned by EL Media and Shamrock Capital, 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, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, 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 centers. 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.ca, brandedcities.com, or ellmanco.com.
Follow Branded Cities on Twitter (@brandedcities) and like us on Instagram.
Canadian Press Contact:
Ali Satchu
VP, Marketing
416 408 0800 ext 233
asatchu@brandedcities.com
American Press Contact:
Vaibhav Gupta
EVP/Chief Operating Officer
602-224-3106
vgupta@brandedcities.com
Branded Cities and Cadillac Fairview roll-out a new digital spectacular network at the CF Toronto Eaton Centre
Branded Cities and Cadillac Fairview (CF) continue to elevate the mall shopping experience with CF Toronto Eaton Centre’s (TEC) newly built digital spectacular network featuring 5 new installations: South Elevator, Central Elevator (2 screens), Service Desk and the stunning curved digital by the Urban Eatery food court escalator.
CF Toronto Eaton Centre is North America’s busiest mall, seeing over 53 million visitors annually with more than 250 retail stores. The launch of the eye-catching TEC digital spectacular network provides advertisers with an excellent opportunity to captivate and connect with shoppers directly on their path-to-purchase. The mall boasts high dwell times and offers brands the ability to engage with audiences who are already in a shopping frame of mind.
Branded Cities’ digital network is the most flexible and responsive advertising platform with up-to-the-minute product messaging to key audiences. It delivers a high recall for brand campaigns as well, prompting consumers to make purchases after seeing an advertisement. The addition of the TEC digital spectaculars will provide a memorable brand experience to CF Toronto Eaton Centre’s highly-active shoppers.
Branded Cities’ Bay-Dundas digital exterior spectacular will also be added to the TEC digital spectacular network allowing advertisers the opportunity to reach consumers both inside the mall as well as in Toronto’s most walkable neighbourhood – The Bay Street Corridor.
To learn more about digital advertising opportunities at Toronto Eaton Centre, Bay-Dundas and other landmark venues across Canada, please visit our website at brandedcities.ca or contact:
E: communications@brandedcities.com
P: 416 408 0800
Branded Cities, the Pioneer of Renowned Yonge-Dundas Square - a Toronto attraction and OOH Signage Landmark, Celebrates 20 years in the North American Out-of-Home Industry
The special milestone is made sweeter with the launch of a brand new website featuring robust campaign planning tools.
Branded Cities, a premier and iconic Out-of-Home (OOH) media company in North America, announces the celebration of 20 years in the OOH industry. Founded in 1999 in a single market, Branded Cities has grown immensely, now with nine sales offices in twenty markets boasting an inventory of nearly 3,000 assets, including some of the most sought-after, recognizable displays in key markets within Canada and the United States. Landmark locations include Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square, New York’s Times Square, Harmon Corner in Las Vegas, Downtown Chicago, West Hollywood in Los Angeles, Market Street in Philadelphia, and Washington DC, to name a few. To commemorate this milestone, the company is debuting a new website to showcase the Branded Cities inventory and features a one-of-a-kind campaign planning tool designed specifically for media buyers and advertisers - brandedcities.com & brandedcities.ca.
Branded Cities’ journey began in 1999 when it conceived and subsequently obtained approval to build a landmark, 223-foot-tall, advertising tower in downtown Toronto, Canada. The Atrium on Bay Media Tower became the first media structure in, and the catalyst which initiated, the City of Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square, a bustling entertainment, dining, and public gathering spot. Since then, Branded Cities has expanded throughout Canada and the U.S., with over seventy employees throughout North America. In addition, the company has been recognized and awarded for various exceptional OOH campaign executions throughout the years.
“In our 20-year history we’ve accomplished so much, from the inception of Yonge-Dundas Square to erecting some of the most well-known and beloved billboards across North America. I’m confident that there will be even more accomplishments, more firsts, and more iconic OOH inventory as we continue to grow and innovate,” states Steven Ellman, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Branded Cities. “We have the team, experience, and proven ability to make it happen. But above all we continue to have an unwavering passion for the OOH industry, as much as we did back in 1999!”
To mark this milestone anniversary, Branded Cities has launched a new website that boasts inventory insights, a robust mapping and campaign planning tool, resources, OOH research, case studies, and more. With a click of a button, the mapping and campaign planning tool is an easy and intuitive way to discover Branded Cities’ assets, but most importantly, it empowers advertisers to instantly submit a request for a proposal for desired assets and timeframe.
Over the last two decades, Branded Cities has stayed in the forefront of the OOH industry by focusing on iconic and high impact inventory in landmark locations offering clients a full-scale solution and expansive coverage. Upholding their continuous commitment to growth and innovation, Branded Cities has expanded with the rollout of digital assets in all Cadillac Fairview Shopping Centres across Canada, launched a new digital spectacular network in Union Station, is currently developing West Edmonton Mall, operates a 1,750 shelter street furniture network, operates over a hundred digital billboards in Western Canada, has acquired a substantial portion of Red Star Outdoor’s Downtown Chicago iconic billboard inventory, operates the famed Harmon Corner 306’ iconic digital spectacular in Las Vegas, launched digital spectaculars in Philadelphia’s East Market in addition to our new digital network in Washington, DC, and further expanded its dominant digital platform of Times Square.
While the company has continuously developed their OOH inventory, in recent years it has broadened its scope to incorporate the interaction and measurability of mobile technology with the mass broadcasting power of outdoor media, signing an exclusive agreement with NinthDecimal, a leading mobile marketing platform. Branded Cities’ 20-year success is driven by anticipating and meeting the specific needs and interests of advertisers, with a focus on consistent quality and innovation.
Branded Cities Acquires Chicago Billboard from Red Star Outdoor
Acquisition enhances Branded Cities’ Chicago presence
New York, NY– February 21, 2019 – Branded Cities (“BC”), a premier Out-of-Home and iconic media company in North America, today announced the acquisition of a Lincoln Park neighborhood spectacular of Red Star Outdoor, further increasing its footprint in the Chicago market.
The all-cash deal for the sign located at Clybourn and Webster brings BC’s total of iconic billboard faces in Chicago to 22 and solidifies BC’s presence throughout the downtown core in Chicago.
“We are pleased to add an additional iconic asset to our existing portfolio of Chicago inventory,” said Steven Ellman, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of BC. “This highly visible spectacular in the desirable Lincoln Park neighborhood will provide brands the opportunity to reach and engage with audiences as they experience life.”
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Branded Cities unveils a stunning four-sided digital spectacular in Union Station’s new 25,000 sq. ft. Food Court
The newly revitalized Union Station, Canada’s busiest building and major commuter hub, opened the much-anticipated food court featuring 25,000 square feet emporium (600+ capacity) and Branded Cities’ unmissable four-side digital spectacular.
The eye-catching digital spectacular is centrally located within the new food court and boasts four synced digital displays for a total of 365 square feet. The digital spectacular is part of the Union Station Digital Network which features eight digital columns in the busy York St. GO Concourse and eight digital screens in the heavily used York St. East Teamway. Together, the digital network offers comprehensive coverage of high traffic, high dwell time areas within the station and empowers brands to deliver their messaging frequently and with impact. In addition, advertisers can leverage robust digital capabilities including social media live feeds,real-time conditional triggers, and tailored content, to create memorable brand experiences and deliver relevant content to desired audiences.
Union Station is a key commuter hub, connecting the suburbs and neighbouring communities to the Toronto downtown core. The building sees 300,000 passengers daily – more passengers than Pearson International, Canada’s busiest airport. The audience at Union Station represents 86% of the Greater Toronto Area, including the demographics – Urban Young (millennials, young professionals), Suburban Upscale (MOPEs, high earners) and Urban Upscale (Toronto locals, professionals, affluent) on route to GO and VIA Rail platforms, the Financial District, shopping destinations, and major attractions such as the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, Scotiabank Arena, Rogers Centre, and more. In addition to the new food court, Union Station now boasts more than 100 must-visit shops and food options, including marquee restaurants and a curated fresh market, attracting locals and visitors alike.
To learn more about advertising opportunities at Union Station and other landmark venues across Canada, please contact:
E: communications@brandedcities.com
P: 416 408 0800
Branded Cities and NinthDecimal Integrate Out-of-Home and Mobile Advertising for Cross-Channel Brand Engagement
New Partnership Will Drive Brand Messaging from OOH Locations to Mobile Devices, Delivering Meaningful and Measurable ROI
New York, San Francisco And Toronto— July 25, 2018 – Branded Cities (BC), a premier Out-of-Home (OOH) and iconic media company in North America and NinthDecimal, the leading omni-channel marketing platform, today announced a partnership that will empower brands to amplify their OOH campaigns with mobile advertising. Marketers will have the ability to create one-to-one conversations at Branded Cities’ OOH locations, continue engagement at influential moments and receive actionable audience insights.
“We are happy to partner with NinthDecimal,” said Steven Ellman, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of BC. “For us, this is the natural progression of Out-of-Home’s drive towards extending reach, delivering measurable engagement and receiving more reliable analytics. By combining the ubiquity of smartphones and the influential nature of OOH, we will be able to magnify campaigns, connect brands to their target audience, and demonstrate how advertising on our OOH signage can drive in-store visitation.”
The partnership will allow advertisers to elevate the effectiveness of their OOH campaigns through NinthDecimal’s digital media extension to deliver actionable touch points to desired audiences across mobile and desktop. Additionally, NinthDecimal’s campaign measurement attribution solution, Location Conversion Index® (LCI®), gives advertisers a better understanding of who is being reached by their OOH campaigns and the resulting business impact. By quantifying the incremental lift in visits, brands receive valuable insights into their OOH campaign including its ability to drive customers to stores. This precise attribution can further be used to optimize future marketing spend and maximize effectiveness across metrics that matter most to the brand.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the leaders in iconic Out-of-Home advertising,” said Michael Fordyce, CEO of NinthDecimal. “Marketers can now leverage NinthDecimal’s real-time engine of consumer behavior to help with their OOH planning, mobile media amplification, and attribution. Together we are unlocking the full potential of OOH campaigns to focus on driving visits and sales for true business growth.”
NinthDecimal measures more than $500 million in media spend annually. LCI is integrated with more than 250 partners. It has been the marketing measurement platform of choice for leading brands, agencies and publishers since 2013.
About Branded Cities:
Branded Cities is owned by EL Media and Shamrock Capital and is a leading Out-of-Home media company with an integrated network of premier digital and static signage across North America. Our digital and static media platform spans across some of the largest markets in the United States and Canada (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and many more) and is 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.
Follow Branded Cities on Twitter (@brandedcities) and like us on Instagram
About Shamrock Capital:
Shamrock is a Los Angeles-based 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 family investment company of the late Roy E. Disney 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, FanDuel, Giant Creative, Isolation Network, Maple Media, Mobilitie, Omega Wireless, Questex, RBmedia, Screenvision Media, Silvergate Media, Wazee Digital, and Wpromote. For more information, visit: shamrockcap.com.
About NinthDecimal:
NinthDecimal is the omni-channel marketing platform powering real-world conversions for Fortune 500 brands. Using location intelligence, the company identifies a brand’s best customers and new prospects; activates marketing strategies to drive store visits and sales; and quantifies the impact of advertising across all media. NinthDecimal has the largest real-time engine of consumer behavior based on where you live, work, shop, and play. Its platform is powered by nearly 200M U.S. consumers seen in almost 10 billion locations per day, unlocking AI-driven consumer intelligence not visible through traditional search or social platforms.
Follow NinthDecimal on Twitter (@NinthDecimal) and like us on Facebook. Learn more at NinthDecimal.com.
Media Contact:
For Branded Cities
Vaibhav Gupta
vgupta@brandedcities.com
(602) 224-3106
For NinthDecimal
Ruben Osorio
rosorio@ninthdecimal.com
(415) 821-8649
BrandedCities.com
Branded Cities Acquires a Substantial Portion of Red Star Outdoor’s Chicago Billboard Inventory
The acquisition enhances Branded Cities’ media portfolio and marks entrance into the Chicago market.
July 10, 2018 – New York, NY – Branded Cities (“BC”), a premier Out-of-Home and iconic media company in North America, today announced the acquisition of a substantial portion of the Chicago assets of Red Star Outdoor, further increasing its North American footprint.
The all-cash deal adds 21 iconic billboard faces to BC’s collection of high-impact signage. The billboard inventory is concentrated throughout the heart of the downtown core in Chicago.
“We are delighted to add these high-quality assets to our portfolio and further Branded Cities’mission of bringing our partners the most spectacular advertising opportunities in the top markets of North America,” said Steven Ellman, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of BC. “Chicago is a key media market and the visibility of these signs will allow brands to deliver meaningful and engaging content to audiences throughout downtown Chicago.”
Red Star Outdoor is an operator of Out-of-Home signage in the Chicago market and is known for offering some of Chicago’s most exclusive billboard opportunities. “Since 2001, Red Star Outdoor has grown its billboard business with a Chicago-first mentality and an eye for the best locations for advertisers,” said Dean Manone, Partner of Red Star Outdoor. “Steve and his team at Branded Cities now have the ability to offer scale at a national level while keeping to their roots as a spectacular and iconic media company.”
Financial terms were not disclosed.
About Branded Cities:
Branded Cities, which is owned by EL Media and Shamrock Capital, is a leading Out-of-Home media company with an integrated network of premier digital and static signage across North America. Our digital and static media platform spans across some of the largest markets in the United States and Canada (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and many more) and is 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 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.
Press Contact:
Vaibhav Gupta | EVP, Chief Operating Officer
vgupta@brandedcities.com
(602) 224-3106
BrandedCities.com
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
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