A short time ago, I met an attorney friend in downtown Fort Lauderdale for a cup of coffee.  Within this establishment was a digital screen prominently placed front and center of the dining area.  My friend was late, so I pondered the opportunity on this screen.  The content was solid and the place was packed.  And, many of the consumers were watching the screen…ah impressions!  Although I’m not usually a fan of the dreaded “el” box, it didn’t concern me on this execution due to the quality of the movie trailers and food spots for the restaurant.  (BTW, “el” boxes were designed by technology guys, not content guys, more on that another time.)

My attorney bud arrived and we were getting caught up on business and life when I mentioned to him that the screen right here is one of the many network partners in the rVue platform.  It just so happened that this screen was within a short walking distance from his office. We discussed the content, technology and how the business works.  I explained that we could run an ad for his law firm on this screen and he asked the price.  (Sounds like a buying question…) I told him we would create a plan for him that met his objectives and budget. His plan was roughly $1,000/month for a :30 second spot that ran 40 times a day, for 30 days, totaling about 200 impressions daily.

He was blown away and mentioned to me what he pays per lead at the law firm today. Interesting to me that the head attorney at one of our cities leading law firms knows what his company pays for leads… He uploaded his Florida Bar approved, canned :30 spot and the flight began.

We met about a week into the campaign at the same restaurant.  We sat down and waited.  And there it was, a thing of beauty.  His ad was running with clear audio for all to hear.  He immediately got up from the table and went to the table next to us and pointed to the screen for those patrons to see his ad.  I crawled under my table.  But my friend is happy and he is proud to show his company to the locals who he does business with or wants to do business with.  I haven’t talked to him in a couple of weeks, but I think he’s still sitting there.

Hyper-local advertising works and local businesses know this. This is why so many companies are focusing on new ways to market to local consumers.  Internet-enabling companies such as Reach Local, SuperMedia, Groupon and Living Social are great examples of successful companies leveraging the power of advertising on a hyper-local basis.

What’s different (and an advantage) about digital video versus display advertising, is immediacy.  My attorney friend utilizes Internet advertising and wonders why he doesn’t always see his banner ad when he visits the sites targeted in his media plan. It is a good question. We began discussing targeting, rotation and the like. But one thing he knows for sure was that he saw his ad in the restaurant, when he expected to and it’s working for him.

Jason Kates - Chief Executive Officer