VMO says it is on track to exceed its roll out target of 3000 digital screens in 500 On-the-go locations by the end of the year.
The VMO On-the-go network consists of On-the-go TV and On-the-go Extra, which are both found in petrol environments. VMO currently has partnerships in place with Woolworths, BP, United Petroleum and Caltex.
VMO managing director, Anthony Deeble, told C&I Week there are currently around 2100 VMO screens installed at 350 petrol sites nationwide, with the remaining 150 sites to be new locations for VMO.
“The target is 3000 screens across 500 high volume sites by the end of the calendar year and we’re on track to well exceed that. It will be a number that we will more than comfortably deliver,” Mr Deeble said.
“The [roll out] is quite broad. Certainly we will be strengthening our footprint in New South Wales, but in saying that we have a lot of sites occurring outside of the east coast such as Western Australia, in and around Perth, and South Australia.”
While the majority of sites have been fitted with VMO’s standard 19 inch screens, VMO has also recently launched a 22 inch On-the-go TV product. Around 100 22 inch digital screens have been launched in hero locations around the country.
“The 22 inch screen is the hero product on the forecourt. We’re reserving those screens for larger, high volume locations,” Mr Deeble said.
The roll out follows VMO’s recent rebrand including a new logo and website. VMO, which has been a division of the Hoyts Group since 2008, operates only digital sites and focuses on path to purchase environments.
The company’s key offerings include: VMO Shop, which covers its largest portfolio of digital screens in 380 shopping centre environments; VMO On-the-go; VMO Work, the New Zealand-based business of digital screens in working environments; and VMO Lab.
Viewer engagement with outdoor screens on the increase
According to DART, VMO’s exclusive audience measurement system, On-the-go TV delivers an average viewer engagement level of 89 per cent.
In December DART’s technology was used by Mondelez, in collaboration with Carat, Posterscope, and Amnet, as part of a campaign for Cherry Ripe.
The campaign, which ran across VMO’s On-the-go network, was the first national campaign to use real time audience measurement to drive live, time targeted ad serving in the OOH space.
The functionality allowed for the overlaying of historical data to identify when the Cherry Ripe target audience, men and women aged 17-35, would most likely be paying attention to the screen at the petrol bowser.
Mr Deeble said there are more projects similar to Cherry Ripe by VMO in the pipeline as it continues to develop a greater understanding of the audience it’s engaging.
“It’s really interesting looking at the level of audience engagement during those empty moments when people are filling up. It’s extremely high. The numbers we’re averaging right now is 89 per cent, from the time they enter the forecourt environment and stay there while they’re filling up their car. For outdoor formats, getting an engagement level that high is quite extraordinary. Consumers are valuing the offering and they’re certainly engaging with the offering.”
VMO also offers instore technology in convenience outlets; however, Mr Deeble believes the forecourt represents more unique opportunity.
“As much as we continue to look at the c-store, we do know that influencing people before they enter the store with an audio/visual product is really potent.”
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