News

Captivate Network extends long-term DOOH contracts in Canada

October 26, 2009

Captivate Network has extended several of its long-term digital out-of-home (DOOH) contracts with Canadian property companies. Captivate places digital screens in elevators of high-end office towers.

These agreements mean that Captivate will continue to provide its service to more than 170 buildings through 2016 and beyond. Captivate Network now has approximately 80 million square feet of Class A office space under contract, representing more than 1,750 elevators across the five largest Canadian markets where Captivate operates: Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. This represents 72 percent of the total available square footage in Captivate's target markets.

Stephen Smith, vice president of National Programs for Oxford Properties, said:

Our tenants expect quality amenities. Captivate continuously demonstrates its understanding of this upper-end market. Their elevator and lobby screens enhance viewers' days. The content is engagingly written in English and French, the images are presented in a visually sophisticated format, and perhaps, most importantly, the advertising is displayed tastefully. It's the kind of service that positively contributes to the high-touch environment we want to create for our clients and tenants.

Captivate has an editorial staff that develops unique content, rather than relying on raw news feeds. Captivate's Toronto-based editors draw on a variety of content from partners such as: Thomson Reuters, CNN, The Canadian Press, La Presse Canadienne, Condé Nast, BusinessWeek, Wired, Popular Science, Forbes and CEP News. Content runs constantly on the screens and advertisements are never run full screen, as with some competitive DOOH products. Building owners also use Captivate Network screens to communicate with tenants, replacing paper fliers, posters and handbills.

Internal surveys conducted since 2006 repeatedly show that 96 percent of viewers watch Captivate screens most of or every time they are in an elevator. Captivate's network of more than 7,500 digital screens in the U.S. and 1,500 in Canada reaches an audience of several million "spend-ready" consumers in nearly 1,000 North American office towers. Spend-ready consumers are broadly defined as educated professionals earning more than $75,000 per year. A typical 50-story office tower hosts about 5,000 spend-ready consumers who take an average of six elevator rides and several walks through lobby areas per day.

Todd Newville, co-founder of Captivate, said:

High-end properties throughout the Canadian market have recognized that Captivate Network adds value to the tenants' day. Some digital out-of-home networks are strictly advertising vehicles, but here at Captivate we've taken a wholly different approach and produce quality content that is relevant to viewers' lives – world news, business news and financial news are combined with lifestyle information to create a complete service. The number of clients re-signing long-term contracts with Captivate is a testament to their continued confidence in us and effectively secures Captivate's dominant market position for the foreseeable future.