TORONTO, Ont. -- iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. has signed a purchase and sale agreement for the acquisition of Pinpoint Media Group Inc.--which has a digital signage network in 1,400 Mac's convenience stores in Canada--and is finalizing a new contract with Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.
Through this purchase, iSIGN will be able to increase advertising revenue by enhancing the network with its data gathering and measurement Interactive Marketing Solution 3.1 software across the entire 5,900 screen network. This will more than double the recently announced acquisition of a 2,500-digital signage network in a German supermarket chain by Deutsche Telekom.
The companies expect to complete the deal within 45 days.
"We are excited by this acquisition and by the additional revenue opportunities that it will generate for us in both ad network sales and software licensing," said Alex Romanov, iSIGN's CEO. "Our new convenience store channel is in the fastest growing and profitable segment today, with frequent shoppers and opportunities to influence purchases and collect anonymous shopper data. Our network in the Mac's stores is one of the largest in North America and will be the first in the world to have signage content broadcast to mobile phones of all customers within and in proximity of each of the 1,400 stores."
Once the installation of its software in the c-store chain is complete, iSIGN will have the world's largest fully interactive digital signage network, reaching an average of 1.5 million consumers a day throughout its c-store network alone. It expects that ownership of the networks will allow it to better demonstrate ROI to brands and retailers by helping them increase sales within the Couche-Tard environment, it said, while showing the advantages that its IMS patent-pending software and its various reporting features can bring to all retailers and brand advertisers.
"It is our belief that by converting the existing networks into interactive digital signage networks, we will be able to fully maximize their inherent revenue potential and user base. With our IMS software, we will be able to satisfy advertisers' demand for real-time metrics, which will translate into increased sales for the network," said Romanov. "In addition, we will immediately be accelerating our sales efforts to advertising agencies and brands with our new advertising sales partners. We believe that this platform will become the model for all digital signage networks as well as for the mobile advertising industry."
iSIGN and its partners envision a huge broadcasting network that will be able to message more than 1.5 million shoppers as well as others in proximity to signage locations per day. This will be one of the largest single audiences in Canada which will favorably compare to, or surpass any cable and satellite system viewers giving advertisers a larger audience with measurement instantly.
Richmond Hill, Ont.-based iSIGN is a leading developer of location-based interactive proximity advertising solutions that deliver rich media, permission based messages, free to cell phones using Bluetooth connectivity, while providing business intelligence. Its patent-pending advertising platform combines the precision of direct marketing and the tracking potential of the Web to deliver more cost effective and ROI-driven advertising than is possible via print, radio and television.
Pinpoint, based in Toronto, is the largest owner/operator of in-store digital media in Canada. With a national footprint, Pinpoint reaches an average of 1.5 million consumers a day through its c-store network, using technology to push relevant content. Its point-of-sale (POS) integration allows it to trigger ads alongside the digital receipt on every transaction, delivering relevant content when it matters most. Pinpoint is present in 1,400 convenience stores across Canada, with just over 5,600 digital faces.
Laval, Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard operates 5,795 convenience stores, 4,128 of which include motor fuel dispensing, operated by 13 business units, including nine in the United States covering 43 states and the District of Columbia (primarily under the Circle K brand) and four in Canada (primarily under the Mac's and Couche-Tard brands) covering all 10 provinces.
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