There are hundreds of thousands of automated teller machines in the United States, and for the most part, their owners and operators have been content to slap their company name on them and let them go about their business of dispensing cash to and handling routine banking matters of the bank’s clients.
But that is changing. It has come to the attention of entrepreneurs that ATMs have a characteristic that make them an ideal venue upon which to place an advertising message. And that characteristic is that they are giving cold hard cash to an individual who is likely to turn right around and spend it somewhere.
There is also a good chance that the individual is going to spend the cash in the immediate vicinity.
The geographical targeting ability offered by ATMs is obvious, and the frequent proximity to point of purchase is something that advertisers would want to tap in to.
An article at medialifemagazine.com details a number of the ways ATMs can be used as an advertising vehicle.
The easiest thing to do is to place a poster next to them. This option offers almost unlimited variables as to size and shape, up to and including wrapping the entire machine in a message.
Messages can also be printed on the back of transaction receipts. Messaging can also be worked into the transaction display screens. And if an owner wants to invest in a high-end ATM, it can come with a television screen which can play repurposed television advertising or ads specially designed for ATM play.
RBR/TVBR observation: This could be an option for a radio or television station, although if using they would be getting exposure only, with very little benefit to be gained from the point of purchase features of the venue.
What we would suggest, however, is something a little more creative. Many banks are probably not taking advantage of the advertising potential of their ATMs. Many banks are clients of radio and television stations. Radio and television stations are in the business of selling advertising, and could probably find a way to fill the ATM space with its own book of clientele. This would help both the bank and the station tap in to a new revenue stream. It seems to us that that for bankers and broadcasters, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.
