If it seems like you can't live in America without seeing a TV, a good portion of the blame goes to GSTV.
GSTV, an acronym for Gas Station TV, puts the TVs above the gas pumps. The Oak Park-based company has 5,000 screens in 16 different markets and hopes to have a foothold in the top 15 markets with 12,000 screens by the end of the year.
This advertising medium, called out-of-home, is the one of the fastest growing markets around. Second only to the Internet, it's expected to grow 25 percent annually through 2011. GSTV is taking advantage of this and has expanded its workforce to 38 employees since opening up shop in 2006. And it plans to add a few more in the near future as it expands into new markets.
The idea behind the market is to reach captive consumers for about 5 minutes during a natural pause point in their day. Or put more simply as they stand idle, pumping gas or waiting in line at the register.
The gas pump TVs offer only one channel that shows news from CBS, sports from ESPN and local weather, along with, of course, commercials. Offering only one channel eliminates channel surfing or multitasking that could redirect the consumer's attention. The content is specifically tailored to geography and time of day.
Source: David Leider, CEO of GSTV
Writer: Jon Zemke
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