CBS Outdoor Canada is now moving at the speed of light.
The Toronto-based out-of-home company announced today that it is launching three digital billboards in high-traffic areas in Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto. The boards – measuring 10 x 20-feet in both Calgary and Edmonton and 14 x 48-feet in Toronto – are expected to go live in January. All three are conversions of existing CBS boards.
CBS is the last of Canada’s three major out-of-home vendors to enter the digital arena, following in the footsteps of its chief competitors Astral Media Outdoor and Pattison Outdoor Canada.
Asked if it feels like the company is playing catch-up in the space, Toronto-based director of marketing Michele Erskine said CBS is “really comfortable” with its position.
Going to market after its rivals, she explained, has enabled CBS to convert boards in strategic locations away from competitors, while at the same time incorporating lessons learned from its U.S. division – which currently operates an estimated 200 digital boards.
“It’s been great to have them supporting us and learn from any problems they may have encountered and had to overcome,” said Erskine. “There’s an advantage sometimes in not coming in first, in that you know where everyone else is, so we know where we need to go in order to broaden our coverage for clients.”
With technology prices continuing to fall, CBS may have also avoided incurring the same start-up costs as its rivals, said Erskine. “A couple of years ago, we took a look at the costs of the units themselves versus what revenue we might be able to realize, and it was a very different equation than right now. I imagine we’re all benefiting from that.”
CBS currently operates approximately 12,000 faces in major markets across the country, the majority of which are the “workhorse” 10 x 20. Erskine wouldn’t divulge rollout plans for the digital product, noting that conversions are contingent on multiple factors including the health of the advertising market and obtaining the required permits.
“You’ll see a few boards roll out in major markets, but that’s about as far as we’re looking at this point,” she said.
All three boards are located along high-traffic corridors in their respective cities. The Calgary board has a daily circulation of more than 50,000, and has already been installed, with installation of the Edmonton board – which reaches more than 40,000 people per day – expected to be complete before the end of the month.
Erskine wouldn’t specify rates, but said they reflect the boards’ location and capabilities. Each board can accommodate up to six 10-second spots.
“It’s been a challenging year in terms of rates… so we’ve set the rates based on what we’d like to get,” she said. “We feel good about the locations and there should be a fairly high demand.
CBS began selling ads several weeks ago for an anticipated Jan. 7 launch date, although Erskine said that timeline could be accelerated. Advertisers that have already booked space include standard out-of-home advertisers in the fast-food, automotive and movie sectors.
