Gas Station TV’s new C-Store TV concept is gearing up to be a one-two punch of ad exposure to gas-pump customers who enter convenience stores to buy goodies, according to a report in The Detroit Free Press.
"It’s a reminder message," GSTV CEO David Leider told the publication. GSTV has 5,500 gas station screens in 375 cities, including the top 15 media markets in the country.
"The more frequently you hear a message, the more effective it is," said Leider, who founded GSTV in January 2006 with two employees and five gas stations in Dallas.
Since the rollout, GSTV has grown to 38 employees with screens at 550 stations reaching 20 million drivers a month. The company declined to disclose revenues, The Detroit Free Press reported.
In the Detroit area, GSTV is at 48 stations, reaching 1.25 million viewers a month, Leider said. The plan is to add c-store screens at stations that already have gas pump screens.
GSTV transmits exclusive programming from CBS News and Entertainment, sports from ESPN, weather from AccuWeather and local events. Between each content segment screens feature advertising from companies like Chevrolet, Rolaids, Wal-Mart, Kellogg and Best Buy.
GSTV is one of three companies offering the service at gas stations. The competitors are PumpTop TV, of Irvine, Calif., and FuelCast Network, a joint venture between companies in South Dakota and Los Angeles.
C-Store TV is in place in Los Angeles and Boston, while Detroit is expected to get the televisions as well, though a date hasn’t been released. The C-Store TV concept has a goal of expanding to reach 8 million to 10 million views per month by the fourth quarter of this year, Leider said.
C-Store TV is a result of the demand the company is experiencing from convenience store retailers and major brand marketers to reach beyond the pump and inside convenience stores, Leider said.
The effectiveness of TV advertising at home has died off over the years and this takes advantage of a moment where a viewer has nothing else to do. "You’re captive for about five minutes, and you’re also bored,” he said. “It’s very effective."