UB Media Launches UB Campus
Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
Montreal-based UB Media has launched its newest network – UB Campus. UB has taken over all inventory previously operated by NEWAD at Concordia University, Canada’s sixth-largest university with an enrollment of over 44,000 students. While most of the inventory is static, UB will be transitioning much of the traditional to digital in early 2011.
Founded in 2008, UB has quickly grown its indoor advertising network to include static and digital indoor advertising media in restaurants, bars and fitness centers.
“With the introduction of UB Campus to our product line, UB Media has now established itself as a complete competitor to NEWAD and Zoom Mediain the Montreal market,” says Michael Minicucci, UB Media president.
Minicucci says that, with over 600 Basic Boards, 40 Mega Boards, and a Digital Board integration underway, UB Media now holds the second-largest market share in campus media in the Montreal area. (Zoom is #1).
“We’re extremely proud to represent Concordia University and establish ourselves as a solid competitor to the established players,” says Minicucci. “Competition is healthy for the industry, and will lead to greater innovation in this sector. We feel that indoor advertising has a lot of room to grow, and we intend to be the catalyst for this progress. Concordia recognized our innovative approach to this market, and selected us in the face of stiff competition from national suppliers.”
While UB Media will be putting its digital offerings – understood to be 19″ screens – in areas such as washrooms, it will work closely to coordinate Concordia’s colours and other factors with the digital screens already offered by MuMedia at the university. UB media screens will be largely advertising, but will also carry some of the same information, such as team sports scores, as MuMedia. While MuMedia – which won its contract in August – also carries advertising, it runs the university messaging, alerts and other news on its network.
Headed by Marc St. Martin, president, five-year-old MuMedia began life as an events management and product demonstration company, but then moved into the digital field. It currently has close to 20 digital TV-style screens at Concordia, with plans to revamp and increase to 50 in the near future. (We’ve also heard that MuMedia is developing its own proprietary software.) MuMedia also has offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton, although the latter two, to date, are only handling event management.)
“We’ve worked with UB Media in the past on small projects, but Concordia is the first major project on which we’re cooperating,” says St. Martin.
In addition to its indoor advertising network, UB Media also represents all media offerings at Guzzo Cinemas, Canada’s largest independent theatre chain with about 45% of the Montreal market. Montreal is believed to be the only major metropolitan area in Canada in which Cineplex Media has a significant competitor.
“Cinema advertising has significant demographic crossover with Resto-Bar, Sport and Campus media, reaching young, mobile consumers with high disposable incomes,” says Ron Deschênes, UB’s director of business development. “The addition of UB Campus to our media network enables our clients to leverage an integrated offering.”
UB Mediais also growing its resto-bar sector with digital offerings. Both UB Media and MuMedia handle their own advertising sales.
September 30th, 2010 at 05:06 @254
Interesting article. At first glance, I reckon the university has not loyalty to anyone. Both Newad and MuMedia were both in there…and once Newad left, UB is stepping to share the advertising duties. What the big deal..?