More details on the IndoorDIRECT-Taco Bell Digital OOH deal

July 7, 2011 by Dave Haynes

The IndoorDIRECT announcement last week turned a lot of heads, as is usually the case when a company announces a deal that makes it one of the larger players in an entire sector.

The release was a little light in details, so I asked the firm if they could fill in some blanks. VP Marketing Brian Hasenbauer kindly got back to me with some answers, though he also indicated there was stuff that was staying behind the veil …

Sixteen:Nine: Is indoorDIRECT funding and putting in the WiFi? It reads that way, but I read something in a restaurant industry trade publication that suggested otherwise.

IndoorDIRECT: It’s our policy to not discuss funding sources of our new installations.
Sixteen:Nine: How many Taco Bells are installed right now and how many do you anticipate being knocked out this year?
IndoorDIRECT: Currently we have an installed base of 35 Taco Bells. Immediate plans for approximately 300 Taco Bell locations in top 20 DMAs in next 6 months.

Sixteen:Nine: Is Panasonic the display partner for the full rollout?
IndoorDIRECT: Yes.

Sixteen:Nine: Do you have a software partner or do you use proprietary software (ie built yourself)?
IndoorDIRECT: Park Media

Sixteen:Nine: Is the project fully funded and where does that deployment and operating capital come from?
IndoorDIRECT: It’s our policy to not discuss funding sources of our new installations.

Sixteen:Nine: Does Taco Bell [Yum] have any skin in the game or is the company just a venue host in exchange for on-air marketing time and/or a revenue share from Digital OOH advertising sales?
IndoorDIRECT: It’s our policy to not discuss contracts specific to our QSR partners.

So, we’re not sure how deeply funded this is, or by whom, but it is pretty safe to assume the relatively modest start to a rollout means there is a walk-before-we-run mindset in place. The problem with actually having 5,600 sites under contract is you have to pay for them, and the dollar value of a media buy for that BIG viewing audience is significant. When you get big, you get expensive.

With absolutely no disrespect intended, I didn’t know Park Media was still around. The Memphis-based firm keeps a REALLY low profile. Good deal for those folks if this program does fully roll out.

 

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