Dive Brief:

• Shopper intelligence firm Catalina has partnered with Volta Inc., an electric vehicle (EV) charging network, to display digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertisements on EV charging consoles, according to a press release.
• The consoles, located outside of stores such as Walgreens and Ahold Delhaize, as well as locations like Amazon Fresh, Tanger Outlets and Six Flags, seek to capture consumer attention close to the point of purchase in a relatively ad-free environment.
• The partnership leverages Catalina’s measurement capabilities and is already seeing results: A campaign with Dole Fresh Foods delivered an 8% sales lift and an 8.5% increase in category share, per the release.

Dive Insight:

Volta’s network of charging stations, located outside of heavily trafficked locations provide brands with a new opportunity to reach consumers right before they enter stores.

Early results are promising for advertising on the sleek charging stations. In addition to the Dole campaign, high returns were seen with another campaign for a fast-casual restaurant chain that sells products in stores. The chain, which was not named, saw a 15% sales lift. The strategy also proved to be cost effective, with the chain seeing an incremental return on ad spend 29% higher than Catalina’s average for out-of-home media campaigns.

“With their focus on sustainability and ability to communicate with shoppers literally steps away from the point of purchase, Volta brings a unique inventory source to Catalina’s place-based media offering and we’ve already begun to see clients like Dole lean in,” said Tiffany Southwell, vice president of out of home media at Catalina.

After being negatively affected by the effects of the pandemic, out-of-home advertising has rebounded and is expected to grow 3.1% to $7.18 billion in 2022, per eMarketer. DOOH made up less than a third of the total amount of OOH spend in 2021, showing room for growth in the market with offerings like the Catalina-Volta partnership.

Sales of electric and hybrid vehicles have increased dramatically in the past decade, reaching 6.6 million in 2021, doubling the amount sold in 2020. This rapid increase has led to the increased demand for quick and accessible charging options. Volta currently operates 2,636 charging stations, creating over 900 million monthly impressions over more than 4,600 digital screens in 39 designated market areas across 26 states.