• by June 22, 2005

By Daisy Whitney

Who wouldn't rather watch an ad than stare at the back of someone's head? The answer is most people, and that's why elevator network Captivate has carved out this alternative niche, serving up business and consumer ads during trips in the lift.

Consider this: the average aided recall for Captivate's ads is 45 percent, compared to industry norms in the 20- to mid-30 percent range, according to a Nielsen study conducted for Captivate.

The elevator is almost a slam dunk for ads, with a classic captive audience looking for anything to avoid an uncomfortably silent ride. The average tenant in a Captivate building spends six minutes daily in the elevator, and 96 percent said they watched the screen in the most recent week.

Captivate reaches 1.6 million unduplicated viewers daily across 5,500 screens, up from about 3,000 screens reaching 924,000 people in early 2004 shortly before Gannett acquired Captivate.

The average household income of Captivate's elevator trippers is $105,000.

Advertisers include Hummer, Jaguar, Cadillac, Ernst and Young, and Microsoft. Next target: Captivate wants to be in the top 20 markets by the end of 2006.