• by June 14, 2004

MEDIACOM TALKS TRASH, TARGETS MINDSHARE - The last time we checked in with the folks at City Media Concepts, they were just getting their new out-of-home media network off-the-ground, and were facing a fair amount of skepticism in the process. Some major agency media machers were less than enthusiastic about CMC's new outdoor media facings - not because of their locations, which happened to be in choice midtown Manhattan places - but because of were they were situated: on trash receptacles. Not just any receptacles, mind you, but some specially designed ones that were sure to stop traffic and get the attention of any pedestrian walking nearby. Still, the notion of having a client's ads juxtaposed against urban trash apparently was just too much for some of the outdoor media buying pros to fathom taking to a client. One even went to far as to tell the Riff, "Nine out of ten advertisers won't touch it for the obvious reasons. Why would anyone want to have their brand associated with trash?"

Well it may have been trash to him, but CMC's ReceptaSigns apparently are becoming bread and butter on Madison Avenue. In fact, one big media shop, MediaCom, is using the unusual medium to target one of its competitors, MindShare. MediaCom bought up the ReceptaSigns surrounding MindShare's U.S. headquarters at Worldwide Plaza in New York to pitch its client Warner Bros. Domestic Television show "Everwood" to the WPP shop's media planners and buyers.

Another biggie that's become receptive to the ReceptaSigns is MindShare sister shop Mediaedge:cia, which is buying up key locations in Times Square for Citibank. Some major media companies have also jumped in the can, including Lifetime Entertainment and TNT networks.