• by Lynn Russo , February 28, 2005

You want to run a national ad campaign in 50 U.S. markets, but you need a hands-on local touch in each one. That's what AllOver Media (AOM) promises.

Minneapolis-based AOM delivers non-traditional media in places where other outdoor and traditional media can't always reach and where the customer is often captive, including at gas pumps, in restrooms, and on top of taxicabs.

AOM's gas-pump toppers are available in 600 markets; indoor media is available in about 45. Both are targetable by such demographics as zip code, sex, ethnicity, and age. Twenty-five of AOM's indoor markets also offer digital ad boards that can be changed weekly or monthly with the touch of a button.

But what really makes AOM stand out is its non-traditional approach to covering the market. AllOver Media is a franchise company. "From a service standpoint, franchising offers several advantages for effectively covering a national marketplace," says founder and ceo Tony Jacobsen.

"First, you're going to be treated with kid gloves, because the franchisees always know what's going on in their local market and have ongoing relationships with gas stations and retailers." Also, "It increases reaction time because they can hit the ground running," Jacobsen says.

The two-year-old company, which has sold 24 exclusive-market franchises to date and is forecasting 50 by year-end, offers marketing and collateral co-op dollars, training, business management software, and a message board.

The AOM headquarters handles national ad buys and forks over 70 percent of the revenue for brand campaigns placed in franchised markets. Clients include McDonalds, Sprint, Sears, and Auto Club of America. AOM also counts casinos, automakers, and credit-card companies among its clients. Lynn Russo