• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 6, 2008

Zoom Media & Marketing has installed more than 500 digital signs in nightlife venues in the country's top 10 DMAs since the rollout began last October. To date, the rollout has brought digital signage to hundreds of bars, clubs and restaurants, and Zoom plans to have digital signs installed in 1,000 venues by spring.

The digital LCD panels, measuring between 37 and 50 inches wide, can be used to deliver advertising and promotional messages alongside relevant, engaging content from the venues themselves, such as menus, specials, events and announcements.

Connected by broadband Internet to Zoom's central server, they can display high-definition video, as well as static text and animation.

The out-of-home video medium is exploding, and nightlife spots are currently some of the most attractive venues for place-based video networks--delivering a young audience that's relatively "relaxed" and potentially more receptive to ad messages. Zoom, however, did not release any financial figures.

According to the most recent study of bar advertising by Arbitron, 43% of 21- to-34-year-old males said they had visited a bar in the past week. Bargoers are more likely than teetotalers to be early adopters of new technology; they are also more likely to making word-of-mouth recommendations to their friends.

The company's digital signage push hit the 500 mark a few months after it acquired the bar and nightclub assets of Alloy Media + Marketing's Insite division, covering more than 2,000 bars, clubs and restaurants. After the acquisition, Zoom's nightlife ad portfolio now includes 4,000-plus venues with more than 20,000 signage installations.

For its part, Alloy retains a substantial bar and nightlife advertising capability, with 2,000 venues in 50 top markets. The company is also moving ahead with its rollout of interactive, event and promotional marketing services in these venues, including digital signage.