HOUSTON, Nov. 9, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cardtronics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CATM), the world's largest owner of retail ATMs, has signed a multi-year agreement with i-design, the United Kingdom-based provider of the industry-leading atmAd marketing platform for self-service devices, to bring immersive third-party advertising to Cardtronics ATMs.
Cardtronics will launch advertising on approximately 2,200 of its Vcom financial kiosks located in 7-Eleven® stores in the United States, on the heels of offering third-party advertising on about 800 ATMs operated by Bank Machine, Cardtronics' United Kingdom subsidiary.
i-design will sell ATM advertising space to third-party brands on behalf of Cardtronics, allowing these advertisers to place their messages on Cardtronics' ATMs equipped with i-design's atmAd software in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The delivery of advertisers will be managed by i-design's well established, full-service media sales operation, which works with an extensive list of global, blue-chip advertisers.
The agreement follows a successful pilot program that Cardtronics and i-design ran at hundreds of sites in the United States for one of the nation's largest beer brewers. Independent research revealed that consumers in the pilot were highly receptive to ATM advertising with more than 95% recall of the advertised brand. Further, 94% of surveyed ATM users agreed that the transaction was a better experience when the advertising campaign was playing.
"By selecting atmAd as the company's ATM advertising solution provider, Cardtronics, one of the world's most prominent global ATM network owners, will enjoy new revenue opportunities while enhancing the consumer ATM experience with relevant offers," said Ana Stewart, CEO of i-design. "The company's extensive U.S. estate provides a highly attractive channel for major brands to reach consumers and represents a significant step forward in making advertising through the self-service channel a reality in the U.S."
"Cardtronics is focused on getting the most value out of its deployed assets, and third-party advertising represents a new revenue stream for the company," said Rick Updyke, Cardtronics' president of U.S. Business Group. "i-design offers a turnkey solution for selling and managing third-party ad campaigns, and they have a proven track record of generating advertising revenues. Cardtronics will be able to maximize its channel potential and provide value to consumers through relevant promotions."
About i-design
i-design is the world-leading specialist provider of ATM advertising software and services to the self-service industry and creator of atmAd, the only platform independent end-to-end ATM marketing solution with integrated third-party media sales capability. With atmAd, financial organizations can effectively deliver internal and third party advertising campaigns as well as implement effective marketing through their ATM networks – enhancing the customer experience, generating new revenue streams and delivering high-impact, targeted advertising messages.
Established in 1991 and successfully listed on AIM in 2007, i-design has 20 years' experience working with leading banking partners within the self-service industry, seamlessly delivering high-quality screen graphics and third-party opportunities across more than 1 billion ATM transactions a year globally.
About Cardtronics
Cardtronics (Nasdaq:CATM) is the world's largest non-bank owner of ATMs. The company operates over 33,500 ATMs for its account in the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and the Caribbean, primarily with well-known retailers such as 7-Eleven®, Chevron®, Costco®, CVS®/pharmacy, ExxonMobil®, Hess®, Rite Aid®, Safeway®, Target®, and Walgreens®. Cardtronics also assists in the operation of over 2,900 ATMs under managed services contracts with customers such as Kroger®, Travelex®, and Circle K®. In addition to its retail ATM operations, the company provides services to large and small banks, credit unions, and prepaid card issuers allowing them to place their brands on over 11,700 Cardtronics' ATMs and providing surcharge-free access through Cardtronics' Allpoint Network. For more information, visit www.cardtronics.com.
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