Marketing tables turned

PERTH advertisers will gain greater access to a relatively new, high-impact advertising medium – tabletop advertising – in the coming months.

Tabletop advertising, which works in a similar way to Adshels’ bus shelter ads but using food court tabletops, is currently available at Westfield Booragoon and Westfield Galleria.

However, following its successful national trial Westfield has given the go ahead for the rollout of the advertising tabletops across Australia.

Remaining Perth-based Westfield shopping centres Innaloo, Carousel, and Karrinyup will have them installed in the next three to four months.

The tabletop advertising medium has been developed by Sydney-based Creatable Media and, according to its director Craig Lazarus, the extension of its tabletops in Perth and across Australia provides a greater opportunity for companies to gain high-impact exposure.

“Food court tables have become a serious big brand marketing avenue,” he said.

“There are two winning factors within the shopping centre food court. The first is the audience ‘dwelling’ time of 10 to 15 minutes at the table. The second is that consumers are already placed within a buying environment when they receive the advertising message.”

Mr Lazarus said Creatable put its new tables, complete with a 3D capsule containing the advertising message, into foodhalls.

He said while the majority of its clients were national operators including Nestle, Telstra and Disney, the medium would suit local operators.

Mr Lazarus said each food court would have 100 advertising tabletops with a maximum of two advertisers per food court per month.

Prices are generally sold in shopping centre bundles. To advertise at three shopping centres (150 tables) is $22,000 per month. Five centres, or 250 tables, is $35,000 per month and to advertise in 10 Westfield shopping centre food courts is $60,000 per month.

Mr Lazarus said advertiser interest in the product was very strong.

“We are putting 100 units in five Westfield shopping centres each month,” he said.

“We’ve sold out the advertising space up until the end of August.

“At the moment it is all national.”

The initial trial by Westfield included 12 Westfield shopping centres across the country.

Independent research carried out by Spectrum Research showed strong consumer recall rates.