It's not exactly Coke vs. Pepsi, or Chevy vs. Ford, but the intensifying battle of the gas-pump TV networks just got a little more interesting.

Outcast just signed an exclusive deal with Fox News Channel to distribute its programming to more than 13,000 screens at gas station in 130 U.S. markets via its PumpTop TV network. Its rival, Gas Station TV (GSTV), has been adding branded content as well, including news reports from Bloomberg TV.

In the distribution battle to win valuable eyeball-level distribution via gas stations, expect more exclusive programming deals with big media brands as the duelling "networks" spread across America. It's also good news for brand marketers, expanding the quality of "place-based" or out-of-home opportunities to reach drivers.Continue reading...

Talk about a pain point: Is there any purchase that feels worse these days than pouring gasoline into your car at prices of around $4 a gallon? 

Well, Ford is ready to help with the 38-highway-mpg new 2012 Focus and other fuel-efficient models. And it has found a way to remind you of the cars’ very friendly fuel economy exactly when you’re most open to the message: while filling the tank of the lower-mileage vehicle that you actually own.

Working with GSTV, which has a network of pump-side TV screens at more than 1,100 gas stations across the country, Ford has launched a campaign to highlight Ford’s Focus, Fusion and Fiesta with what the partners call Echo ads.Continue reading...

The operators of Gas Station TV have been touting the effectiveness of their unusual medium for a few years now. They provide news updates, short-format programming and advertising at thousands of pumps in more than 100 of the biggest US markets through 13 of the nation’s leading gas retailers.

And now, PepsiCo has confirmed what “GSTV” has been saying. GSTV was named winner of the Best Retail Marketing Campaign of 2010 at the Pepsi Media Summit.Continue reading...