Astral Out-of-Home and Scotiabank team up to launch Canada's first NFC-enabled transit shelter ad campaign

TORONTO, June 21, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Astral Out-of-Home (OOH), Canada's leader in out-of-home advertising innovation and a division of Astral Media Inc. (TSX: ACM.A ACM.B), trail-blazes once again by teaming with Scotiabank to launch a campaign on Astral OOH's Near Field Communication-enabled¹ (NFC) transit shelters in Toronto targeted to young adult consumers and movie-enthusiasts.

Over the summer months, over 80 NFC-enabled Scotiabank SCENE posters will be displayed in Astral OOH transit shelters located near entertainment areas and movie theatres in downtown Toronto. Smartphone users will be able to launch a specially-designed app on their phone, tap or scan one of the NFC-enabled Scotiabank SCENE posters and gain instant access to:

• A mobile-optimized Facebook contest for a chance to win two free movie passes daily to Cineplex Entertainment theatres
• Directions to the nearest Scotiabank branch where they can sign up for a SCENE eligible bank account with the SCENE debit card and take advantage of a signing bonus of up to 4,000 SCENE points - or four free movies

"Young adults are socially active and highly connected, and with smartphone penetration at close to 50% in the market, it was natural for Astral Out-of-Home to integrate an innovative technology into our advertising structures that reaches them via a medium they love," said Debbie Drutz, Director, Media Markets & Innovation at Astral Out-of-Home. "Following a very successful NFC pilot campaign in March, Scotiabank's SCENE summer campaign was a perfect fit for our official NFC launch - bringing together a unique entertainment and technology experience for Toronto's young consumers."

Scotiabank, a founding partner of the SCENE movie rewards program, will use the momentum of the summer blockbuster movie season paired with the joint Astral and NFC campaign to promote its unique SCENE debit card, the only debit card in Canada which gives customers the opportunity to earn points for free movies and more on their everyday transactions.

"Chip-enabled technology, like the NFC technology used in this campaign, will take on an increasingly large role in our lives and we are very pleased to be among the pioneers using this in market," said Jeff Marshall, Vice President, Marketing at Scotiabank. "Along with the NFC technology, our SCENE summer campaign will be multi-faceted and go beyond traditional media with ads on innovative networks like Microsoft Xbox and Connected TV."

Additional details:

• This marks the first time NFC technology has been combined with transit shelter ads in Canada
• The campaign is geared to young adult consumers who are tech-savvy and love entertainment, movies, movie snacks, music and dining
• The NFC enabled chip technology and mobile app are a key pillar in Scotiabank's SCENE marketing campaign

About Astral Out-of-Home

Astral Out-of-Home is one of Canada's largest out-of-home advertising companies with a network of nearly 9,500 advertising faces strategically located in the key markets of Québec, Ontario and British Columbia. Firmly committed to the future, the company has developed a series of initiatives to minimize its environmental footprint and actively participate in sustainable development.

Founded in 1961, Astral is a leading Canadian media company. It operates several of the country's most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties. Astral plays a central role in community life from coast to coast by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit astral.com.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is one of North America's premier financial institutions and Canada's most international bank. With more than 80,000 employees, Scotiabank and its affiliates serve some 19 million customers in more than 55 countries around the world. Scotiabank offers a broad range of products and services including personal, commercial, corporate and investment banking. With assets of $660 billion (as at April 30, 2012), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS) and New York Exchanges (BNS). For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com.

About SCENE

SCENE is the popular rewards program from Cineplex Entertainment and Scotiabank. The program is free to join and provides more than 3.7 million members across Canada with the opportunity to earn and redeem points for movie admissions, concession combos, music, DVDs, movie downloads and more. SCENE members also enjoy a 10 per cent discount on movie snacks and exclusive access to contests and special offers. Members can also accelerate their earning power with the SCENE® ScotiaCard® (debit card) and SCENE® VISA* card. In 2012, Maritz Canada's annual loyalty report named SCENE Canada's top retail loyalty program. Visit www.scene.ca to learn more.

¹ Astral OOH announced in February the adoption of Gauge Mobile-developed Near Field Communication technology for its street furniture in Toronto and Montréal. The technology provides consumers with a totally new experience by allowing them to interact directly with advertising faces via their smartphone to get all kinds of information instantly and securely.