According to the publication, everything about the new Mood Media is big: 275,000 new retail locations, 2,300 employees and offices in 48 countries, the largest music library on planet Earth, and tremendous growth of in-store digital signage.

Read the full article at profitguide.com.

“We are very pleased to be working with Shell Company as they expand their footprint in Russia,” said Lorne Abony, Chairman and CEO of Mood Media Corporation. “Russia is Europe’s fastest growing retail market and we are seeing an increase in business opportunity as more retailers invest in the country.”

Russia is one of the top three European markets for many consumer product segments, according to Euromonitor, and is forecasted to become the largest consumer market overall in Europe by 2018. Retail sales are estimated to grow more than 20 percent in 2012, to US $750 billion. Mood Media’s clients include global retail brands expanding operations in Russia such as Promod, Jack Wolfskin, Ralph Lauren Marks and Spencer and H&M.

“Consumers in Russia are spending more and more time and money in retail stores, and they are growing to expect a more sophisticated retail experience,” said Claude Nahon, President of Mood Media Europe. “We are well-positioned to help local and national retailers improve their customer experience, and to help global brands enter and expand in the market.”

Russia’s population of 140 million consumers has a growing appetite for retail goods. Rising disposable incomes, low unemployment, an expanding middle class and rising levels of credit are contributing to double-digit growth in several retail sectors, including DIY, OTC, consumer electronics and luxury goods. Food retail is a particularly strong sector, forecast to be worth US $211.80 billion in 2011 by Business Monitor International (BMI), with sales expected to grow by 70.0% to US $360.10 billion by 2015.

About Mood Media Corporation

Mood Media Corporation (TSX:MM/ LSE AIM:MM), named Canada’s fastest growing company by PROFIT Magazine is a leading in-store media specialist that uses a mix of music, visual and scent media to help its clients communicate with consumers with a view to driving incremental sales at the point-of-purchase.

Operating through its two principal divisions, In-Store Media and Retail Point-of-Purchase, Mood Media Corporation works with over 470,000 commercial locations in over 40 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Through its subsidiaries Mood Media, Muzak, and Mood Entertainment, Mood Media Corporation’s products and services reach 100 million people every day in a broad client base including more than 850 U.S. and international brands in diverse market sectors that include: retail, from fashion to financial services; hospitality, from hotels to health spas; and food retail, including restaurants, bars, quick-serve and fast casual dining.

For further information about Mood Media, please visit www.moodmedia.com.

Retailers can no longer count on opt-in email newsletters to close the loop. A recent YouGov survey revealed that 46% of shoppers never divulge their contact details to retailers, with almost one in ten (8%) admitting to giving out false information to avoid being contacted. Consumers need to feel they are getting something of real value and personal relevance before they are going to opt-in to receive information from a retailer. In the same survey, 64% of shoppers said they would be likely to give out their contact details if they were signed up to the store’s loyalty program 35% or offered an incentive, such as a discount off a future purchase. Using location-based services, Mood Media is helping retailers take engagement further, offering shoppers everything from immediate giveaways and discounts to the opportunity to identify songs they like that are playing in-store. When integrated with in-store media – including music, audio messaging, video and scent — location-based services help increase footfall, dwell-time and sales per customer. Retailers using in-store media have experienced up to 25% sales uplift.

From Christie MicroTiles, an innovative LED visual display technology, to VIP changing rooms, Mood Media’s work transformed New Look’s retail store into a memorable brand experience that strengthened the store’s relationship with consumers and built brand loyalty. A particularly popular feature is the new in-store Digital Photo Studio that allows customers to model New Look’s fashions for the camera and select their favorite digital photos that can be shown on the store’s LED visual display as well as sent to friends via email and facebook. Don’t believe us? Check out this video and see for yourself.

We competed against more than 200 of the best and most innovative companies around the world. In order to even qualify for this event, the entrants were required to have won Display of the Year or Gold awards from the 2011 Awards Contest run by POPAI Chapters in Australia, New Zealand, France, DACH, Hungary Italy, North America, South Africa, the United Kingdom or Ireland.

Richard Winter, POPAI president, said this award reflected the intensity of competition and innovation in the marketing and retail industry.

“We saw an exceptionally high-quality field of contenders vying for this year’s POPAI Global Marketing At Retails Awards,” Winter said. “It is a significant achievement to have made the qualification to be eligible to participate in this global awards program, and our warmest congratulations go to all the nominees that entered.”

Mark Elfenebin, North American president of Mood Media, is thrilled to take home the POPAI Gold award. “This is a significant achievement for our company and a testament to the great work we produce for our customers,” Elfenbin said.

To learn more about the winners and award, here is the POPAI release: http://popai.com/2012/03/01/popai-global-marketing-at-retail-award-winners-announced/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=popai-global-marketing-at-retail-award-winners-announced

Check out the New Look video and tell us what you think!

Mood Media Muzak is restoring a rare collection of 20,000 never-released master recordings – discovered in its archives – from the top artists of the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s. Announced at this year’s Grammy Awards, the restoration of these unique recordings marks an historic moment in the music industry. Now, generations of the most influential artists from our cultural songbook will once again be able to share their talents and inspiration with today’s artists.

At a special Grammy Awards event, Mood Media Muzak, the Grammy Museum and Gucci announced that the trio was teaming up to restore this piece of music history – and more importantly – make it accessible for the public to explore and enjoy as part of a new and permanent exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.  Topped off with a stellar performance from recording star Jennifer Hudson, the evening highlighted the mission and importance of the unique collaboration.

For Mood Media Muzak, the Recording Academy’s Grammy Museum was the perfect partner and ideal venue to showcase its archive. As Bob Santelli, Executive Director of the Grammy’s Museum said at the announcement, “The restoration of these recordings mark a historic moment in music, allowing past generations of important musicians to communicate with future ones.” But, despite the significance of such an effort, the restoration process of the master library from discs and tape to digital would be an extremely costly and timely endeavor. Enter Gucci …

Gucci has counted many iconic musical artists among its most loyal clientele and has a great tradition of supporting the preservation of the arts. So, as part of an exclusive three-year deal between Gucci Timepiece and Jewelry and the Recording Academy, the company will help finance the digitization. Here is the Grammy’s release: www.grammy.com/news/jazz-legend-fats-waller-to-get-digitized

As the lengthy archive restoration project moves forward, so too does the creation of its future home – the Mood Media Muzak Archive Exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, which is scheduled to open to the music-loving public in late May of this year.

Thanks to this unique partnership, Mood Media Muzak will always have a place to celebrate its past—as it continues to build the future of in-store media.

What do you think about this endeavor and partnership? Would you want to explore the new exhibit when it opens?

You can read the article online on pages 30-31 of the issue of A1 Retail.

In a nutshell, the study of the financial services industry – carried out in association with YouGov – found only 9% of bank customers like the ‘ambiance’ of their local bank, disliked long queues and didn’t feel it educated them enough on the services and products it offers, which is why 63% prefer to do their banking online rather than in branches.

For banks, the risk behind the migration to online banking is that sales of financial services – everything from savings and loans products to brokerage and insurance services – will fall as customers lose contact with retail banking staff.

In turn, Mood Media pointed out how in-store visuals such as LCD screens can increase product sales, raise general awareness of additional products and services, and reduce perceptions of queue time if they are used in an informative and entertaining way. Not only that, but music and some smart sound engineering in branches can increase the sense of privacy, which is important to establish when customers are sharing personal financial matters with bank staff.

In an article entitled ‘Scents and TV coming to a bank near you,’ banking correspondent for ThisisMoney.co.uk Dan Hyde commented that “a fresh feel could revitalise face-to-face banking, which is dying a slow and protracted death in the UK now that 22m Britons use internet banking.’

The story was also picked up by the popular Financial Services Technology magazine and Business Bank Accounts website, stalwart retail and digital signage websites such as Daily Dooh and Digital Signage Expo, and was spotted in the e-mail newsletter Van Etten’s clippings.

Recognition is gaining that financial services needs a more welcoming, enlivened, and modern approach to retail, especially given its failings and setbacks in the recent past. Whether it is engaging visuals and audio for building societies with a large family-based clientele, classical music for the distinguished interior of private banks or cutting edge, holograms, QR codes and touchscreens aimed at a technologically savvy, young demographic, the opportunities are endless.

Let’s see who will follow in the footsteps of our client ING bank in the Netherlands and be the first to take a pioneering step in the right direction in the UK.

It appears banking customers are in the mood for a change.

Formed in 2005, Mood Media has become a global leader through a combination of disruptive innovation in music licensing and media convergence and a series of strategic acquisitions.

“We are very proud to be recognized for our financial performance and entrepreneurial achievement,” said Lorne Abony, CEO and Chairman of Mood Media Corporation. “To be recognized as Canada’s fastest-growing company by one of Canada’s leading business magazines honours the commitment of our employees to create and deliver memorable consumer experiences that increase loyalty, create brand differentiation, and maximize point-of-sale revenues for our clients.”

The PROFIT 200 ranks Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies by five-year revenue growth.  Published in the summer issue of PROFIT and online at PROFITguide.com, the PROFIT 200 is Canada’s largest annual celebration of entrepreneurial achievement.

“We are confident that considerable future opportunities for growth lie ahead,” said Lorne Abony. “The market for in-store media remains largely untapped, with industry penetration at less than 10 percent of addressable retail locations globally, and we are ideally positioned to capitalize on these opportunities.”

Ian Portsmouth, Editor-in-Chief of PROFIT magazine, said: “The PROFIT 200 companies are the innovative, high-growth enterprises Canada needs to compete on the global stage.

“PROFIT is proud to celebrate their achievements and ambitions, and we encourage all businesspeople to learn more about the many ways they’ve come so far, so fast.”

About Mood Media Corporation

Mood Media Corporation (TSX:MM/ LSE AIM:MM) is a leading in-store media specialist that uses a mix of music, visual and scent media to help its clients communicate with consumers with a view to driving incremental sales at the point-of-purchase.

Through its subsidiaries Mood, Muzak and Mood Entertainment, Mood Media Corporation’s products and services reach 100 million people every day in more than 470,000 locations across 39 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Mood Media Corporation operates an international in-store media and music retail business with an extensive geographic footprint and a broad client base including more than 850 U.S. and international brands in diverse market sectors that include: retail, from fashion to financial services; hospitality, from hotels to health spas; and food retail, including restaurants, bars, quick-serve and fast casual dining.

For more information on Mood Media Corporation visit www.moodmedia.com or contact:

Jeremy Jacobs
Fleishman Hillard Inc. (New York)
+1-212-453-2498*protected email*

Alan O’Sullivan
Fleishman-Hillard (London)
Tel: +44 20 7395 7017
*protected email*

Dominic Morley
Panmure Gordon
Tel: +44 207 459 3600

About PROFIT Magazine

PROFIT: Your Guide to Business Success is Canada’s preeminent publication dedicated to the management issues and opportunities facing small and mid-sized businesses. For 29 years, Canadian entrepreneurs and senior managers across a vast array of economic sectors have remained loyal to PROFIT because it’s a timely and reliable source of actionable information that helps them achieve business success and get the recognition they deserve for generating positive economic and social change.

Visit PROFIT online at PROFITguide.com.

We have always felt that the hardware is there to surface content, and it is the content that will ultimately impact retail customer behavior. We aren’t suggesting that hardware, content playback and management, and infrastructure aren’t important, obviously they are. But we question why technology tends to dominate coverage and discussion in the space.

A screen on its own isn’t going to increase dwell time or drive promotions. You can make it thinner, increase the resolution, decrease energy consumption, make it IP-addressable, but it is still a screen waiting for content.
We like to start with the business goal. What do we want to achieve? Then we consider what visual content will lead to us reaching that goal. Then we consider what technology will allow us to optimally place and manage that content.

We don’t manufacture our own displays, which is pretty liberating. It frees us to put in place the technology that best meets our objectives. For one client we might use Christie MicroTiles. For another client NEC, Sharp or Samsung hardware might be appropriate. Our designers aren’t under pressure to push any one piece of hardware because we have a backlog of inventory.

We do have our own proprietary software to manage content, called TeamCo. It allows us to target essentially any device with any type of content, and it allows for zoning, multi-channel broadcasting, and complex scheduling. The kind of power and flexibility the software provides is critical, but once again retail success lies knowing  what messages to send to what locations and when to send them.  It is all about the content.

Under the headline “Markets Shrug Off Geopolitical Events & Rally On Week,” Stock Market Weekly said “Merger and acquisition news including some big names hit the wire this week with news of Muzak, known for its calming music played in elevators, buildings and stores, striking a deal to be bought by Toronto-based Mood Media Corp. for $345.”

The merger was news in Canada, where the National Post noted “set to become the global king of background music after reaching a deal to acquire rival Muzak Holdings LLC.”

“Fort Mill had some good news last week” was how Ronnie Bryant of the Charlotte Regional Partnership greeted the news in the Charlotte Post. “The purchase will give Muzak a broader foundation, and its U.S. headquarters will stay in Fort Mill.”

Within the industry, outlets such as Billboard.biz, the industry news channel for Billboard magazine, covered the announcement, as did Deepak Sharma at the Retail Technology Blog.