When the Yonge Sheppard Centre in Toronto was designed, digital advertising was always part of the plan – and that is precisely what attracted Outfront Media to ink a deal with property manager RioCan to create 48 high-definition digital screens offering advertising opportunities throughout the retail, residential and transit hub.

In January, Outfront’s CEO Michele Erskine spoke with MiC about newly developed roles within the company to support its digital expansion. The project at Yonge Sheppard Centre is the fruit of that labour and a similar undertaking to what Outfront (formerly CBS Outdoor) did at Yonge Eglinton Centre.

“Yonge Sheppard is a natural next hub to add,” Erskine says of the busy, inner-suburban neighbourhood home to both Nestle and Proctor and Gamble’s Canadian head offices. “We also have presence in Yonge-Dundas Square so that was sort of the trifecta for us.”

Outfront will create a network of 48 high-def digital screens with capabilities to run full motion video, supported with beacon technology to measure traffic. Currently, 49,000 commuters pass through the property. The connection of two subway lines also brings another 125,000 people to a neighbourhood that, for more than a decade has seen population growth double that of the city at large, according to census data.

“Because it’s an interior environment, there are no issues with full motion content, and yet the environment is busy enough that you’re getting exposure and impressions delivered that are comparable to some exterior digitals,” Erskine says.

The screens provide a more immersive experience because they were designed to be there from the outset. “From an aesthetic perspective,” Erskine says, “you don’t feel like someone just stuck a TV screen up on the wall.” A media buy of the whole network lends itself to more creative content with so much display space to work with, she adds, as well as opportunities to pair onsite experiential activations.