How to Reach Customers When They’re Truly Paying Attention
- Harvest Growth
- 2 days ago
- 15 min read
In this episode of the Harvest Growth Podcast, Jon LaClare sits down with Scott Brown, founder of Snax Depot and VendingAd.com, to explore a surprising but powerful advertising opportunity hiding in plain sight: vending machines.
Most advertising today competes in speed mode — scrolling, swiping, skipping, and digital fatigue. But what happens when you reach people in a true moment of pause?
Scott shares how modern, AI-powered vending machines equipped with 15-inch HMI screens are transforming everyday snack stops into high-attention marketing moments. With 10-second visual ads placed directly at eye level, local businesses can reach a captive audience in gyms, warehouses, apartment complexes, and office spaces — where repetition, frequency, and exclusivity drive real brand recall.
This isn’t about chasing clicks. It’s about being remembered.
You’ll learn why physical-world visibility still matters in a digital-first era, how QR codes bridge real-world impressions with measurable online results, and why limiting each machine to just 10 advertisers dramatically increases brand impact.
If you serve local customers and want repeated, real-world exposure in places where people actually pause — this conversation may change how you think about marketing.
In today’s episode of the Harvest Growth Podcast, we’ll cover:
Why “paused attention” is more valuable than endless digital impressions
The psychology of repetition and frequency in local advertising
How vending machine screens create credibility in physical spaces
Why limiting advertisers per screen increases impact
How QR codes make offline ads measurable and retargetable
Which types of businesses benefit most from vending machine advertising
Why exclusivity (no competitors per machine) strengthens brand recall
How physical and digital marketing can work together seamlessly
You can listen to the full interview on your desktop or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Or, click to watch the full video interview here!
Visit VendingAd.com to learn more or schedule a strategy call to see if this opportunity is a fit for your business — especially if you serve customers in the Boston market.
Interested in growing your brand with proven direct response strategies? Visit https://harvestgrowth.com and book a free consultation with our team.
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a review — and we’ll see you next time on the Harvest Growth Podcast.
Prefer reading instead of listening? Read the full transcript here!
[Jon LaClare]
You're probably advertising in the worst possible moment. Think about it. People are scrolling, distracted, half paying attention.
But what if you could reach them when they're actually paused? We broke down why a vending machine might be one of the highest attention spots in someone's entire day. This conversation changed how I think about local marketing.
[Announcer]
Harvest the growth potential of your product or service as we share stories and strategies that'll make your competitors nervous. Now, here's the host of the Harvest Growth Podcast, Jon LaClare.
[Jon LaClare]
Welcome to the Harvest Growth Podcast. I'm Jon LeClaire, founder of Harvest Growth and author of The Perfect Launch System. Over the past 20 years, our team has helped launch and grow hundreds of businesses, generating more than $2 billion in revenue for our clients.
On this show, we break down what actually works in product marketing. Real stories, real strategies, and lessons you can put to work in your business right away. Whether you're getting ready to launch or looking to scale what's already working, you're in the right place.
Let's jump into today's episode. First of all, I wanna welcome you to the show, Scott. Thank you so much for joining us.
[Scott Brown]
Absolutely, happy to join.
[Jon LaClare]
So by way of introduction, Scott's a good friend of mine and has been a client for a long time and has ventured into a really unique space in the advertising world that we're gonna talk about today that is a great opportunity for any listeners in the Boston market, but really expanding beyond that across the country very soon as well. And if nothing else, it's a great way to think about marketing specifically. So Scott owns a vending machine business with placements all over the Boston area.
And he really geniusly has created this new opportunity to advertise on vending machines. It's great. We're gonna talk about what businesses it works for, et cetera, but it's great for local businesses especially.
And I don't wanna talk about why as we dive into it, but before I jump too far ahead, let me first of all talk about Snack Depot, which is the company that owns and runs the vending machines across Boston with some really, let's say AI driven and technologically advanced vending machines across the area that bring in a lot of customers, more customers than traditional vending machines. But today we're gonna talk about vendingad.com. It's the specific opportunity to showcase video ads on vending machines again, for now all across the Boston market and in the future, really across the country.
So Scott, let's first talk about what does it mean? When you have these machines, what does it mean to have videos on the machines? Maybe describe like the size of them, what they look like, just really high level for audience so they can picture this before we dive into the detailed questions.
[Scott Brown]
Sure, the machines today with the AI technology, they also have computer screens on them. We call them HMI screens and they're approximately 15 inches tall by I'd say eight to 10 inches wide. And what this adds for us is it's really at eyesight.
And so when you go to make your selection and you're thinking about what you wanna get out of the machine as far as a snack or a drink, it gives you a great opportunity to have ads in your face that are really exposing opportunities in the community from other professions as well as other businesses. And so I think you're a captive audience at that point. And even though the selection process and dispensing of the snack is probably 30 seconds, you still have time to see three or four ads that come through and it's that repetition of seeing those ads that is really powerful.
[Jon LaClare]
Yeah, no, absolutely. And really for our listeners, most marketing today happens when people are in speed mode. Right, we're all so busy moving from one thing to the next, but especially on our electronic devices from scrolling to multitasking, we're distracted.
Now what's different about the moment someone is standing in front of one of your vending machines?
[Scott Brown]
Yeah, I think the difference is obviously when you're scrolling, you can scan by it. You don't have to sit through it. In this particular case, the ad runs about 10 seconds and you're seeing it, right?
And so we're in places like apartment complexes, gyms, warehouses, variety of businesses. And so while you're making that selection, you're exposed to that marketing of the business or profession that we have up at that time. And typically because it'll take, you know, when I say 30 seconds, it isn't the length of time to make the selection and dispense, but on average, a personal standard or anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute, trying to figure out what they want and then processing their selection and getting it dispensed.
So you really got the captivated audience that's not really thinking about anything else. They can't ignore it. It's right there.
And it gives them the opportunity to see that many times, especially like in our gyms and warehouses and actually all the sites that you come in and you're seeing it many, many times. And so it's that repetition, I think that really helps stand out.
[Jon LaClare]
And I wanna reiterate really when someone's standing in front of one of these machines, they are not in speed mode, unlike the rest of our days, the rest of our lives, right? They're truly paused. And that's one of the most valuable attention moments you can truly buy, very unique in the marketing world.
And then Scott, you also mentioned repetition or in the advertising world, we call it frequency. In a lot of these spaces like gyms and warehouses, the same people among others, right? There's always new people coming in, but you also get a lot of repetition or frequency.
People are seeing this ad over and over again. Why is repetition so important, especially in local advertising?
[Scott Brown]
Yeah, that's a great question. I think really what it does is that repetition is building the brand for that customer. And so, let's say it's an attorney or a pet groomer or whatever.
If I see that multiple times throughout the week when I'm visiting the site, it is building that repetition in my mind that when it comes time for me needing that service, that will always come to mind then because it's something I've seen numerous times. And so, I think it's that repetition that builds it in our memory that when we need that service, that's the first thing that comes to mind.
[Jon LaClare]
Absolutely, it comes down to, it's really, it's less about a click and more about being remembered, which is so important in advertising. Well, why do you think physical, real-world visibility still matters in a digital world? So, these are digital videos, right?
But they're in a physical environment on vending machines. And why do you think that's different than ads that might show up on your phone or your TV?
[Scott Brown]
Well, I think, again, I think like billboards or TVs or even on our phones, you get that digital fatigue, banner blindness. And I think that you really get to a point where you kind of get numb to it, right? And so, I think in this case, because it's right there, you're in a relaxed environment because you're basically picking a snack or a drink, that it's almost entertaining, I think, to a point.
[Jon LaClare]
You're exactly right. And I think, you see, we got numb to it. And really, digital ads, in many ways, I run a business, this is what we specialize in is digital ads.
They really work, of course. But in some ways, they're easy to ignore in a way that a physical space, like a vending machine screen, is not. It's really a real-world presence that signals credibility to your audience.
You know, if people see your brand in their gym or their office, that really feels established, much like it used to be TV versus digital, right? So when you see something on TV, you automatically trust it more than you do in the digital world, just because of credibility that's built in. Very similarly, when this is in a physical environment, we see credibility truly grow in a unique way to add on to your existing marketing channels or platforms.
[Scott Brown]
I find it interesting. It's very similar to gas stations. Today's world, gas stations have a small HMI screen.
I don't know the dimensions, but I'd say very similar. And they're running ads on. And I've caught myself many, many times standing while the gas is filling in my vehicle, watching the screen.
Again, you're a captive audience. You're doing something that's not really, needs my attention because the pump works in a way that it shuts off when it fills. So you're literally standing there watching the screen.
And I see that being very similar to the vending machines. You're a captive audience. You're making your selection.
And then you're sitting there waiting for everything to happen. And you've got that screen going 10 seconds for a business or a profession.
[Jon LaClare]
No, great point. And it's not skippable, right? You can't scroll past it or fast forward the video ad to get rid of it, right?
So you really are introducing it directly to your customers in a way that they will see it over and over again. And it gets ingrained in their minds. But it's also, I wanna describe it just for our audience that haven't seen these before.
There is no audio, right? So this is not about being in a warehouse, in a gym where you've got that audio talking to you as well. These are purely visual ads with memorable headlines, typically a QR code, a URL to go to, making it really easy for them to remember, but also to go and interact immediately with your brand.
And we'll talk about more strategies in a few minutes of the best ways to do that. So back to the location. So how does advertising inside a gym or an apartment building or a warehouse, how does it feel different than let's say like a roadside billboard that you drive past?
[Scott Brown]
Yeah, I think again, because you have the very similar audience, same people coming to it. You know, in a warehouse, you do have turnover, you do have new employees, but in general speaking, the same individuals that are working there every day are seeing it. The value in my mind in a warehouse is they're typically 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
So you're getting tremendous amount of exposure to a large group of people. The gyms typically are open at 5 a.m. till nine at night, seven days a week. Again, a lot of exposure.
It's the people that consistently come to the gym or are seeing that many, many times. And I think it's that repetition that really builds the brand for the business or profession.
[Jon LaClare]
And one additional benefit that I love about it is it's in a moment of pause, as opposed to let's say billboards. Digital, we've talked about as well, but a billboard, you're driving past it. And you might get repetition or frequency, but you're driving past it.
You can ignore it. Where this is advertising that's in a pleasant way in front of the audience, really on a daily, a constant basis so they can see over and over again. What types of business do you see that most benefit from this type of advertising?
[Scott Brown]
Yeah, I think it can be a wide range. I think it can be restaurants, home service type businesses, healthcare, attorneys. Really, I think a wide range of businesses and professions that are trying to grow their business, trying to brand themselves is an excellent way to get that and have that become a common name or a common business that are in the minds of the people that see it.
[Jon LaClare]
Very true. Just being top of mind really makes all the difference. If you serve, if you're a listener, you serve local customers, and you've got a compelling offer or a reason to remember you, this is one of the most efficient ways or best ways to truly stay top of mind.
Now, in the video ads that we help to put on these machines, they have QR codes. So they're scannable. People can scan, go right to a website.
And how do those QR codes or promo codes make this type of marketing more measurable?
[Scott Brown]
I think the ability, in today's world, you can scan that QR code with your camera on your cell phone. And the beauty of that, it automatically brings you to the information for that person. And then assuming there's a promotion related to it or whatever, it gives you that discount code so that whenever you make contact with a business or profession, you'll have that ability.
And then it's those connections with the QR code that are trackable with whether it's a business or a profession. So they can see how much traction they're getting from those kind of views.
[Jon LaClare]
Absolutely. And for those that are listening that may not be aware with QR codes, depending on how you set them up, you can track on the backend how many scans per day, how much time they spend on the site once they get there. There's a lot of tools you can use with QR codes that are very effective.
And then getting these people to visit your website, so giving them a compelling offer they come back to, it also enables the ability to retarget. So that's where it now connects into the digital world where now they've visited your website, you can retarget to them via Google, Facebook, even connected TV. You can do a lot of different marketing channels, et cetera, to communicate continually with your audience, even outside the vending machine.
Get them there first, it's an awareness driver, drive them to your website, and now you can keep reminding them. So it really connects that digital world to the physical world in a very unique way. So there's a limit on your advertisers that you've got on every screen or every machine.
There's one screen per machine, and that's 10, right? So there's no more than 10 advertisers, I believe. And why is that?
Why do you limit the number? How does that help advertisers to have fewer advertisers per screen?
[Scott Brown]
I think it gives the ability to see that repetitively much faster than if you had 20 or 30 ads on there. I think your ad gets lost as you add more and more different videos on there for a variety of customers. And so having just 10, I think really gives the power of the marketing tool that you're limiting the number of ads that are being seen.
So if I stand there for 30 seconds, there's a high probability I'm gonna see 30 to 40% of the ads, and I think that's powerful.
[Jon LaClare]
Agreed. I do want to reiterate too that no competitors are on there. So there's no two businesses of the same type.
So there's really no competition. It might be completely different businesses. And then back to that frequency we keep talking about repetition, seeing it over and over again.
When you've got a hundred ads in that space, they may never come across yours again, but with 10, you're almost guaranteed that especially with getting back if it's the same location over and over again, they're gonna see your ad multiple times and really get it ingrained until they are ready to purchase or come and buy your service or your product from you.
[Scott Brown]
I think that, again, emphasizing the exclusivity of it, it's powerful, right? If you're, say I'm a pet groomer and there's multiple pet groomers in the area and I get on 10 machines, well, you're being exposed to a lot of people seeing that repetitively and you have a higher chance of getting customers than if I added two or three of them on the same machine. So I think that exclusivity gives it much more power and advantages for the marketing of the profession or business.
[Jon LaClare]
No, it's very true. And if you think just about impressions, you could show your ad to a hundred thousand people that don't pay attention to it. In other settings, it's not gonna help you.
If you do that same ad or same approach with 5,000 people, right? A 20th the number, but they see it over and over again and they actually are in a moment of pause, that's what makes the difference. So it's not a world of just impressions.
What matters is, do they act on it, right? Do they click through? Do they get to your site?
All measurable and all impactful in businesses. And we've seen this be very successful across many different types of businesses that advertise on these machines. Now let's talk about location.
So you've got machines in gyms, offices, warehouses and apartments. How does that diversity of location help advertise if they advertise on multiple machines?
[Scott Brown]
Yeah, I think because it allows us to have a variety of demographics that are seeing the ads. You have from blue collar to professionals. And I think that gives you just a broader local reach than if it was in just specifically gyms.
And I think that's, again, very powerful in the sense that you're getting exposed to a much wider variety of individuals and giving you much more opportunity.
[Jon LaClare]
And that is very true. Also, if there is a specific business where you've got a target that only works with warehouse workers or only works with gyms and whatever that business might be, you can have the ability, just to clarify, to advertise just on one platform and just their gyms or just their warehouses, et cetera. But most advertisers find success, especially if you have a fairly broad audience in being able to advertise in multiple areas and being able to see the results differently among those who know where they're coming from, what types of locations are driving the most visitors.
Well, some people hear vending machine advertising and they underestimate it. What do they misunderstand?
[Scott Brown]
I think it's because, at least in my era, vending machine was just about getting your snack or drink. It was nothing more than that. Now, with the technology of the HMI screens, it gives you that power.
So to me, it's about the screen now. It's about getting people that are paused, as you said, standing in front of the machine and having the ability to see that ad playing while they're thinking about what they wanna choose for their drink or snack.
[Jon LaClare]
Absolutely. Well, if anybody listening is curious, again, whether they're in the Boston market or not, what's the first step to learn more about this opportunity?
[Scott Brown]
Well, I think the first step would be is we do a strategy call because what's important is to get people or businesses and professions that see the value of this. And so we need to see if it's a fit for the machines and if this is a good fit for them as well as for us. And so I think it's really doing that strategy call, then reviewing the locations that will benefit you.
And then we just go through the process of getting you signed up. It's very easy, very simple process. But I think the big thing is that strategy call.
Let's sit down and really figure out if this makes sense for their business.
[Jon LaClare]
And the way to get in touch with you is through vendingad.com. Anyone who's driving might be listening to this. It's in the show notes as always, but go to VendingAd.com if you have any questions if this might be right for your business, especially if you're a local business in the Boston area. Well, last question I have for you, Scott, is what would you say to business owners who have never tried anything like this before?
[Scott Brown]
The big thing I would say is it's very low risk. It's a small investment. And I think it's something that gives you an opportunity to really evaluate how this can impact your business.
And again, you're dealing with people that are paused that moment in life that can see that video. And again, it's the repetition of seeing that that builds that brand in their mind. And I think it's worth exploring, I believe, just because of the low cost of investing in it, and it's very low risk.
[Jon LaClare]
Very true. VendingAd.com really gives local businesses repeated real world visibility in places where people actually pause. It's a fantastic opportunity.
I encourage anybody listening, please check out the website, VendingAd.com to learn more about this. Well, Scott, thanks again for your time today.
[Scott Brown]
No, thank you.
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
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