Bar-based digital networks are an effective way for advertisers to counter ad-skipping and TV-commercial avoidance among adults ages 21-34, according to a national survey (via MarketingCharts).

An overwhelming majority — some 78% — of bar visitors surveyed could recall at least one of four advertisers that ran ads on bar-based digital screens and billboards, according to the Zoom Media & Marketing survey administered by Arbitron.

Bar visitors not only see ads on the digital screens but often remember the advertisers as well: Brand aided recall ranged from 37% to 53%.

Moreover, consumers who were exposed to the advertising were much more likely to consider certain brands as category leaders. For example, when asked what they thought the top new videogames were, twice as many people were likely to answer Assassin's Creed — one of the commercials used in the survey — compared with people not exposed to the ad.

"The bottom line is that when you combine these recall rates with the ability to significantly increase brand awareness, it's a one-two punch for advertisers looking to break though the barriers in terms of reaching this audience," said Lee Levitz, vice-president of marketing at Zoom Media & Marketing.

(MarketingCharts provides some additional findings.)

Zoom Media & Marketing recently announced an agreement to acquire Alloy's Insite Advertising business, which consists of media frames in restaurants, bars, and nightclubs throughout the United States.