Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Jacobson.
Anthony, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve been in non-traditional out of home advertising space since 1987, when we launched AJ Indoor, one of the first indoor advertising networks. We started in St. Cloud and Fargo, by placing framed print ads in the restrooms of bars and restaurants. At the time, it was a new idea, but we realized people were spending real time in these spaces, and advertisers weren’t tapping into it. Where else could you find an affordable branding medium that targeted a captive gender specific audience?
By 2000, we were in 25+ markets with a dozen franchisees, and we were approached by a radio conglomerate, who purchased the company. I stayed on board for about two years, before founding AllOver Media in 2002.
We added multiple media product offerings with AllOver Media, including gas pump ads, truck side ads, ice box wraps, print and digital indoor, coasters, door hangers, and more. Before long, we were in over 50 markets with a couple dozen franchisees and ultimately became one of the largest non-traditional media companies in the country. We went on to sell the company to a Boston based private equity firm in 2015.
In 2018, I bought back the Minneapolis indoor market and decided to bring the concept into the digital age. We changed our brand name to Social indoor and transitioned from primarily an indoor print company to aggressively installing digital screens across the country. Since then, we’ve been building a national footprint while keeping strong local relationships at the core. At the end of the day, the idea hasn’t changed. We help brands reach people in places they’re already spending time.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road…
We relaunched and began expanding Social Indoor right as COVID hit. Restaurants and bars were shutting down, venues were limiting capacity, and the very environments our business depends on were uncertain. When your model is built around social gathering spaces and those spaces are forced to close, you feel it immediately.
There were months of paused campaigns, hesitant advertisers, and venue partners just trying to survive. We had to stay flexible, support our locations, and keep a long-term mindset when short-term conditions were anything but stable. All our successes of 2018, 2019, and even 2020 were essentially wiped out due to the uncertainty of restaurants staying open.
That period forced us to be sharper operators. We leaned into digital, strengthened our franchise model, tightened our infrastructure, and built systems that could withstand disruption. It was challenging, but it also strengthened the business. In many ways, launching in that environment made us more resilient than if everything had been easy from the start.
We’ve been impressed with Social Indoor, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Social Indoor is a media company built around one core idea: reach people where they’re already spending time with an uncluttered message aimed to them via a one to one setting.
We operate digital screen networks and print advertising inside high traffic venues like bars, restaurants, breweries, gyms, and entertainment spaces. These are environments where attention is real and you are reaching an active consumer with a disposable income. You can’t scroll past or mute what’s in front of you.
What sets us apart is that we combine national scale with local ownership. Our franchise operators build strong relationships in their markets with their venue partners and local customers, while benefiting from centralized systems and national buying power. We’re not a faceless network. We’re local teams backed by real infrastructure.
What I’m most proud of is that we’ve stayed true to our roots while evolving with the times. We modernized indoor advertising without losing the human element. At the end of the day, we deliver consistent, high impact visibility in spaces where people are present and engaged.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success looks different for everyone, and it changes depending on the season of life you’re in.
For me, success has been being able to wake up every day for more than 30 years and continue building and evolving something I genuinely care about. I’ve never looked at this as just a job. It’s been an industry and a concept I’ve believed in for decades.
Success isn’t just revenue or growth. It’s longevity. It’s staying relevant as the world changes. It’s being able to adapt, modernize, and still love what you’re building. The Social Indoor brand is relevant and we purposely did not include “advertising” or “ media” in our name, because we want to be your media partner and offer a product that complements your other media choices.
If you can create something that lasts, that supports families, that provides opportunity to others, and that you’re still passionate about decades later, that’s success to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://socialindoor.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/socialindoor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Social-Indoor/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/socialindoor/
