The Mainframe

Go BIG For Valentine's Day!

2010-02-10T15:52:00.002-05:00

The first batch of personal ads to be displayed via the new CreateYourBillboard.com website will be this Sunday for Valentine's Day. We are taking orders now, and there is a limited amount of space on each of the boards. Just go to the website, select the board that is on your loved one's commute, and type in your message. Spots start at just $50 and you can pay online with any major credit card!

Introducing: CreateYourBillboard.com

2010-02-10T15:31:00.002-05:00

Back in August, we started broadcasting a live Twitter feed to our digital billboard network to demonstrate the flexibility of our brand new medium. The campaign generated a lot of attention from the community and from the media. The idea was to generate interest so that people would buy ad space on the billboards.

After a while, I started receiving calls from people who wanted to pay me to post specific tweets. A marketing assistant from a charitable organization requested that I post about their upcoming food drive. The owner of a small gift shop asked that I tweet her contact information. One woman even asked if I would congratulate her son on his college graduation.

All of this got me thinking... What if we could dip into a previously untapped market to generate revenue from unsold digital space? I quickly started drawing out the beginnings of a website where visitors could post a simple, text-based message on the digital billboard of their choice. We created a price point that would be appealing to most anyone, between $50 and $200, and put together a simple billboard template that features the only message and the headline "CreateYourBillboard.com," so the board is it's own call-to-action.

We are dipping into a whole new category of business, and why not? After all, we have one of the most flexible and effective advertising mediums in the world. Our competition? Classified ads, stick signs, greeting card companies and those people who dance with signs on the side of the road. Why would you want this when you can have this? Slots are available now. Buy one to tell your loved one how you feel on a 672 square foot canvas this Valentines Day!

The Captive Audience: Myth or Reality?

2010-01-22T07:29:00.007-05:00

Paul Flanigan shared some interesting thoughts this week, over on his excellent "Experiate" blog. Paul makes the bold assessment that "There is no such thing as a captive audience." As I read that sentence, my mind immediately shifted into gear, sifting through dozens of media examples that prove his theory wrong. After all, I've written posts about the power of billboards to do exactly that.

But the more I read, the more I agreed with Paul's statement.

"Under no circumstances are viewers forced to watch the screen. The industry has come to understand that viewer engagement is the objective in compelling messaging," The difference being that viewer engagement is based on choice, not "captivity". He goes on to say, "It is extremely important to build a strategy that serves the ultimate purpose of your digital signage: to engage your viewer."

Paul is right. We can't force people to pay attention to advertisements. And even if we could, I'm not sure that we would. After all, true brand loyalty can only exist if the consumer has the option to choose what they consume. We have to make them want to look . Viewer engagement can be achieved three ways: entertainment, relevance and usefulness.

Most ads attempt to engage viewers by being entertaining. Just watch the commercials during the Super Bowl.
Relevance is more about where, when and to whom the advertisement is delivered. A billboard in an upscale neighborhood that advertises an upcoming event at a local opera house does not have to be funny to capture the attention of it's target audience. It is simply relevant to the consumer who will see it.
Useful ads dedicate a portion of the ad space to providing topical information. "Your daily traffic report, brought to you by State Farm...." "You have 10 days until April 15th; Do your taxes at H & R Block...." And of course, money saving coupons.

These are all things that should be considered when designing ads for any medium. Our digital billboards have the ability to stand out by offering each of these features in exciting new ways. Dynamic content, new daily copy or countdowns (like the one pictured above that is currently running on the digital billboards in Tampa) are all ways that a standard billboard can be transformed into a highly engaging, effective ad.

An Education in Digital

2010-01-12T15:34:00.005-05:00

In November, I was invited to speak at Seminole Vocational Education Center by commercial arts director Chris Juul. Throughout the semester, his students work on creating a marketing campaign to promote SVEC, including a digital billboard which we offered to display on one of our signs for a few weeks in December. Chris brought myself and our Senior Graphic Designer Richard Homer to speak to the students about what works and what doesn't when it comes to outdoor advertising.

I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to share my experience with the class, and was intrigued by their level of exposure to and interest in digital outdoor advertising. When I asked the class to raise their hands if they had ever noticed a digital billboard, nearly everyone's hand shot up. It was eye-opening to see such a response. A year ago, only about 20% of the room would have responded in the affirmative to the same inquiry. It made me sad in a way, knowing that my presentations will no longer be an introduction to a whole new advertising era, now that the majority of people are familiar with digital outdoor. On the other hand, during that day at SVEC, I got to spark the imagination of the classroom on how to use the power of this new medium.

The design that was chosen was created by third-level designer Chandler Burke (pictured), who used the tagline "Build Your Future" to drive traffic to the school's website. Thank you to Chris and his class for being such a welcoming and engaging audience. I look forward to coming back to share again next year.

You can read MSN's article on SVEC's billboard project here.

UPDATE: Billboards Powered By Twitter

2010-01-12T15:19:00.003-05:00

Last April, I published an article outlining ways advertisers can benefit from publishing their Twitter feed to digital billboards. Since then, a wide variety of business (ranging from casinos to accountants!) have done just that.

More than half of all Fortune 100 companies use Twitter as a way of providing customer service and relevant information to consumers. By running a quick search, business owners can find out what people are saying about their brand in real time, effectively making Twitter the new, highly measurable word of mouth. By monitoring the business climate, and interacting with those who choose to "follow" your business, you can create a different kind of bond with customers.

"The Twitter billboard is symbolic of what our brand promise is to the marketplace, that is that we are accessible and go above and beyond in helping our clients achieve their business goals," said Howard Epstein CPA. "The reality is that in today's world of 24/7 media, we have to constantly find new ways to be found and communicate our message."

The Twitter feed is managed by the client and filtered for content to prevent inappropriate text from running. Since last June, Clear Channel Outdoor has displayed news updates and useful information on Twitter billboards throughout the bay area, via @BillboardTweets.

Embracing Change

2009-11-19T07:01:00.004-05:00

When comparing outdoor advertising to other mediums, we often mention the simplicity of our medium. Billboards are advertising in it's purest form. We have no content to deliver. We don't have to worry about editorializing, on-air personalities, delivering an agenda, adjusting our content to reach a wider demographic or retaining talent. And best of all, our ratings come to us. Nothing we do will hurt or improve our viewership.

We've always looked at this simplicity as a benefit, because let's face it, we really had no other choice. But with the advent of digital billboards, we do have a choice. We could utilize unsold space to turn our screens into a dynamic channel of content. This would give us the power to improve the amount of attention paid to our signs, by offering information that is relevant to consumers. But do we really want to subject ourselves to the perils and pitfalls that other mediums must face as a result of taking control of content?

To be honest, we have everything to gain, and nothing to lose. The fragmentation of TV, radio and print is a result of the consumer's ability to choose their channel, which is not a concern with outdoor advertising. We represent an unusually dominant medium, which maintains its presence day in and day out. You can't change the channel, turn the page or turn us off.

Digital billboard operators should be thinking like program managers. We should continually be asking ourselves how we can transform each billboard into a more engaging, dynamic canvas. What kind of useful information can we deliver to our uniquely captive audience? How can we showcase the power of the digital technology? Can we add something to the cultural landscape? We have the ability to update the boards in minutes, so we have the power to create a dialogue with consumers. We can actually take part in (and eventually become) the water cooler conversation.

Embracing this mentality is the only way we can change the perception that a digital sign is "just a billboard that does tricks." The ad industry is starting to understand that we are witnessing the birth of a powerful new medium. One that offers a very different set of benefits from traditional outdoor.

Context is Key

2009-11-17T07:07:00.011-05:00

It's one of the most successful and often imitated advertisements of the late 20th century. With two simple words, the copy line invades our space and makes us stop in our tracks and think... Have I "Got Milk?"

Why does the "Got Milk?" campaign work so well? In his book Rhetoric: A User's Guide, John D. Ramage explains that the consumer's response to a particular ad partially depends on the relationship between the time and place of the consumer, and the time and place in which the ad was created. It's all about context. If a tagline or slogan is able to position itself as being relevant by showing that it lives in a world similar to ours, we're much more likely to respond.

From the middle of October, until the first week of January, our minds and checkbooks are fixated on the holiday season. Pumpkins and turkeys give way to stockings and presents, and before we know it we're ringing in the new year. Middleton Pest Control has been using outdoor advertising for a long time, but their new digital outdoor campaign is setting itself apart by taking context into consideration. Their original "Trick or Treatment" design was replaced on November 1st with a design featuring a roach-infested Thanksgiving feast.

The flexibility of the medium allows Middleton to easily swap out one message for another, continually mirroring the buzz that surrounds each passing holiday. The timeliness of the campaign maximizes its effectiveness, and keeps the message top-of-mind in an especially oversaturated season for advertising.

Injured? Why Wait?

2009-11-16T13:13:00.002-05:00

It's never a "good" time to get hurt, but we can tell you when it's a good time to visit the hospital.

Last May, I wrote a post outlining some creative ways for hospitals to utilize digital billboards. One of the options I mentioned was to use a live feed to broadcast the current wait time in the emergency room. Brandon Regional Hospital has been broadcasting ER wait times on their website for some time, but now they are using Clear Channel's digital billboards to broadcast the info to thousands of commuters every day. The campaign showcases one of outdoor advertising's greatest strengths: the ability reach a convenient, susceptible consumer.

HCA, the parent company of Brandon Regional Hospital, is pairing the billboard campaign, with a text message service that will deliver the info directly to your cellphone. Simply text "ER" to 23000 to receive the current wait times for the 3 nearest hospitals. HCA spokesperson Ed Fishbough said the company has been "very pleased" with the results of the ad campaign.

Today's consumer wants access to information on-demand. Blackberrys and iPhones are making that kind of information increasingly obtainable, but as we all know, texting while driving is not recommended. Marketers are discovering that digital outdoor advertising can deliver the same kind of relevant content while people are away from home and active in the marketplace.

Setting Up The E! News Digital Billboards

2009-09-09T14:11:00.005-04:00

Digital billboards have been making lots of headlines over the past few days. Ad Age, Media Week and several industry bloggers have all reported on the E! News channel's decision to use digital outdoor displays in several markets, including Tampa.

125 billboards, 12 in the Tampa Bay area, will provide commuters with dynamic headlines that are pulled directly from a website. "The ability to test different headlines in different ways is very interesting to us," said Annemarie Batur, VP-marketing and advertising, E! Entertainment. "E! News is all about what's happening in that moment. The fact that we will now have the ability to change out headlines as breaking news happens will be a great way to see how we drive traffic."

Here's how we set it up. First we uploaded the background image with Ryan Seacrest, Giuliana Rancic and a yellow background on which the live headline could be placed. Next we added the dynamic content item. To do so, first we enter the address of the website from which we want to pull the headline; http://www.eonline.com/ for example.

Next, we need to indicate which piece of text from the webpage we want to place on the billboards. To do this, we need to look at the website's html code. You can look at the code of any website just by clicking "Source" in the "View" menu of your Internet Explorer browser. Once we find the desired headline in the code, we look at the last piece of text before the desired headline, and the first piece of text after the desired headline. We enter these "tags" into our software so that the program knows to pull the text in between the tags.

Now, any text that is entered in that spot on the webpage will automatically appear on the digital billboards. From there, we can adjust it's placement, font, color and size. Essentially, whomever is updating the website is changing the billboards simultaneously. The picture below shows the "Dynamic Content Editor" screen in our software, where we make the magic happen.

Some local advertisers, such as Action Air Conditioning and the Transitions Championship have already used this type of live feed on their digital billboards. What has me particularly excited about the the E! News campaign, is that it indicates that national advertisers are starting to jump on board with the capabilities of our new medium.

A Turning Point For Digital Creative?

2009-09-14T14:25:00.006-04:00

Whenever something new comes along, there are always early adopters. But it usually takes time for game-changers like digital billboards to become a natural part of the ad planning process. With all of the cool things digital billboards are capable of, the fact remains; the medium is only as powerful as the creative message it displays.

While digital outdoor advertising has been one of the fastest growing segments of the ad industry, we've only seen a handful of advertisers push the creative possibilities to their limits. This seems to be changing.

In the past few weeks, several exciting campaigns have launched here in Tampa. In addition to E! News, Fox Sports is currently advertising weekly headlines for their Fox NFL Sunday program. And instead of cramming all 6 co-hosts onto one billboard design, they are rotating several designs, each one featuring two of the on-air personalities.

In anticipation of the premiere of the all new Jay Leno Show, our local NBC affiliate is running a live countdown, which keeps Tampa informed of how much longer they'll have to wait to see the new 10pm comedy program. Down to the minute. Talk about building anticipation!

Back for a 3rd consecutive year, Universal Studios Orlando is using our digital network to tease the theme for this Fall's Halloween Horror Nights. The boards feature classic horror movie villains, such as Chucky and The Wolfman, announcing their eventually takeover of the theme park starting September 25th.

Paper-Thin Digital Displays

2009-09-02T14:40:00.007-04:00

I'm always on the lookout for potential game-changers in the development of digital billboard technology. Billboard companies have experimented with alternative technologies in a few cities, LED technology probably won't be completely replaced any time soon.

Meanwhile, Sony and Samsung have been tapping into OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology to make sleek, thin screens for televisions and cellphones. However, brightness is still an issue. What looks great on a television in an artificially lit room, simply can't overcome natural sunlight.

Interestingly enough, Ford Motor Company began the research project that might be the next big breakthrough in digital out-of-home advertising. Originally intended as a way to make brake lights that blend seamlessly with the contour of a car, ILEDs (inorganic light-emitting diodes) can also be printed on thin, flexible materials, but are much brighter than OLEDs.

What does this mean to the outdoor advertising industry? In addition to improved portability and ease of installation, digital billboards would become much more energy-efficient, since ILED technology doesn't require a backlight. Such screens could be applied to the surface of existing billboards like wallpaper, allowing advertisers to change their message remotely.

Of course, it's still very new and very expensive, so it may be a long time before we're seeing cityscapes like the ones in Minority Report or Bladerunner.

Own The Intersection

2009-08-28T16:30:00.004-04:00

(Click photo to enlarge)

The local law firm of Abrahamson, Uiterwyk & Barnes recently decided to shift some of their Yellow Page dollars to an outdoor advertising campaign. 27 billboards, emblazoned with the faces of Eric Abrahamson & Mary Jane "MJ" Arbutine, are now catching the attention of motorists across the Tampa Bay area.

As the attorneys were hand-selecting their billboard locations, they came across two 14' x 48' bulletins that are positioned across the street from each other on Ulmerton Road in Clearwater. When faced with the challenge of picking between the two, they simply said, "Why don't we just buy them both?"

The result is the towering presence of Abrahamson on the north side of the road, and Arbutine on the south side, making a bold statement about the strength and prestige of their firm. Instead of sharing a printed page with a handful of competitors, why not dominate your competition as the sole owner of a high-traffic billboard? And if possible, own the intersection!

Wi-Fi Enabled Bus Shelters in San Francisco

2009-08-27T16:10:00.005-04:00

An interesting bit of news came out of our San Francisico division this week. Clear Channel Outdoor has built a network of 20 transit shelters, which double as Wi-Fi hotspots. In addition to displaying an advertising message on the shelter's static banners, sponsors will be positioned as the provider of free internet service, which will be accessible within 30 feet of the shelter.

The scenario would work something like this: as you approach the transit shelter which has been branded with the sponsor's logo, your cell phone or internet enabled device will pick up free service from the wireless box inside the shelter. When you open up your browser, you'll be directed to the sponsor's web page before continuing with your internet session.

I love the idea of positioning your brand as the "Free Wi-Fi Provider." It's a great way to pair your marketing with a service that's genuinely valuable to the consumer. Additionally, by combining the shelter ad with the redirect to your home page, it creates an immersive experience for the customer.

You can watch an awesome video demonstration of a client using this technology here.

Ocala Goes Digital

2009-08-21T15:42:00.002-04:00

November 4th, 2006. I'll always remember it as the day we turned on the first digital billboard in Tampa Bay. It represented so much more than the installation of a 14' x 48' LED screen on a 50 foot monopole. That day marked the beginning of a new era in outdoor advertising in Tampa.

I work with several individuals who were a part of this business when every billboard was hand-painted or pasted up in sections, like wallpaper. Those individuals were here when we began to print our billboards on sheets of vinyl, which drastically improved our productivity and turnaround times. But even the transition to vinyl could not compare to the impact that digital has had on our business.

Since 2006, over 150 advertisers have used our digital billboard network to reach Tampa Bay consumers with a timely, dynamic message. And now we can offer the same exciting opportunities in the Ocala market. Clear Channel Outdoor's first back-to-back digital billboard was installed today on SW 17th Street, just west of US 441 in the heart of Ocala. The unique location has a long viewing distance and reaches commuters as they come to the crest of the overpass.

In addition to offering high-impact advertising to local and national businesses, Ocala is committed to using their digital billboards for community service messages, hurricane evacuation information and for helping the FBI to track down wanted criminals. I've spoken with Ocala's Digital Manager, Matt Adams, and he's got several more exciting tricks up his sleeve for the digital network. I'll be sure to post updates as they unveil more. For more info, email mattadams@clearchannel.com or follow him on Twitter: @mattadamscco.

Why Did I Go Into The Billboard Business?

2009-08-18T15:17:00.012-04:00

Paul Flanigan, author of the Experiate blog, inspired me with his post about why he works in the digital signage business. People often ask me why, with all of the various forms of media today, did I choose outdoor advertising. It's true that my intentions after school were always to embark on a career in the advertising industry, but when I think about what made me choose billboards, I have to go back to my childhood.

I grew up in a little town about an hour north of Tampa, Florida. At the time, there was no mall, no department stores, no Target, not even a Walmart. The acquisition of any kind of name-brand merchandise required a trip to Tampa. When one of us needed new school clothes or a new pair of basketball shoes, my parents, my siblings and I would load up in the car and make a day out of it. We'd visit the mall, maybe the Museum of Science and Industry or Lowry Park Zoo, and catch a late afternoon movie.

Unable to read street signs, I had to gauge our proximity to the big city by the sudden appearance of landmarks that were foreign to our little town.... Billboards! As we got nearer to downtown, they welcomed us to the city with their colorful painted characters and slogans. Chick-Fil-A cows painted their pleas for us to "Eat Mor Chikin." Snoopy proclaimed, "Get Met, It Pays." And the Marlboro Man sat proudly on his horse as the sun set in the background. Our fascination with the roadside signs sprung from the same place that made us love dinosaurs, spaceships and monster trucks... They were HUGE!! And we were so small.

As I got older, the billboards looked a little smaller, and when I moved to Tampa for college, they became a common sight as I drove around town. But they always fascinated me. And I think the child in us makes each of us want to feel like we're a part of something much bigger than ourselves. Having worked with hundreds of clients with various marketing needs, I can personally attest to the power of such a dominant and penetrating medium, and each time I look up at a billboard that I was a part of, I still get that same sense of awe and achievement.

Now Playing: Ads That Reach A Captive Audience

2009-08-17T15:36:00.005-04:00

Cinema advertising is flourishing despite the lagging economy. As people flock to theaters for a relatively inexpensive means of entertainment, advertisers are rushing to meet them.

Personally, I have seen four movies in as many weeks, and have been noticing the advertising more than ever. I started thinking about the benefits of movie screen advertising, and wondered if it's really that much different from advertising on billboards. National Cinemedia is a leader in the industry, and as I browsed their website I noticed some familiar phrases:

"Most media audiences are scattered. Some watch TV, others talk on the phone, podcast, play video games, or worse…they do all of the above simultaneously. Cinema advertising is completely different. It's no mystery that we deliver a full sight, sound and motion experience on a larger-than-life canvas. But that's not the only advantage cinema has over other media outlets. Our audience is engaged, and they're voluntary - perhaps that's why moviegoers remember ads in the cinema 1.5 to 4 times more than they remember the same ads on TV."

Hmm... Engaged audience. Larger-than-life canvas. Memorability. Sounds familiar.

It's true when you think about it; cinema advertising and billboard advertising have a lot in common. They both reach people who are on the way to where they're going, unlike television, print and radio, which try to sprinkle advertising throughout the main attraction, interrupting and annoying consumers.

Additionally, both mediums recognize the dangers of maintaining the status-quo. Developments in technology have allowed companies like National Cinemedia to offer customers flexible, dynamic ways to reach audiences with a message that's exciting. Digital billboard technology is revolutionizing the outdoor industry in a similar way, by letting advertisers present a changeable message on a dynamic, backlit screen.

When you compare the benefits and business models, it's no wonder that both mediums are projecting strong growth in the coming years.

Getting To Know Your Audience

2009-08-11T13:27:00.008-04:00

The more relevant an advertising message is to a consumer, the more effective it will be. If you take the time to consider where your target audience will be and what they will be doing when your message is delivered, you can construct a more relevant, and therefore more effective message.

Radio commercials use the unnerving sounds of police sirens and squealing tires to grab your attention. Television commercials display slow-motion footage of mouthwatering food while you're sitting on the couch, wondering what's for dinner. Likewise, billboards messages can be constructed to cater to an audience on-the-go.

Start by creating a list of things you know, or can infer about people who see billboards.

These people are usually in a car...
They might be listening to their radio...
They might be talking on a cell phone...
The should be wearing a seat belt...
Maybe they have a passenger or two...
They might have a navigation system or GPS...
They will eventually need gas...
Are they hungry?...
Are they tired?...
Are they late for something?...
Are they lost?...

Now think about your product and create a tagline or image that caters to one of these characteristics about your audience. This will give the ad the appearance of having been personalized for the audience.

Billboards reach people while they're active in the marketplace and prepared to buy. This gives the advertiser the 'last word' in the consumer's buying cycle. Even more timely are digital billboards, which can target people with specific messages for specific times of day, or days of the week. Click through the slides below to see some great examples of advertisers who have effectively capitalized on the unique timeliness of outdoor advertising.

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'Going Google' campaign is going with billboards

2009-08-05T11:18:00.005-04:00

Google's decision to employ billboards as a key part of their marketing campaign for their "Google Apps" program, makes a strong case for the value of outdoor advertising. After all, when the most powerful brand in the world does something, people pay attention.

Some experts applaud Google's use of billboards as a strategic way to "get a bigger bang using fewer bucks." Others insist that Google should have employed digital billboards, since the signs will sport a new message each day. Personally, I'm just excited to learn that the search giant is taking advantage of one of the few remaining mass mediums. Billboards are too often unfairly dismissed as being antiquated relics of the past. The reality is that outdoor advertising is positioned nicely to benefit from the growing fragmentation of most other mediums.

I'm a huge advocate for digital signage. But, the power of outdoor advertising is in its ability to cut through the clutter and reach a captive audience. And regardless of whether it's displayed by an LED screen or on a printed vinyl, putting your message on a billboard offers a cost effective way to ensure that you stand out from the crowd.

The Importance of Adaptability

2009-08-04T10:24:00.004-04:00

There is a BP gas station next door to our office. The convenience of it's proximity is great. Sometimes bringing a bag of M&Ms to a brainstorming session, or drinking a soda during an afternoon conference call can make the workday much more enjoyable. The owners know our staff and always greet us with a friendly smile.

Recently, the store had to replace their underground fuel tanks, which meant they couldn't sell any gasoline for almost 3 weeks. This had the potential to be a deadly blow to our friendly neighbors. A gas station without gas is a challenged business model, to say the least.

The construction began, and I started to notice some changes. A handmade sign went up near the street letting drivers know that the BP was still open for business. The owners began cooking homemade meals for breakfast and lunch, and they graciously asked us to post their "specials" in the break room at our office. Employees started heading to the BP for a new lunch destination, and people started talking in our hallways about how surprisingly good the food was. Though the gas pumps were dry, the store was bustling with customers and I started to think maybe the little store would make it after all.

This morning I stopped in for a snack and noticed that the construction was nearly complete. When I asked the cashier how much longer, he told me it would be finished this week. He was beaming with pride, relieved that his family had pulled together and weathered this tough time.

Most businesses have seen their share of tough times in the past year or so. Some sit on their hands and wait for the storm to blow over. Others embrace the new business climate, and adapt their business model accordingly. It's important to work hard, think smart and remain positive. But more than anything, it's important to be adaptable. How are you changing your approach to ensure your company's continued success?

Introducing 'Microsoft Tags'

2009-07-30T15:58:00.004-04:00

What if real life was more like the internet, and you could learn more about things just by pointing and clicking? Microsoft has found a way to do just that.

Microsoft Tags are colorful little bar codes that can transform pretty much anything into a live link for accessing a web page through your mobile phone. By adding the bar code to a billboard, bus shelter, t-shirt, business card, or any other object, advertisers can direct people to a specified website. After downloading the free "Tags" app to their phone, consumers simply point their camera phone at the bar code and snap a photo, and they are immediately directed to the specified web page.

This technology will allow advertisers to drive traffic to their websites via offline advertising mediums. Additionally, it will give billboards and print media the same "click-through" measurability that internet ads have always offered. Reports can be created that show number of "scans" per day. Like any other breakthrough, this will only succeed if it becomes commonplace, but I'd say it's likely that Microsoft will put a significant amount of muscle behind this one.

Click here to learn more about Tags.

Designing for Digital

2009-07-27T16:13:00.002-04:00

One of the most common questions I hear is whether designing a digital billboard is much different than designing a traditional vinyl billboard. Technically, the answer is no. Digital billboards are capable of displaying any color imaginable, and during the day they're almost indistinguishable from traditional billboards. However, there are certain things you can do to take advantage of the unique qualities of the LED technology.

First and foremost, remember that you're literally painting with light. The face of the billboard is made up of hundreds of thousands of tiny light bulbs which recreate the image that you've designed digitally. Embrace this fact by starting with a black background. When you see black on a digital billboard, you're seeing the absence of any lights, so anything you place on top of this canvas will stand out prominently. Conversely, white backgrounds are created by burning all the bulbs at maximum intensity, so anything you add will be inherently dimmer than the background itself.

Another point to consider, is that sunspots, glares and polished or beveled edges will add a dynamic new dimension to your layout. This is because they are being reproduced with actual light, instead of a painter's rendition of what light looks like. As always, remember the cardinal rule for designing any outdoor ad; "Simple is better!" It would be a shame to ruin the beautiful, backlit canvas of a digital billboard by adding a ton of unnecessary copy. After all, you can rotate as many designs as you want, so why not break it up and keep each design simple?

Bay News 9 coverage of BillboardTweets

2009-07-21T10:03:00.003-04:00

After receiving numerous calls and emails inquiring about the Twitter billboards, reporter Laurie Davisson decided to do a segment explaining what our little project is all about...

BillboardTweets in The Tampa Tribune

2009-07-17T09:19:00.004-04:00

Tampa Tribune columnist Richard Mullins called me this week to discuss BillboardTweets, our Twitter account that is being published live to our digital billboards. Mullins writes:

"Would you like to see your Tweet up in lights, perhaps on 12 Jumbotrons
around Tampa Bay roads? Ryan Frazier gets to do that. Clear Channel Outdoor is experimenting with putting Twitter messages on its 12 Tampa Bay digital billboards, mixing in the 140-character-or-less messages among ads for restaurants, car dealers and lawyers."

The article goes on to explain that every time I update the Twitter account with a new headline, or "tweet," the digital billboards update as well, giving me the ability to reach the entire bay area instantly. I can even update the message from my mobile phone. The idea was meant to encourage advertisers to take advantage of this incredible technology, and now that this article has come out, I can't wait to see who starts "tweeting to billboards" first!

To read the entire article click here.

Digital Billboards: The Movie

2009-07-15T16:12:00.004-04:00

This is a pretty slick little video that outlines some of the benefits of digital outdoor. It also has a ton of great creative examples of how the product has been used across the country. Pass the popcorn, please!

Don't wait for the "Bounce-Back"

2009-07-14T15:36:00.004-04:00

Microsoft's chief executive Steve Ballmer recently made some interesting assessments about the global advertising industry. "I don't think we are in a recession, I think we have reset," he said. "A recession implies recovery [to pre-recession levels] and for planning purposes I don't think we will."

Ballmer argued that traditional media companies need to expect a smaller share of the advertising market, as dollars continue to shift toward digital mediums. "All content consumed will be digital, we can [only] debate if that may be in one, two, five or 10 years," said Ballmer.

Digital outdoor advertising is positioned to be one of the key beneficiaries in this shift, projecting year-over-year growth in the double digits through at least 2011. Unlike internet ads, digital billboards don't have to compete with content for the viewer's attention. They create timely opportunities for advertisers to reach a captive consumer audience.

Is your business waiting for the economy to "bounce back" or are you formulating a strategy for adapting to the new "reset" media landscape?