Author Archive for Neal Spencer – Page 5

Billboards Take “Interactive” to a New Level

Tweeting billboard

It’s so advanced, you don’t even have to be close to the billboard to interact with it!  As a part of their “Bank Human” campaign, TD Bank in New Jersey invited consumers to “say ‘hi’ and we will say ‘hi’ back.” They ran a billboard campaign in New York, Boston and Philadelphia that would “talk back” to anyone who tweeted to #humanhello.  The billboard nearest to the person’s location would then flash a personal message and a photo of the message would be tweeted back to the sender.  The bank’s ad agency, Tierney, says interaction of any type is a great way to engage consumers.  They say this campaign “broadened the potential audience of what could have been a limited out of home campaign.”  Response to the campaign has been positive, with one person even tweeting that the billboards made his commute easier…the tweet said, “Driving 2 hours each way is a little better with the funny #humanhello billboards.”

UGA Takes Bulldog Pride to Atlanta Billboards

Bulldog billboards Atlanta billboards

The University of Georgia announced a new advertising campaign last week.  Images of the collegiate powerhouse will now be seen on more that 40 billboards around  Metro Atlanta and in the Athens area.  Senior Associate Athletic Director Andy Platt says, “We’re proud to be one of the most powerful brands in college athletics and want to effectively tell our story.” Platt goes on to say, “As part of our new multi media campaign, we want to have a strong digital presence in Atlanta and give fans and alumni a great sense of pride as they approach Athens.”  So why does such a powerful brand feel the need to advertise in their home state where they are already so well known and popular?  Maybe because schools in neighboring states are encroaching on their territory.  Auburn and Clemson have long been running billboard campaigns in the Atlanta area with the hopes of luring some of Georgia’s best and brightest, so maybe Georgia doesn’t want to leave the choice to chance.  The billboards could serve as a reminder to Atlanta area prospects of how sweet it is to be a part of the “Dawg Nation.”  In addition to the digital billboards around the metro, several standard billboards can be seen on Highway 316, a route often traveled by fans on game day.

Clever Billboards Provide A Workout

powerade billboard Atlanta billboards
The makers of Powerade don’t just want to tell consumers that their product can help recovery after a workout, they want to show it!  The company launched a series of billboards in Berlin, Germany that offer a quick workout on three billboards…one with a pull down bar, a rock climbing wall and a padded billboard consumers can punch that will show the force of the blow.  The billboard pictured above allows users to pull down on the bar and actually lift the billboard off of the ground.  The climbing wall rotates indefinitely so users can climb as long as they like.  These challenges make them thirsty, so there are street teams on hand to give out free Powerade.  It’s a great stunt because the billboards are not only eye catching and interactive, but they provide a quick workout…and who can resist a physical challenge?   Not us…bring these workouts and samples to Atlanta billboards!

McDonald’s Billboard Draws a Crowd

McDonalds billboard Atlanta billboard

What is the best way to draw a crowd with your billboard?  Offer something free.  McDonald’s in the Netherlands found this out first hand when they did a sidewalk billboard in Amsterdam that held empty McFlurry cups in a locked case.  It also helps when the country is in the midst of a record heat wave. The billboard promised that if and when the temperature reached 101 degrees, the case would unlock and passersby could retrieve a cup that they could then take to the closest McDonald’s to be filled with the treat to help them beat the heat.  As the temperature rose, a crowd gathered, waiting for the release.  At 12:38 pm, the temperature hit the mark and the heat sensitive lock sounded a bell and opened the door to allow anyone there to grab a cup.  Despite this being a one time thing, it generated quite a buzz…publications worldwide have done stories on the billboard.  Maybe McDonald’s will run the campaign here in Atlanta…we are known for the heat here in “Hotlanta!”

New Study Says Digital Billboards are Highly Effective

March Madness billboardsNew Nielson study says digital billboards are the most memorable form of advertising among consumers.  Nielson conducted an online survey of more than 1200 people in 5 major metro areas, including Atlanta, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Phoenix and Tampa.  The majority of their respondents felt that the digital ads “stood out more” compared to other ad media.  More than half of the travelers who noticed a digital billboard in the past month were highly engaged, recalling the message every time they passed the billboard.   In addition, the study found that travelers appreciated the immediacy and timeliness in which digital billboards could relay messages.  “Digital Out of Home is part of advertising’s future, and digital billboards offer brands a quick and flexible solution to target today’s consumer,” says Outdoor Advertising Association of America CMO Stephen Freitas.  He goes on to say, “Communities are impressed by the medium’s ability  to drive awareness and business.”  The top performing brand categories on digital billboards were entertainment, gaming, quick service restaurants, recreation and sporting events.  There are approximately 6,100 digital billboards nationwide.

Neal Spencer Gets Top Honors at World Expo

UFG revised

Billboard Connection’s Senior Marketing Consultant, Neal Spencer, received top honors at the 2015 Billboard Connection World Expo, held last month in Las Vegas.  Neal was honored by Billboard Connection founder and President, Don Varner, with both the President’s Award and the Team Player award.

The President’s Award is given to the agency that displays an “outstanding contribution to success and growth of the company.”  The Team Player award goes to “exceptional individuals who have continually exemplified the true spirit of teamwork.”  Neal says, “It’s a great honor to receive these awards, especially because there are so many exceptional people in this company deserving of the honors.”  Neal works out of Billboard Connection’s Atlanta office and has access to all billboards in every U.S. market.

 

Apple Creates Largest Mobile Gallery in History

Apple iPhone Gallery Atlanta Billboards

Apple and TBWA/Media Art Lab recently won their second Cannes Grand Prix prize in three years…they did it by creating what they are calling the “largest mobile photography gallery in history.”  The company took photos from 162 iPhone users and put them on billboards.  The result?  More than 10,000 billboard in 73 cities and 25 countries featuring photos taken with iPhones.  The photos included everything from simple water droplets or flower close ups to intricate landscapes and buildings.  The pair also won a Grand Prix press prize in 2013 for the ads on the back of magazines that showed ads iPad size.

iPhone waterfall Atlanta billboards

Man Uses Lottery Winnings to Help Spread Awareness

Breast Cancer Atlanta Billboards

For Jack Maier, it’s personal. And painful.  But the 79 year old is hoping that by putting his messages on billboards, others may be spared the pain he’s suffered, not only from losing his wife to breast cancer, but also from the molestation he suffered decades ago. Maier said his wife, Myrna, was tested every year.  “I don’t know what happened.  What a beautiful woman she was,”  he said.

In addition to the messages urging women to get screened for breast cancer, Maier has also paid for billboards with messages about sexual predators who target children.  Those billboards bear the message of “Please don’t let another childhood be stolen,” next to a photo of a disappearing child on a swing. Maier only recently began talking about his own molestation that he kept secret for more than 60 years.

He’s funding the billboards with his lottery winnings, which came after he changed his usual numbers by one.  He says he usually plays numbers like family birthdays, his 1970 wedding anniversary and Christmas.   This time though, he says he decided not to play Christmas.  “I changed it to the number 24 and, by golly, three days later, I won it.  Baby Jesus was born on the 25th.  I just felt like he did not like that I gambled,”  Maier said.  He says he will continue to buy billboard space “until he runs out of money.”

Which Brands Are Considered Most Patriotic?

Patriotic Coke Atlanta billboardIndependence Day brings out the Patriot in all of us, and during this time, we like to share that feeling , not only with our fellow Americans, but also the brands we use most.  A New York based brand loyalty and customer engagement research consultancy, Brand Keys, has released their list of brands that Americans consider most patriotic.  It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Coca-Cola is in the top 5.

The founder of Brand Keys says it’s all about believability.  Robert Passikoff says, “The more engaged a consumer with a particular emotional value and the associated brand, the more likely they will trust that emotion and act positively on that belief.” He says that if a brand can establish an emotional connection, consumers are six times more likely to act on that belief.

The firm polled more than 5400 consumers between the ages of 16 and 65 using over 230 brands. Jeep came in at #1, followed by Coca-Cola, Disney, Ralph Lauren and Levi Strauss.  Other brands that made the top 10 were Ford, Harley Davidson, Apple and Gatorade.  To see the complete list of the top 25 brands, click here.

Train Safety Campaign Comes to Georgia

railroad

Georgia has been chosen for this year’s Norfolk Southern railroad safety campaign, “Train Your Brain.” Billboards, like the one above, can be seen throughout central and south Georgia on the I-75 corridor from Macon to Valdosta. A spokesperson for Norfolk Southern says the images are intended to grab attention and the goal of the campaign “is to save lives by educating people that trying to beat a train across the railroad tracks or walking or playing on tracks is potentially deadly and always illegal.”

The company says they chose Georgia because of “the high number of deaths and injuries resulting from vehicle-train and trespassing incidents.”  Data from the Federal Railroad Administration ranks Georgia fifth highest in the country in highway-rail crossing collisions and 10th highest in trespassing incidents in 2014.  This is the ninth year for the railroad safety campaign, and in addition to billboards, the safety messages will be posted on gas pumps, ice chests at convenience stores and even on homework folders in some elementary schools.