Archive for billboards

Atlanta Makes Top 10 List

November 8, 2018 by Neal Spencer
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Which Top 10 List did Atlanta make this time? We barely scraped in to the list of Top 10 Cities with Longest Commute Times.  Maybe not the list any of us commuters in Atlanta want to be on, but nonetheless we are. It could be worse…we could be higher on the list, so let’s count our blessings that there are 9 cities rated higher than us in this poll.

Among those blessings in that long commute are billboards…they can benefit both the commuters looking at them as well as the businesses advertising on them.

Many of the commuters are no doubt thinking about what they have to do when the commute ends…cook dinner, cut the grass, buy a gift for a party this weekend, or any other task that will have to be done when they get home. Billboards allow advertisers to promote goods and services that can solve any of those problems, and getting the word out benefits their bottom line.

Here are the Top 10 Cities with the Longest Commutes, shown in minutes for a one way drive.

  1. New York, NY                 34.7
  2. Long Island, NY             33.3
  3. Washington, DC             32.8
  4. Newark, NJ                      31.1
  5. Chicago, IL                      30.8
  6. Boston, MA                     30.4
  7. Oakland, CA                    29.9
  8. Riverside, CA                  29.8
  9. Baltimore, MD               29.4
  10. Atlanta, GA                    29.2

So now let’s flip to the other side…the Top 10 Cities with the Shortest Commute times, also shown in minutes for a one way drive.

  1. Buffalo, NY                     20.3
  2. Columbus, OH               21.8
  3. Hartford, CT                  22.3
  4. Milwaukee, WI             22.3
  5. Las Vegas, NV               22.5
  6. Memphis, TN                22.5
  7. Virginia Beach, VA       22.6
  8. San Diego, CA                23.0
  9. W. Palm Beach, FL       23.0
  10. Cincinnati, OH             23.2

Before you go packing up heading to Buffalo, readying to leave the long Atlanta commute times behind, remember they get A LOT of snow. And it’s super cold up there way longer than here.

But if you do decide to leave Atlanta, remember, Billboard Connection can help with your billboard needs anywhere.  Just give us a call at 770-391-8528 for your free consultation.  We even answer when we’re sitting in traffic.

Categories : Atlanta West Georgia Billboards Tags : , , , ,

Billboards Work! Here’s Why You Should Be Using Them

October 19, 2018 by Neal Spencer
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Part of the charm of the southern-style restaurant chain Cracker Barrel is its penchant for “old” things.  But that’s also what’s helping it grow.  With the coming of the digital age, some may consider traditional vinyl billboards an “old” style of advertising.  But Cracker Barrel is spending nearly half of their advertising budget on them and they are killing it.  Analysts say the chain is expected to reach an annual growth rate above 10 percent!

It could be the delicious looking food they feature on the billboards, or the fact that their stores are purposely placed to be convenient for highway travelers, making the billboards easy to direct hungry customers.  Either way, it’s working.

But how?  Some say it’s because even though we have ads thrown at us in all directions as we use our smart phones, we have learned to ignore the clutter.  But we take notice of real life things like billboards.

So if you’re looking to up the ante at your business, consider billboards in your advertising budget.  Here are four tips on running a successful campaign:

  1. Take a page from someone else’s book.  Outdoor advertising is clearly working for Cracker Barrel and other brands.  Take their ideas and adapt them to fit your own brand, product or service.
  2. Create a great message and graphics.  Because the billboards still exist in such an interactive environment, the need to be eye catching and unique. Think about how to make your ad an attraction in its own right.  That’s how brands get noticed in big cities that are inundated with ads and billboards.
  3. Know your audience. Most of the people that see your ad will be traveling or commuting.  Speak to their needs and try to meet them on common ground.
  4. Use embellishments when possible.  Some brands, like Coca Cola and Carlsberg beer, used taps to dispense their products to passersby.  A cupcake shop made their billboard design completely out of cupcakes that they iced while stuck to the board.  If using something like this isn’t possible, make sure your graphics are as eye catching as possible.  Billboard Connection has award winning graphic designers to help you with this process.

If you are interested in learning more about getting a billboard for your business, click here or call 770-391-8528.

 

This article was adapted from one written by Drew McLellan for Entrepreneur magazine.

 

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Students Work as Walking Billboards

August 6, 2018 by Neal Spencer
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There is a new generation of jobs on campus for college students these days…now they don’t have to work in the mailroom or cafeteria…they can be walking billboards!  A startup company called “Nomad” is equipping students with technology to walk around with advertising on their backs.

Nomad was started by 23 year old University of Washington alumnus Jonah Friedl.  Friedl said the idea came from when he was in school at the university and working at a restaurant.  Management at the restaurant wanted him to come up with an idea to get more college kids to dine there.  Traditionally, a company would have put a person with a sign on campus.  But Friedl said he didn’t think that would work.  “If we want to put people on campus, put representatives on campus, it’s really hard to do that – hard to track, hard to manage.  So we thought we could build some technology to help us out with that.”

The program works by having student “Nomads” who either lease an iPad from the company or use their own download the app.  When they need to walk on campus and want to work, they simply open the app and click “start advertising.”  Sensors in the iPad screen tell the company which areas they go to and how many interactions they have, then Friedl tracks it.  The app is controlled so Nomads can only work at appropriate times, while times like 1am on Monday morning would not be available to work.

The data collected by the iPad is charted and shows the density of exposure and where the Nomad is getting the most impressions.  Sometimes, the Nomad hands out a business card with a code.  The technology can track the code then see how it was redeemed and correlate sales or app downloads to a specific Nomad.

The program’s flagship voyage was on the University of Washington campus, but Friedl says it is spreading to other colleges and universities around the country.

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Netflix Eyes Possible Billboard Ownership

April 11, 2018 by Neal Spencer
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The next big player in the billboard business could be one you’re already familiar with…Netflix.  The media streaming giant has reportedly made an offer to buy Los Angeles based Regency Billboards, to the tune of $300 million.  It would be the largest acquisition in the company’s history.

Although neither parties could be reached for comment, one of Regency’s competitors says the deal makes sense for Netflix.  Evan Richheimer is the CEO of New Tradition Media.  He says Netflix advertises quite heavily in the area and the deal “would allow Netflix to so called ‘block the box’ on premium sites in one of the most important and desirable media markets in the United States.”

Regency’s website says they have locations all over the LA area, including prime spots like the Sunset Strip, UCLA campus, Orange County, and near LAX.

Reuters is reporting that Netflix is not the only one making Regency an offer for their inventory, so the deal is not a definite as of now.  No word on when a decision is expected.

 

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Anti Gun Violence Campaign Gets Funding

August 31, 2017 by Neal Spencer
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Mary-Pat Hector may be young, but she’s beyond her years when it comes to understanding the world.  Hector is now a 19 year old junior at Spelman College in Atlanta, but she’s been working to end gun violence in her community for years.  Hector says she was tired of hearing about kids dying from gunshot wounds and wanted to do something about it.  She started “Think Twice,” a campaign aimed at encouraging people to think twice before they pick up a gun and pull the trigger.  She says when people think of gun violence, they may think it can’t happen to them.

“But to become uncomfortable with that, to be moved to action, you have to see yourself.  I wanted to create billboards so that people could see themselves, to see it happening to them.”  But despite her hard work, funding for a billboard campaign just wasn’t there.  Then Hector heard about an organization called “Peace First” that was offering a $50,000 prize for submitting a compelling video explaining your mission.  She not only submitted a video, she took that grand prize!

It was enough to fund nearly 50 billboards around the metro Atlanta area to display her anti gun violence message.  Hector said she was proud of that achievement and people really started to take notice of her mission and she was asked to speak to various groups and organizations.

But she didn’t stop there.  She also got the attention of the Allstate Foundation.  They took her message to Chicago and put it on billboards there as well.  Hector says that came as a complete surprise.  She was shocked to travel to the windy city and see her image and message on billboards there.  “I was taken aback. It’s still in the beginning stages, but we’re really excited.  Really, really excited,” Hector said.

She’s not the only activist in her family.  Her parents were also champions for various causes as well and she credits her mother with teaching her that “Good starts young.”

 

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Selfies for a Good Cause

July 18, 2017 by Neal Spencer
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Our society’s obsession with selfies can now be used for a good cause!  National Geographic Society has partnered with media outlets around the country to launch its “Photo Ark” campaign. The launch took place back on May 19, which is Endangered Species Day, in New York’s Times Square.  Photos of several endangered species appeared on bus shelters and billboards around the city. People who took a selfie with them and uploaded it to the website were featured on a digital billboard high above the city.

But if you missed it, don’t worry, you didn’t totally miss out.  The images of the endangered species are still being featured on various forms of out of home venues around the country.  If you find one and take a selfie with it, share it with your network, using the #SaveTogether tag.  Then upload it to the National Geographic website for display there.

The campaign aims to bring awareness to the Photo Ark project and its mission…to save the endangered species around the world.  The campaign features images from Nat Geo photographer Joel Sartoe.  Photos can be found on bus shelters, mall kiosks, in subway stations as well as on traditional billboards.  Some of the featured cities include San Francisco, Austin and Chicago.

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Outdoor Ads Give Commuters a Break

October 3, 2016 by Neal Spencer
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massaging-billboards

The agencies charged with launching the Kit Kat bar in a new market last year did so in a memorable new way…When the candy bar launched in Columbia, rather than have teams give samples to busy passersby, Mindspring and J. Walter Thompson decided to use bus shelter billboards to take the slogan used for the candy, “Give me a break,” to a whole new level.

The agencies transformed 20 bus shelters around the capital city of Bogota into massage stations.  Tiny motors in the signs activated a system that transferred vibrations to the lower and upper back of anyone who leaned on the sign.

The idea was to give stressed out commuters a “break” tying into the Kit Kat slogan of “Have a break, have a Kit Kat.”

While some may have found the campaign to be a little too “touchy feely,” it seemed to be well received by most.  Everyone from suit clad daily commuters to construction workers took advantage of the quick massage.

No word on if the campaign will be revived here in the States, but surely commuters in Atlanta could use a quick massage to help with stress as well!  A few samples of the delicious Kit Kat bars wouldn’t hurt either!

 

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Billboards Show Support for Police

August 29, 2016 by Neal Spencer
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Law enforcement billboards

Digital billboards around the state have been showing a message of support for law enforcement for nearly a month now.  The Outdoor Advertising Association of Georgia (OAAG) is behind the campaign…President and CEO Connor Poe says the OAAG board has been considering doing a campaign like this for several years, but a public service campaign isn’t something companies normally do on their own.

Poe says, “The board of the OAAG is always looking for ways to use our medium to show appreciation for those in our state who we partner with to make the state a safer place, i.e. GEMA, GBI, FBI and local law enforcement.”  Often times, digital billboards are used to get the word out about missing persons or wanted fugitives.

Law enforcement seems to appreciate the message.  Lt. Allan Rollins with the Richmond County  Sheriff’s Office says, “It’s nice to know we have support from the community and that people are willing to spend time and money to show it.”

Other ways they’ve felt the appreciation over the last several weeks is in the form of prayers, balloons, baked goods or just pats on the back.

The billboard campaign started at the beginning of August and the message has been seen on hundreds of billboards throughout the state.

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Billboard Campaign Inspires Happiness

March 14, 2016 by Neal Spencer
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2015 Gratitude Billboard Atlanta

 

We are less than a week away from the International Day of Happiness, which happens to coincide with the first day of Spring, Sunday March 20th.  For the second year in a row, The Joy Team is leading a partnership to bring happy phrases to billboards across the nation, hoping to inspire people to be happy and kind.

The founder of The Joy Team, Michele McKeag Larsen, says “one positive message can make a huge difference in someone’s day.”  Larsen has partnered with The Natural Life for this year’s campaign, along with Clear Channel and Lamar Outdoor.  Founder and CEO of The Natural Life, Patti Hughes, says “the moment we saw the billboards and the story behind The Joy Team, we knew we wanted to be a part of it.”

The billboard campaign will run for 4 weeks, beginning today, and it is expected that more than 13 million people will see one of the billboards during the campaign.  Billboards were chosen as the advertising medium for the campaign because they cannot be turned off or have the channel changed.   The group adds that most people can’t help but read something they see because it’s automatic.

Atlanta was one of the cities in the campaign last year, and will be among the 31 cities featured this year as well.  This year’s message for the Atlanta billboard is “Believe in Yourself.”  Some of the other messages featured in the campaign include “Do more of what makes you happy,” “Slow down and enjoy life,” and “Everything will be ok.”

 

 

 

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State Flag Billboard Made of Yoghurt Lids

March 9, 2016 by Neal Spencer
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noosa yogurt lid billboard

 

It’s a new twist to recycling used products…a billboard made entirely of used lids from yoghurt cups.  Noosa Yoghurt is trying to show their dedication to the state of Colorado and reassure it’s faithful customers that despite being acquired by a private equity firm, their high quality product will remain the same.  Often when a mom and pop operation gets acquired, the increase in funds goes toward making changes to the product.

The billboard was no easy feat to pull off…it took over 6,000 lids fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.  Initially, the design was drawn by hand and painted on wooden sections.  Once the lids were attached, they were painted with special UV absorbing varnish to protect the color of lids from fading in the sun during the duration of the campaign.  The sections were then transported to Outfront Media where they were reassembled and put up on the billboard structure.

The billboard is in Downtown Denver, near Coors Field.  Despite the massive amount of work, the billboard hasn’t received much attention.  A few passersby have tweeted the image and a story ran in the Denver Post, but no national news outlets have picked it up.

Maybe an Atlanta company could follow suit with the unique idea and create a billboard image from their products…Coca-Cola or Chick-fil-A, are you listening?  We don’t want to replace the cows, though!

 

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