LA Board Approves Revised Regulations

The Los Angeles Planning Commission voted 6-3 last Thursday to limit the addition of new digital billboards to 21 specific districts throughout the city. The proposal now goes to the City Council for final approval. If passed, the council would decide on a case-by-case basis whether new signs may be built within a specific district. Opponents of the bill feel that it could leave itself vulnerable to court challenges contesting it's constitutionality.

These kinds of discussions are taking place in cities across the country, as some fear that a lack of clarity in sign ordinances with regards to digital billboards could lead to digital signs on every street corner. Local municipalities such as the City of Tampa and City of St. Petersburg are facing similar decisions. The removal of antiquated traditional billboard structures in exchange for the right to build a limited number of digital billboards can be a win/win for the community. Hurricanes threaten the structural integrity of older, pole-mounted signs each year, and the current laws prohibit upgrades or reinforcement that could prevent potential property damage.

The thinking amongst law makers and the community seems to be that when it comes to billboards, we should have fewer. And a higher percentage of those remaining should be state-of-the-art digital signs that allow for the use of emergency alerts, hurricane evacuation messages, amber alerts and information about wanted criminals. Since each digital board broadcasts a rotation of 8 advertisers, the result is a smaller billboard footprint that creates more opportunities for local businesses.

Thirteen FBI Success Stories

For a little over a year now, Clear Channel Outdoor has partnered with the FBI to display info about "wanted" criminals. Since the beginning of the arrangement, the FBI has attributed the apprehension of 13 criminals to leads or pressure generated by Clear Channel's digital networks. A recent press release contains the names and crimes of the 13 criminals who've been caught.

1. Tyrone Grimes - Tampa, FL (murder)
2. Glyn Richards - Tampa, FL (white collar crimes)
3. Jordan Lewis - Philadelphia, PA (murder of police officer)
4. Pedro Carrasquillo - Philadelphia, PA (rape)
5. Andre Williams - Philadelphia, PA (attempted murder)
6. Larry Lemay Jr. - Las Vegas, NV (attempted murder of police officer)
7. Stanley Gatson -Milwaukee, WI (armed bank robbery)
8. Walter Haskell - South Orange, NJ (armed bank robbery)
9. Charles Williams - Cleveland, OH (drug trafficking)
10. Filbert Romero - Albuquerque, NM (armed bank robbery)
11. Dennis Martin - Akron, OH (rape)
12. Donald Ray Williams - Dallas, TX (armed car robbery)
13. Anthony Stewart - Milwaukee, WI (drug conspiracy)

"Locally, we have been able to assist Tampa area police agencies to resolve two significant cases," says Dave Couvertier, who is the Public Affairs Officer for the FBI's Tampa field office. "The resolution of both of these incidents were directly related to the pressure put on family members to come forward with information, and to convince the perpetrators to turn themselves in because the FBI was profiling them on billboards."

Constructive Criticism

Yesterday, an article was published on Re/Creating Tampa, a local blog "about lots of stuff, but mostly Tampa and Florida," that expressed some concerns about billboards and my blog specifically. The author, Dave, made a very valid argument that I should fully disclose the fact that I work for Clear Channel Outdoor, so that my readers are aware of the perspective from which I write. I thanked Dave for his advice and immediately added the "about me" section.

Additionally, Dave addresses the aesthetics of outdoor advertising, and the censorship rights that companies exercise with regards to billboard creative. I definitely agree that some billboards are more aesthetically pleasing than others. We're limited from making improvements to outdated or ugly billboard structures because of restrictions that have been in place for over 25 years. Thankfully many communities (including Tampa) are beginning to see the positive impact of a reasonable win-win solution when it comes to the regulation of outdoor signage.

Regarding censorship, Dave is right, there are definitely things we wouldn't put up on our billboards. We have to be more conservative than other mediums because with outdoor advertising, concerned parents can't change the channel, turn the page or tune us out.

I want to personally extend my thanks to Re/Creating Tampa for reading, and for caring enough to comment. On a local level, I'd like to be as transparent and as open to suggestion as possible. On a national level, the billboard industry is continually striving to improve by increasing the use of recyclable materials and exploring innovative ways to conserve energy. Author Issac D'Israeli once said "Those who do not read criticism will rarely merit to be criticized." Without people like Dave, companies like Clear Channel would operate in a vacuum and would be unable to address the concerns of the public.

Missing Child Found!

Rosa Sirilo-Francisco, the mother of the missing child, says a woman claiming to be an immigration official demanded that she hand over her baby or be deported. Sirilo-Francisco complied, only to decide later that she should report the incident. The Manatee County sheriff's department received an anonymous tip today that the child could be found at the home of Amalia Tabata Pereira (pictured) who subsequently turned in the 2-month-old saying, "This is the Amber Alert baby." No charges have been filed yet, but Plant City investigators expect to charge Pereira with the child's kidnapping. The child was returned unharmed and safe.

New Amber Alert Issued

I received a notice around midnight that there was an Amber Alert issued for a 2 month old girl last seen Monday night in Plant City.

According to the design that is up and running on all of our digital boards, Sandra Cruz-Francisco is Hispanic, 22 inches tall and 10 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. TBO.com reports she was last seen wearing pink pants, a pink shirt and pink socks on the 300 block of North Michigan Avenue in Plant City.

Her mother told police the baby was kidnapped from the Plant City Health Department. The police report was filed about 8:20 p.m. The child may be with a Hispanic woman about 30 years old, possibly named Janet. The woman has black hair, blue eyes and was last seen wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeve black shirt and white shoes.

They may be traveling in a small four-door, blue car possibly heading toward Miami.

7 Keys to a Successful Digital Campaign

The Digital Signage Association recently released a report on best practices for digital signage content. They outline more than 50 variables in 7 categories: Content, Relevancy, Interaction, Schedule, Placement, Refresh and Attraction. Reflecting on my experience in the digital billboard industry, I strongly agree that the best campaigns I've seen, seek to capitalize on several, if not all of those key terms. I'll break them down:

Content. What are you saying? As with traditional outdoor, your message should be short and sweet.

Relevancy. How does it apply to your audience? Engage them with information they care about. Let them know how you can improve their circumstances.

Interaction. How would you like them to respond? Should they call? Send a text? Visit a website? It's their move- make sure they understand their next step.

Schedule. When is it playing? The flexibility of digital encourages the use of dayparted messages, updates, countdowns, etc... Taking advantage of these options will make your ad more exciting.

Placement. Where is it playing? If you're buying more than one sign, use a slightly different message on each one. It could be as subtle as featuring different phone numbers with local area codes.

Refresh. How often does it change? Don't let your message become scenery. Depending on the business, I usually recommend changing it up at least every week or two.

Attraction. How does it look? Bold font, bright colors, no white backgrounds. Your ad should be aesthetically pleasing.

You've made a great choice by purchasing a spot on a digital outdoor network. You'll be reaching out to thousands of people every day with one of the most exciting, enticing new advertising mediums around. But REMEMBER, the space is only as good as the ad that fills it.

Transitions Championship Live Leaderboard

The Transitions Championship is being held this week at Innisbrook, featuring Sean O'Hair defending his title against the likes of Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh. This will be the second consecutive year that the tournament uses digital billboards to broadcast a live leaderboard to commuters across Tampa Bay. The names and scores of the top five players will be pulled automatically from the PGA Tour's website.

This is not the first of Clear Channel's advertisers to use the live content functionality. Television stations have featured live weather updates, breaking news and even a Team USA gold medal count during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Advertiser Spotlight: SNICKERS

There's more than one way to create an effective outdoor advertising campaign. Bulletins are a great way to create a landmark with a big, bold sign, screaming your message to the masses. The saturation and penetration that posters offer can deliver the lowest cost-per-thousand of virtually any medium. Digital billboards offer the ability to deliver different messages at various times of day. But if you REALLY want to make a splash, use all three.

Snickers' current outdoor campaign does just that. Using dozens of different taglines that mimic the Snickers logo on all three outdoor products, it's tough to go anywhere in Tampa without craving the chocolatey confection. It's also a testament to the Snickers brand that they no longer need to mention their actual product; that the font, colors and arrangement are enough to evoke a mouthwatering response.