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.
1 comments:
Ryan,
Great post. I remember working at the Padres and seeing my work be displayed in front of thousands. Of course, no one knew who did it, but the pride I felt in doing a great job (the audience cheering) was worth it every time. I would imagine it's the same rush with billboards. You drive by and there's that little voice inside you yelling, "Hey! That's mine!"
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