Embracing Change

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

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?

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.