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.