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![]() Hybrid EMC/ Billboards: Combining the Best of Print and Electronic Displays on a Single Billboard
By Louis Brill
In the world of Outdoor Advertising, print billboards have evolved into their electronic counterparts which are now appearing with regularity along many major highways throughout the United States. A recent signindustry.com article Electronic LED Billboards: The New Voice of Business noted an estimated national billboard inventory of approximately 200 electronic outdoor displays.
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While most outdoor media companies are taking the plunge to add electronic billboards, it is in no way seen as a replacement of the existing print billboard set ups. It is seen more as a compliment to print, each having certain strengths that reinforce each other's advertising potential. In another approach to improving the "kinetic" presence of billboards, there is a middle ground of combining print with an electronic message center (EMC), including both text and alpha-numeric message content which are taking the best of both mediums (print and electronic), to create what is referred to as a 'Hybrid Billboard.' These combined billboards include the staying power of print in reinforcing a message with certain content that is always in place, and is followed by its EMC component, which can high-light the main ad tag with updated electronic copy to make the message more personal and time specific. Another benefit for outdoor advertisers using the Hybrid billboard approach is the expense, as leasing time on an EMC is much less expensive than a advertisement on a full color, electronic billboard. These Hybrid boards have been around for several years in this form, but are more recently starting to take off as both LED sign manufacturers, and Outdoor Advertisers see the benefits of directing specific ad campaigns on these electronic/print billboards. Ultimately, the creation and use of a Hybrid billboard is client driven, in collaboration between the client and their ad campaign, and the outdoor advertising media company and the LED sign manufacturer who will provide the LED board to the billboard company. In some instances very creative uses of EMC have appeared that incorporate elements of passerby personal involvement, interactivity, and print/EMC integration that have made for some really compelling sign messages.
Act One
NiteVision
NiteVision originated from a traditional RGB display by taking into consideration both the message and the medium as a new kind of outdoor advertising forum. Here the message stays the same (the client copy), but the medium becomes transformative depending on the time of day. The result is a hybrid billboard that uses a print billboard which has a vinyl pre-cut perforation which fits across the billboard allowing the sign's LED pixel cluster to shine through the perforations of the print part of the board. At night, the billboard transforms into a full color, LED display where its increased brightness is a great attraction in presenting its message at night. "In developing a NiteVision display, we have found that we don't need to have as many LEDs (as we would in daytime) to populate the board. This in itself creates a more affordable billboard as less LEDs reduce the overall purchase cost of that kind of board," said Lin. The second consideration is less LEDs consume less energy which results in a lower cost monthly electric bill.
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LED electronic message billboard
Perhaps one of the most memorable Act One EMC/billboard projects was an EMC installation on a History Channel billboard. To engage passing drivers, the billboard promoted the Cable TV channel where the board asked passing drivers a history related question and then answered it.
Lamar’s real-time electronic display Bill Ripp, Lamar's Director of Digital Displays discussed Lamar's EMC/billboard inventory and what advertising opportunities were available to their clients. "We categorize our digital display boards into groupings, EMC's that can do alpha-numerics (text and numbers), and full color digital displays that can do graphics. The EMC monochromatic line is application-based and geared to specific content such as hotel rate numbers, gas price changers or lottery numbers. To help define the EMC/billboard market and make it more affordable, we've set up three available sign formats: a small sign that offers an eleven character sign face, a medium sign which handles about 22 characters, and the larger ones which offer up to a 33 character message on its sign face." Ripp explained Lamar's view on the EMC portion of the billboard, "we see them as an add-on feature that can be put on just about any static billboard anywhere in the Lamar billboard network. This, of course is governed by what the local municipalities permit. As for text message content, Lamar leaves that up to the client to determine. When a client requests an EMC/billboard, Lamar will purchase the EMC (or transfer one from an unused set-up) install it on the appropriate billboard and lease it to the client for the length of their ad campaign. "At the close of the campaign, we'll try to resell that mixed-use sign, so we don't have to remove the EMC portion. Otherwise we'll move the EMC to wherever the next Real-Time client project is. As for accessibility to this particular sign program, we offer it to every billboard market we serve throughout our entire billboard network."
Clear Channel Outdoors "It's still a popular format for us," Alwin noted. The EMC/billboard is in its own advertising platform tier (others being print and electronic) and is all self-selected as clients determine which format is best for their campaigns.
Cell phone democracy
The first project was an advertising campaign for BBC World, (which recently won the Best in Show honors at the 65th Annual OBIE Awards!), that had used a hybrid billboard located in Times Square to engage the passing public in viewing a "news worthy" image on their billboard, which also had two sharply different opinions about the image. Once viewers decided which opinion they agreed with, using their cell phone they were able to call either a 'agree' or a 'disagree' phone number and register their opinion. As the votes poured in, two alpha-numeric counters tallied up each side’s votes allowing passersby to immediately see the voting opinions as represented by 'cell phone democracy.' The EMC counters were supplied by Opec Displays (City of Industry, CA), as was the software that allowed the sign to communicate the final voting results.
Text message from Mini Cooper
This initial Mini Cooper promotion invited Mini owners who lived in the above mentioned cities to participate by filling out a questionnaire about themselves and their car. Owners who were selected to be in the program were sent an RFID (a Radio Frequency Identification) transponder that they placed in their car. When they passed the Mini Cooper billboard on the freeway, the transponder identified itself to the sign which in turn allowed the EMC part of the billboard to transmit some personalized message to the Mini Cooper vehicle approaching it. The interactive billboard program was a big hit with Mini Cooper marketing people as well the car owners who got a kick out of seeing their name in lights.
Evolve or disappear is the rule of change that controls the universe. Clearly this affects print billboards as much as anything else in our newly minted 21st century. In this case, the world of electronic signage is neatly merging with print billboards as presented both by the electronic or Hybrid billboard. It's a win-win for everyone, sign manufacturers and sign installers see it as a sales opportunity, billboard operators are able to use them to create a pricing scale to meet different levels of outdoor advertising budgets and advertisers like it for the direct market effectiveness of connecting with the public.
For more pictures of EMC Hybrid Billboards, Click here
Louis M. Brill is a journalist and consultant for high-tech entertainment and media communications.
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