FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 14, 2004

Outdoor Industry Launches Manhattan Campaign

Washington, D.C. - Coinciding with the beginning of Advertising Week in New York (September 20-24), curious graffiti will begin appearing on billboards, phone kiosks, buses, and other outdoor locations throughout Manhattan. The signatures, appearing to be scrawled in red spray paint, will not mean much to the average New Yorker but will resonate with many of the industry insiders attending Advertising Week.

The campaign will feature an “A” list of ad industry creative directors’ names followed by “… Was Here” as in “Alex Bogusky Was Here,” referring to Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s executive creative director, against a blank background. The goal of the campaign is to catch the attention of the advertising community and convey that when it comes to creative freedom and opportunity ­ outdoor is the medium.

In addition to Bogusky, the other creative stars lending their names to the campaign are: Rick Boyko, Lee Clow, Sal DeVito, Mike Hughes, Stan Richards, and Tracy Wong.

“The creative giants of the ad industry have lent their names to this campaign to help send the message that they’re here: they choose to work in the outdoor environment,” said Nancy Fletcher, President and CEO of the Outdoor Advertising Industry Association of America. “With this reminder that their creative heroes use outdoor, we hope to excite and energize the design community so they ask themselves on every project, ‘how can I use outdoor here?’”

The campaign, created by Rob Jackson of Jager Group ad agency of Grand Rapids, MI, will depend heavily on nontraditional outdoor to reinforce the cutting-edge message. The plan includes restroom displays, sidewalk graphics, phone kiosks, bus shelters and bus tails, mobile billboards, elevator and digital urban displays, in addition to Times Square spectaculars.

This campaign is the latest effort of the OAAA Creative Committee, formed in 2003 with the goal of raising the bar on creative excellence in outdoor advertising. A targeted version of the campaign will be launched in San Francisco and Los Angeles later this fall.

The OAAA is the largest trade association representing the outdoor advertising industry. It is dedicated to leading and uniting a responsible outdoor advertising industry that is committed to serving the needs of consumers, advertisers and the public. The OAAA’s nearly 1,100 member companies generate more than $5 billion annually in ad revenues, representing more than 90% of industry income, and donate space to charitable organizations in excess of $300 million each year.

Outdoor Advertising Association of America
Washington, D.C.
Phone: 202-833-5566
E-Mail: mmoller@oaaa.org
Website URL: www.oaaa.org