“Iconic” / Times Square Signs and No Crazy Cabbies = Still One of the Best DOOH/OOH Inventories in the Sector
June 15, 2009
Photo Cred: www.dvorak.org
Clear Channel recently announced their new Time Square “Iconic” Digital Billboard that is to show the 500K+ daily visitors in the area that, well; they have indeed arrived at Time Square! A nice little integrated campaign with the web and the sign to introduce the new sign to the world as well, which is always great.
Time Square serves as the key inspiration for starting my interest in the biz, and recently going into a meeting with Viacom, it was also a great chance to really look around and gather some thoughts. The landscape has changed so much in the recent years; from printed billboards, to digital, from energy burners, to signs using green tech, but one fact still remains, which is that the these billboards probably still represent some of the best inventories in the business. All the signs still seem to be bought out, and if you look around Time Square even today, it certainly doesn’t have seem to be effected by this recent crushing recession that most are going through.
Another recent development was when the City of NY officially blocked out vehicle traffic around the area, and placed chairs all over the area so visitors can sit around and relax without the worry of getting run over by one of the crazy NYC cab drivers (although this change may not be permanent.. but hopefully it will be). What this simply means is: more Dwell Time around these signs, and it’s fair to assume that recent research for this media holders will come back with more favorable results. You put 500K+ daily visitors + increased Dwell Time – a certain? percentage for impressions (disclaimer: this is Not the exact metric for this kinda thing), and you still get one of the best inventories in the biz.
Entertaining and engaging the audience with this increase dwell time?
That’s another matter, but content and media integration is probably the obvious solutions. Something to the effect of, oh, I don’t know; tying in mobile, gaming, and a huge digital sign maybe?? Locamoda, anyone? 
Entry Filed under: Billboards,Content. Tags: billboard, digital out of home advertising, Gaming, LocaModa, media buying, media planning, Mobile Integration Into Digtial Out-of-Home, Times Square.
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Bojan | June 17, 2009 at 1:24 pm
I guess never enough signs to point us what to buy, how to look…
etc..
And I am in sign and display business.