This morning I’m seriously charged-up because Inc. magazine — which is right up there with Fast Company on my short list of cool business mags — just published a glowing piece on digital billboards.
Despite the fact that the article suggests digital outdoor creative is made using Illustrator (which I suppose could be used in a pinch) or Final Cut Pro (WTF?), overall it is the most complete look at digital outdoor I’ve come across.
Here’s a choice quote from a real-estate company that pulled all its dollars from newspapers and put it into digital outdoor:
The gamble paid off. Edina’s home sales totaled $7 billion in 2007, down from $8.3 billion in 2006 but a decent level of volume given the deteriorating housing market. It was successful at getting more consumers to visit its website, where the click-through rate for searchable for-sale listings increased 175 percent. “We were very satisfied with the results,” says Lynn Clare, Edina’s head of marketing. “It was the first time ever that we could respond to consumer trends immediately instead of being a slave to media buys. How many companies have that advantage?”
Of course, my personal favorite line reads, “If digital signs are good for advertisers, they are an absolute bonanza for billboard companies.”