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(April 2006) posted on Wed Apr 05, 2006

Tips for determining what to say on a display

By Bob Klausmeier

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Those of us who sell programmable LED displays say that they're powerful advertising tools. But are they? As a medium, a programmable display is nothing more than a blank palette. The display only affords the owner/operator the opportunity and capability to communicate with a particular audience. The medium's power lies in an effective message. Vendors of electronic digital signage (EDS) can assist customers in optimizing this powerful communication tool by setting a few strategic goals, which I've outlined in this brief primer. Establish the medium's goal For commercial applications, programmable signs are purchased primarily to increase awareness and promote products. As a vendor, don't assume that the business owner or operator will easily translate the vision of a marketing plan into effective visual advertising on a display that reaches the passing public. Such clichés as Have a nice day" and streaming American flags often become filler for businesses without solid marketing strategies for their displays. Encourage a display buyer to devise a communication strategy before the display is installed. As part of the sales strategy, use your knowledge of the display's technological capabilities to help the buyer with concepts and strategies during the sales process. Not only do you enhance your potential customer's enthusiasm for the basic advertising concept, you become a resource for more than just the display. A checklist of questions in the sidebar (this page) is designed to help stimulate the formulation of a marketing strategy for the display. These basic questions should be supplemented by those specific to the individual customer. A display-advertising strategy should be created as part of the business' events and promotions. Set a timeframe for these promotions, message ideas and concepts, and schedule them in a calendar. Study drive-time demographics to determine if certain market segments can be targeted during specific times of the day. When appropriate, ask the business' product vendors if they want to participate in advertising on the display, which could be paid for through co-op advertising. Strategizing the medium's promotional potential is time well spent. It's important to remember that EDS displays incur a measurable cost. The same business owner who displays a "have a nice day" message on his sign usually wouldn't buy radio time that offers the same sentiment. Display vendors can help customers and clients creatively approach their display media, as they do with other media options. Getting the message across Determining how much to say in a single frame of copy is a common concern. Here are two solid rules: Avoid the use of too many words, and use words in a size and style that can be easily read. Advertisers often recycle a promotional flyer or a print ad as the content on full-color, high-resolution displays. However, print advertisements are created for readers who can leisurely read and adjust their distance for clarity. Contrastingly, in a moving car, neither is possible. The best advertising for a roadside, programmable display is a sequence of still images, each with readable copy merged with an easily understood visual image. An example is a photo of a car with an overlay reading $299/month. Here are some general guidelines for creating roadside electronic ads: * Create a series of still frames, each frame 3 to 5 seconds in display length. * Be sure the driver can read the frame's entire content in less than the frame's display time. * Minimize the number of frames used for each ad concept. Use only one frame for the entire concept when possible. * Use 1 in. of copy for each 45 ft. of readable distance. A word formed with 6-in. letters can only be seen from 270 ft. If your ad is on a highway, you probably should use 60-in. letters, not 6 in. * Incorporate vibrant, but tasteful, colors when possible. * Blue is the weakest color, so use it as an accent or highlighted with white for contrast. * Make certain the display has sufficient resolution to adequately show the image, especially a photograph. * Use animation to enhance features of the still frame, but don't show a fully animated message, because it's difficult for a driving audience to read. These messages also cause the most zoning concerns. * Use such display effects as making images appear/disappear in various ways to add excitement to the design. Electronic digital displays have grown in popularity as an advertising medium in recent years. Their cost has fallen; image quality and reliability have improved, and daylight brightness has been achieved. But to make the case for this medium, offer some guidance regarding its use and content selection in conjunction with the product features and proposal pricing when selling the display. Without it, all you offer is a blank palette. 10 Questions for Creating a Message Strategy 1. What specific products/services do you want to promote? 2. What are your hours of operation? 3. Do you have different products/services sold at different times of the day? 4. What advantages does your business offer over your competition? 5. Are there specific demographic groups you wish to reach that are more prevalent at certain times of the day? For example, messages directed at construction/tradespeople will be more frequently noticed between 5 to 7 a.m.; those directed to students, between 2:45 to 4 p.m. 6. Does your business offer seasonal products/services? 7. Does your business have regularly scheduled promotions? 8. What other advertising media do you utilize to make these promotions? 9. Are you using the display medium and other media in tandem to enhance the promotion? For example, a radio ad that says, "See us at our tent sale under our giant message sign" could accompany a sign reading, "Heard it on the radio...tent sale here!" 10. Does your business sell products produced by others? Do the manufacturers of those products offer co-op advertising.