Updated for 2011, a miniature, pocket-sized version of the Signwriters pricing guides. The same information as in the regular Sign Contractors Pricing Guide, the mini guide includes pricing for artwork, ...
Ad-Air and Golden Neon create a behemoth ad near Dubai
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By Steve Aust
The saying “It takes money to make money” lends credence to the integral value of signage. When a bear market ratchets up competition in the marketplace, retrenching advertising and marketing budgets equals hiding a candle within a bushel. Even amidst such uncertain times, some aggressive companies to pony up and deliver the message.
The Middle East, where staggering oil revenues have birthed an upper class with considerable wealth, would prove fertile ground for a company that proffers products and services that cater to a luxurious lifestyle would open its purse strings for off-premise advertising of an enormous magnitude – in this case, “the World’s Biggest Ad,” as certified by a Guinness Book of World Records inspector.
Ad-Air, a London-based company incorporated in 1999 to develop a system of placing mega-format digital graphics on privately owned land near flightpaths of high-volume airports worldwide, created the ad space just outside of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s airport.
Sorouh Real Estate, a UAE-based residential-property developer whose nine completed or under-construction properties includes high-rise condominiums and townhouses, purchased the first Ad-Air placement at its Dubai site. Ad-Air ‘s founder, Paul Jenkins, procured ₤5 million in private-equity finance to develop the venture, and bought space near 30 airports, which include London’s Heathrow, Los Angeles International and Phoenix’s Sky Harbor.
Unveiled on October 22, the ponderous ad measures approximately 24,000 sq. yd. Before installation could begin, the site required the removal or more than 360 tons of concrete to flatten and level the ground. Ad-Air hired Dubai-based Golden Neon to develop the behemoth program. Over four weeks, the shop used EuroBanner TR 510G outdoor-grade material to output 42 panels on its Gandinnovations Jeti 5000 RTR solvent-ink printer. To protect the material, Golden Neon used Clearstar Coatings’ Clearshield® gloss-finish, liquid laminate.
To secure the display, installers used approximately 1.25 miles of cable wire (they also covered it with an equally large sheet of blank vinyl to conceal the ad message), one 100-ton crane, two heavy-duty loaders and two telescopic forklifts. They illuminated the graphic using 48, 2,000W, high-efficiency bulbs installed on six lightpoles that stand nearly 100 ft. tall. Eight contractors and 70 laborers would around the clock for nearly two months to finish the job.
Ad-Air appears to have selected a fertile market. According to Britain’s Outdoor Advertising Assn., the international out-of-home market has surged 10% thus far in 2007. Further, Ad-Air reported a 17.6% increase in passenger traffic at its targeted airports. Early next year, the company plans to have mega-wraps installed in four additional markets in Europe and the United States.
Sorouh isn’t bankrolling the graphic solely for advertising purposes. The company has partnered with the Red Crescent, the UAE’s equivalent to the Red Cross, to collect and place photographs on the display, with the goal or reaching one million pictures. Sorouh will donate $1 for each picture collected.
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