New Branding Takes Flight

Case Study- Richmond Executive Airport

Airport branding before renovations.

CHANGE OR DIE

Several years ago my brother lost his job building airplanes at Piper Aircraft in Florida because of the trend in declining recreational air travel. Recognizing that a slow economy is the same culprit for declining recreational flyers in Virginia, (and that it could be a long-term trend), Chesterfield County Airport recently underwent a complete branding overhaul to reach a new target – executive business travelers.

Emphasizing its central location, a short distance from downtown Richmond and other growing economic areas south of town, Chesterfield County Airport re-branded itself as “Richmond Executive Airport” and hired Holiday Signs to update its signage.

The new look at “Richmond Executive Airport”.

NEW STYLIZED DESIGN FOR EXECUTIVE ATTENTION

Renovating the airport with a longer runway and better branding are two investments in the area’s economic development that will reap dividends down the road by bringing in more corporate flyers.

Airport managers and the Department of Economic Development worked together on the final logo redesign.

Holiday Signs literally built brand awareness fabricating and installing the custom electric back-lit channel letters. Crisp, blue LED back-lighting highlights the new stylized logo at night and reflects off architectural features of the building making for an interesting effect as travelers come and go, boasting the airport’s new identity around the clock.

The airport is located at the interchange of Routes 10 and 288 in Chesterfield County, Virginia and is designated by the FAA as an official general aviation reliever for Richmond International Airport (RIC).

The name change will help establish the airport as the new executive gateway for Richmond business travelers and was part of a multi-million dollar project.  Read more about the project here.

Click to see promotional video of the new branding signs in production

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CHURCH SIGNS- PART 1

Electronic Message Center Case Study: New Life Community Church

Adding to the Flock

“Our electronic message sign has driven lots of people in for events,” said Jeff Benz, the Worship Pastor at New Life Community Church in Louisa, Virginia.

New Life Community Church is a customer of Holiday Signs and has been using their sign to attract visitors and new members for many years now.  Jeff said it’s been out on the main road doing its job since before the big earthquake of 2011.

Survived A Big Shake Up

“We were having a meeting in the conference room when all of a sudden people on both sides of the table were going up and down like a see-saw,” Jeff told me as he remembered the magnitude 5.8 quake with its epicenter in Louisa County only a few miles away.  I noticed the sign is still in great shape and told Jeff that our signs are always built tough and able to withstand even a few earthquakes now and then.

The Only Advertising They Need

Jeff told me visitors stop in all the time as a result of the sign.

“We use it for advertising all our events and could forego all other advertising if we wanted because the sign is so effective,” he said. 

The current sign has a box cabinet on top with the church brand that lights up at night. Under the top sign is a 2-sided monochrome Daktronics digital display. Both signs are installed on two brick columns that raise the viewing angle above the level of the inclined roadway for optimal attention.

The church has grown over the past several years so Jeff and his staff may contemplate moving in the future, leaving them options to either take the sign with them or add it to the potential real estate value should they decide to sell.  Depending on whether a new tenant would want the sign, Jeff said they would strongly consider upgrading to a full-color display at the new site, making an even brighter way to highlight events. 

Click Here to See Other Church Sign Ideas

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Historic Sign Renovation Case Study

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What Do Message Centers Cost?

Article by Mark Hackley, Holiday Signs Contact: mhackley@holidaysigns.com

GOOD QUESTION
What do message centers cost? Dave Elmore, owner of Bookkeeping and Management Systems in Central Virginia, says he has over 300 business clients and not a single one has a line item for signage. Similarly most of our customers have foggy ideas about budgeting for electric signs, especially signs with high-tech electronic message centers, so we tend to put quotation marks around the word “budget” when approaching the subject.

To determine sign budgets, sign buyers need to answer: “What type of sign is needed to project our positive image and broadcast ongoing messages that people will see and read?” From this starting point, sign specifications are worked out and the word “budget” begins to lose its quotation marks advancing toward real numbers.

To get started in figuring out sign project cost, customers need help with answering five basic questions pertaining to designing signs with message centers:

1) What is your desired image?

2) Will you use images/graphics/or just text?

3) What fits best with the building & neighborhood?

4) What size should it be, determined by viewing distance & sight lines?

5) What type of communication technology do you want?

These are the variables that drive price and, once determined, can get you close to what a new electronic sign should cost. Then you can budget for it, and if appropriate, let any groups or departments who have to help pay for it know how much and why.

SLIDING SCALE
The chart below shows the cost drivers that help begin to answer the question, “How much does a digital sign cost?” Just like features listed on the price tag of a new car, different bells and whistles of signs add cost. For example, a small simple pole sign with a direct-wired 20mm monochrome message center would be less expensive than a larger full color 12mm sign with an architecturally customized base and decorative top. Lower cost solutions generally fall in the $15,000-$25,000 range, while higher cost solutions typically run over $55,000. Then there are many projects that fall in the middle range of $25,000-$55,000. Some of our clients purchase digital signs outright while others choose leasing as a way to finance them.

CREATIVE ACCOUNTING
Message centers should be viewed as revenue generators versus just marketing expenses. Since most applications of digital signs produce revenue, one should consider the positive impact on operating budgets. Because it’s so effective, on-premise digital sign advertising may end up replacing, reducing, or avoiding other ad expenses altogether, perhaps even shrinking advertising budgets from where they were prior to sign installation.

We have seen some companies divide sign purchases across multiple budgets. One client splits the cost of a new digital message sign between its facilities and marketing budgets to make it work. Many retail customers who advertise across multiple media channels sometimes place digital sign purchases in their operating versus capital budgets, making purchases possible by reallocating funds from other lackluster advertising categories for better results. A good example: clients who have reallocated Yellow Pages and other non-productive advertising dollars into new digital signage for much greater ROI.

SOLUTION DRIVEN
If an actual budget number is known and discussed as a max spend early on, our project managers usually tailor the best solution based on someone’s budget restrictions, but that doesn’t always mean it’s the best solution for the site. Don’t just look at equipment cost alone when shopping for digital signs. It’s more about what type of equipment and supporting signage and structural design fit best, based on the above factors. Plus don’t forget to calculate the revenue stream resulting from the sign’s normal operations! We think the best approach to purchasing a sign is making a comprehensive assessment of all the factors, designing the signage based on that assessment, and coming up with price parameters to provide the best solution possible.

Want us to assess your site for digital signage? Contact us anytime.

READ ABOUT 6 BENEFITS OF DIGITAL SIGNS:

• Part 1- They Connect With The Community
• Part 2- They Can Be Paid For By Your Vendors
• Part 3- They Grab Attention of the Masses
• Part 4- They Allow You to Own the Media Channel
• Part 5- They Have a Long Track Record of Getting Attention
• Part 6- Use Them for Promoting Loss Leaders

Customer Spotlights…

Lifepoint Church New Life Church Grace Church

Capital Ale House Virginia Diner

Lucy Corr Village Augusta Health Pharmacy & Lab

Mobility Supercenter Puritan Cleaners Green Top Sporting Goods

Pioneer Bank Connects Credit Union

ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers Virginia Repertory Theater Altria Theater

Shenandoah University Ferrum College

Rockwood Square Shopping Center Towne Center West MWV Corporate Headquarters

Electronic Message Centers

WE WORK IN YOUR TOWN:

(Click on a city below to see some of our work in your area!)

Charlottesville Chesapeake Fredericksburg Harrisonburg

Leesburg Lynchburg Newport News Richmond Roanoke

South Boston/Halifax Staunton/Waynesboro Yorktown

Thanks to everyone who’s been involved with the many interesting sign projects we have been challenged to tackle over the years!

Contact us at (804) 796-9443
mhackley@holidaysigns.com

www.holidaysigns.com

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COMMUNICATE WITH CUSTOM AWNINGS & STAY WITHIN CODE

One way retailers can add pizzazz to their storefront and boost attention to their brand is to add custom awnings to their building.  But many times local codes can make effective design options a challenge.

CASE STUDY: AUGUSTA HEALTH

Augusta Health, an independently operated community hospital in the Shenandoah Valley, uses awnings to help identify its off-campus retail locations.  In addition to providing custom electric signage, we help them maximize attention with custom awnings.

Some of their facilities lie in zoning districts that prohibit awnings with illuminated backgrounds, but allow lettering to be illuminated at night. In these cases, we are able to provide awnings using Sunbrella opaque burgundy fabric with di-electrically welded white graphics. (Di-electric welding, or RF welding, is a process where an electromagnetic field works to combine the atomic and molecular structures of two fabrics together.) Opaque awning material is cut out for lettering then underlayed with a different translucent material to allow the wording to light up at night.

CASE STUDY: CAPITAL ALE HOUSE

Capital Ale House has six restaurant locations in Virginia. When they opened their newest location in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the owner wanted to utilize the existing awnings to help brand the new store and maximize attention at the highly visible corner location.

The existing awnings were worn and matched the previous tenant’s brand. The owner chose Sunbrella opaque black awnings to match his new branding, however a new city ordinance required a greater ground clearance for awnings than what existed. In addition to updating the custom electric sign and awning fabric, part of the project included provisions for moving the awning framework up a level to meet code.

Adding or updating custom awnings and electric signs can help get the attention your business deserves. Make sure you partner with a sign company that understands the importance of branding and how to maximize code allowances to turn traffic into customers.   

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Case Study: Pioneer Bank, Ruckersville, VA