How Much Do Electronic Signs Cost?

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

GOOD QUESTION
  How much do electronic signs 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. As far as average cost, lower cost solutions generally fall in the $15,000-$25,000 range, while more customized signs can exceed $50,000. Others fall somewhere in between. 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

 

 

Here are some great articles of interest:

 

• Technically Challenging

Virginia Iconic Signs

Why Use Sign Prototypes?

Case Study: Hotel John Marshall

Historic Restoration Case Study

Powerful Entrance to a Virginia Mixed Use Development

 

• Branding & Wayfinding

What is the Cocooning Effect?

Shopping Center Repositioning

Roanoke Airport’s new Wayfinding System

Re-Branding a Retirement Community

Turning Eyeballs into Smiles

 

• Digital Messaging

Case Study: Towne Center West’s Digital Advertising Sign

Case Study: Green Top Sporting Goods’ Electronic Message Center on I-95

Using Co-op Dollars to Fund Digital Signage

Using Digital Signs to Connect with the Community

10 Reasons to Upgrade to On-Premise Digital Advertising

 

• General Signage

6 Reasons to Retrofit Neon to LED

Consideration of Sunlight and Shadow in Signage Design

Consideration of Viewing Angle in Signage Design

Sign Illumination Choices

How Can Specialty Sign Lighting Techniques Position Your Brand?

 

 

CASE STUDY: LARGE SIGN STRUCTURES

Signage Renovation at The Hotel John Marshall, Richmond, VA

Many times a building becomes a landmark because of the large sign structures on top.  In Richmond, Virginia, that’s the case with the Hotel John Marshall. Several years ago, the once grand sixteen story icon had all but faded into the background of Richmond’s historic downtown in dire need of a sign restoration. In 2011, Holiday Signs got the chance to help revive it by restoring its vintage roof marquee using energy efficient signage components.

When the hotel first opened in 1929, it was the largest hotel in Virginia offering all the amenities of luxury hotels of that era. Named after Virginia’s longest serving Supreme Court Chief Justice, its marble and gold lobby, cathedral doorways and spacious stairways lured in many famous guests throughout the years. After the recent $70 million renovation, the refurbished historic hotel now houses multiple floors of residential apartments with retail and office space on the lower levels.

The sign was a historic landmark. It needed work to restore it back to its original vitality. Built years ago and abandoned in 1988, it became a ghostly reminder of its neglected past. It was rusting away. The lighting in the 34 large, 7 foot tall letters was the old incandescent bulb type. There were some 1,400 light bulbs per side which were major energy hogs always in need of maintenance. They regularly burned out and there was a big safety concern involved with changing them.

When the new owners took on redevelopment in 2009, they needed to make substantial energy improvements to obtain HUD funding. Holiday Signs was chosen as the best firm qualified for the sign restoration. We worked for Choate Interiors, a part of Choate Construction, the General Contractor. Even with the developer’s 3-year relationship with another sign company, we got the job because of our technical expertise. From an owner’s point of view, we wanted to make the investment in the sign renovation economic over the lifetime of the sign: both initial cost, and operating costs of energy and maintenance. We also had to make sure the new cost-efficient signage was historically accurate.

Our creative solution replaced old incandescent bulbs with low-voltage LED lighting that looked historically correct by using modern digital printing technology. We recommended closed face letters with printed covers that would make them look like the old open-faced bulb letters while offering the LED lighting components protection from the elements of the harsh rooftop environment. We demonstrated prototypes and then met with the Chief Architect for the National Park Service (since the hotel overlooks Richmond’s Slave Trail it is under NPS jurisdiction), and representatives from the City of Richmond and the General Contractor to tweak the digitally printed bulb designs and LED lighting placement to where all parties were satisfied with the effect.

By utilizing LED, power consumption for illumination was reduced by 70%. As an added value service, we worked with Dominion Power to get the General Contractor a substantial rebate for the huge energy reduction. Today, the renovated energy efficient signage casts an accurate image of Richmond’s bygone era while utilizing many of the benefits of modern-day sign and lighting technology in its day to day operation.

 

     Residences at the John Marshall Website

     Photography Provided by Jim Smith/ Flying Dog Photography,

     804.543.3995

 

    

 

  For New Sign and Signage Restoration Inquiries, Contact: Mark Hackley, Account Executive, mhackley@holidaysigns.com

 

If you liked this article, you may also like:

 

Restoration of an Historic Richmond Theater Marquee

How Digital Messaging Can Help Shopping Centers Lure and Retain Tenants

An Important Wayfinding Term to Learn and Remember

See How One Virginia Mixed-Use Development Makes a Huge First Impression

What is Risk-Free Digital Messaging?

The Value of Sign Prototypes and Getting Things Right on the Ground

 

• Read about the Hotel John Marshall and how Holiday Signs renovated its historic rooftop sign on Wikipedia

• Engineering News Record Article

 

 

• Technically Challenging

Virginia Iconic Signs

Why Use Sign Prototypes?

Case Study: Hotel John Marshall

Historic Restoration Case Study

Powerful Entrance to a Virginia Mixed Use Development

 

 

• Branding & Wayfinding

What is the Cocooning Effect?

Shopping Center Repositioning

Roanoke Airport’s new Wayfinding System

Re-Branding a Retirement Community

Turning Eyeballs into Smiles

 

 

• Digital Messaging

Case Study: Towne Center West’s Digital Advertising Sign

Case Study: Green Top Sporting Goods’ Electronic Message Center on I-95

Using Co-op Dollars to Fund Digital Signage

Using Digital Signs to Connect with the Community

10 Reasons to Upgrade to On-Premise Digital Advertising

 

 

• General Signage

6 Reasons to Retrofit Neon to LED

Consideration of Sunlight and Shadow in Signage Design

Consideration of Viewing Angle in Signage Design

Sign Illumination Choices

How Can Specialty Sign Lighting Techniques Position Your Brand?

 

 

 

Meanwhile…

You own and operate a store or two in Virginia. One of your toughest challenges is developing a steady flow of customers year round. You’re hoping your newly restructured marketing mix does the job in getting more bodies into the aisles.

Your radio advertising’s morning drive campaign just broadcast two 30-second ads. One of the employees caught the end of one on her way into work.

In a Facebook post, your friend’s wife mentioned she saw your newspaper ad for the first time on the back of one of her coupons. It’s been running six months. As you were responding to her post you happened to see one of those banner ads you run for your store on the side bar.

An older couple from church called to say they enjoyed your 60-second TV ad they saw a few times last month after the 11 o’ clock news. They thought it was cute.

Word of mouth awareness about your store is getting around and lots of people recognize your name and a little bit about your products, but few know in detail what you offer or your exact location. You’ve been in business almost twenty years!

Meanwhile, your stores’ brand new electronic message displays are working hard; working hard to capture the attention of all the people who pass your stores each day: broadcasting your story; advertising your promotions; leading buyers into the stores. You discovered from Holiday Signs that digital signs really work and should be part of your successful new marketing strategy.

As you turn off the coffee pot in the break room, you see reflections of the ever-changing full color LED lights from the display against the wall. You know that even though you’ve trimmed back advertising in other media this year, your messages are out there where it counts. Twenty-four hours a day right at your front door!

 

Contact a Project Manager about Digital Advertising at your Location!

 

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

Sometimes you wonder why some meant-to-be permanent signs are made of painted wood or PVC. Would you buy a car made of plywood or PVC? But sometimes even painted metal signs can fail before their time when improper coatings are used. The fabrication and paint shop at Holiday Signs understands proper surface preparation, correct primers, finish coats, drying time needed between coats, etc.  We recently upgraded some deteriorating wayfinding signs for Eastern Mennonite University. The previous campus sign system consisted of old metal signs that were chalking and fading and they just didn’t convey the organization’s brand. Prospective students and their parents could see and feel a great brand when researching the college on-line, but had the potential to lose that warm and fuzzy feeling when on the real-life campus. A big part of that branding confusion was due to campus signage in need of a makeover.

 

After several meetings with the marketing and facilities directors, we helped jump-start the project and implemented a program of new traffic directional pylons around campus. After that we helped initiate prototype building identification signs, which were simple painted post and panel type markers. Working with their graphic designer, we then upgraded their campus light pole banners and have helped with large banners for their athletic department. Occasionally the college has a special project that we become involved with. I remember a project for a garden space where we provided historical markers, all with the consistent brand of the rest of their new signage system. We recently presented some good ideas to implement digital messaging at their student center and always enjoy working with all of the good people at the university. The new signage is constructed of painted aluminum and finished with exactly the same type of rugged paint as the automotive finish on a new car. I am very confident they will be around for a long time before needing an upgrade.

Eastern Mennonite is just one of our many educational clients. We help many colleges and universities in Virginia and North Carolina including Shenandoah   University, Ferrum College, Lord Fairfax Community College, the University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, The University of Mary Washington, The College of William and Mary and many other state and private schools. Holiday Signs is part of the collaborative business program of the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV). 

 

Contact Mark Hackley, Account Executive at Holiday Signs: (540)416-3154

www.holidaysigns.com

 

• COLLEGE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT CUSTOM DONOR WALLS AND SPECIAL DONOR RECOGNITION PROJECTS
• COLLEGE POLE BANNER SYSTEMS
• COLLEGE WAYFINDING SIGNAGE PACKAGES
• CHANNEL LETTERS FOR 24-HOUR COLLEGE BUILDING IDENTIFICATION
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• ELECTRONIC MESSAGE CENTERS FOR COLLEGE COMMUNICATIONS AND SAFETY PROGRAMS
• SIGNAGE FOR ATHLETICS
• CUSTOM MARKERS AND PLAQUES
• INTERIOR SIGNAGE