Adding Message Boards to Signs: Why Digital is the Best Choice

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-daktronics-watchfire-digital-LED-signsADDING MESSAGE BOARDS TO SIGNS

Why Digital is the Best Choice…

ADDING MESSAGE BOARDS TO SIGNS

Have you ever made a spontaneous retail purchase? I recently bought a dozen roses for my wife from a retailer I never knew because a digital sign told me they were on sale and it happened to be our anniversary. For that reason, I know personally that digital advertising works, and I know I’m not the only one who makes spontaneous purchasing decisions.
Backup_of_Blog Blurbs 10-1Academic studies back this up, showing that 50-60% of on-premise purchases are spontaneous. The Pratt Retail Institute, an organization involved in research and consulting work related to retail marketing, says that spontaneous purchase rates of more than 50% should affirm adding message boards to signs.

Businesses that utilize some form of changeable message system already know roadside messaging works. Of all changeable message systems, upgrading to digital makes the most sense because digital messaging offers the highest level of visibility and on-going attention, aesthetics, message changeability and adaptability for targeted marketing strategies.                                                        

Message Boards Before and AfterPhotos courtesy of Daktronics, Inc.

Most Common Forms of Changeable Message Systems:

  • Digital Signage
  • Manually Changeable Sign Boards
  • Banners

Of all the examples listed above, only digital messaging has the lowest daily cost and highest flexibility when displaying multiple different messages on a daily basis. Many times people with existing manually-changeable signs approach us to convert them to digital boards as there are many advantages in doing so.

Here are the top 10 reasons to upgrade to digital:

1) Digital Messaging provides multiple, customized messages to reach diverse demographic groups with a variety of goods and services;
2) The movement and brightness of digital gets more attention;
3) 50-60% of consumers make last minute purchase decisions and digital ups the chances to reach them with the right message at the right time;
4) Digital Messaging creates new advertisements quickly and inexpensively;
5) Viewers can understand an image much more quickly than words;
6) With digital you don’t have to worry about employee safety as copy is updated in parking lot traffic or bad weather;
7) Digital software is equipped with spell check features so no embarrassing misspelled words in public;
8) No worries about not having enough letters for the messages you want;
9) With digital the wind won’t blow letters off your message;
10) Ability to pre-schedule messages and not worry about who’s going to change the sign.

Holiday Signs regularly retrofits existing manual marquees to digital message boards. The process involves a call or visit from a project manager to assess each custom situation. We check codes, survey the existing support structure and assess viewing angles and distances to suggest the right size unit and pixel pitch for the site. The project manager asks questions about the content to be displayed and will make further recommendations for what is best. (See ABC’s of EMC’s for more information about digital messaging.)

Once the exact needs are assessed and our proposal is accepted, the project is scheduled and software training is conducted before the digital sign is installed. During installation, technicians remove and dispose of the existing marquee(s) and replace with new digital unit(s). Most customers see results immediately or shortly after the upgrade.

 

 

Contact: Mark Hackley, Account Executive

mhackley@holidaysigns.com  (540)416-3154

 

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  • More Digital Messaging Signs Stories:

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

 

Here are other Articles You May Like:

 

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

Development Signs Make Powerful Branding Statements

www.holidaysigns.com-hanovens

HARPER’S MILL, CHESTERFIELD, VA

Development Signs that are Branding a Community

 

Several years ago Holiday Signs became involved with constructing the development signs for the Harper’s Mill community in Chesterfield, a neighborhood that markets its natural setting. The unique entrance signage has become an iconic feature at the entrance to the large subdivision with multiple neighborhoods of varying price points, a school, and an amphitheater in their plans. There is also a retail element planned for later.

Close-up of the massive twenty-foot tall cut limestone end column and two-tiered pool complete with waterfall and fountain at the entrance to Harper's Mill.Richmond-based landscape design firm, Higgins & Gerstenmaier, LLC, designed the impressive signage structure and Holiday Signs managed the project for Oakridge Development, the developer of the Harper’s Mill property. Holiday Signs got the job because of our knowledge and experience with iconic environmental design projects, especially those involving technically challenging aspects of concrete construction. Henry Moore, Holiday Signs project manager, consulted with the landscape architect on the substrates and structure to help come up with an effective design.

As with any new construction project, the first hurdle is being able to envision the end result as you stare at a pile of ungraded earth. “Figuring out where to put the foundation in the midst of a big dirt pile and power line takes planning,” said Henry. An important element of large projects is being able to effectively coordinate things between the developer, the architect, the county, the utility companies and various trades and professions. Holiday Signs consulted with a surveyor to get the foundation placed exactly right and, working from his reference points, the huge limestone structure was placed just where it needed to be.  Many of the limestone blocks weighed 400 pounds and the end column with the community’s brand was 20′ high. Daniels Masonry handled the concrete and limestone part of the project.

The sign boasts a waterfall and fountain. A company from California provided the waterfall, and a local company installed the fountain. “The biggest challenge on larger projects like this is getting the concrete foundation right the first time to make sure all the subsequent pieces will fit together,” said Henry. “ The end product has to convey what the original design concept was all about. As project manager, you have to be able to look at all the parts and pieces in advance to make sure they will all go together as planned. If you miss one part, you have to do a lot of manipulation to make it all come together.” The value in utilizing an experienced sign company is an important aspect for consideration when constructing such an icon for the area.

It was the desire of the developer to build a modern, up-to-date community with walking trails and all the many amenities found at Harper’s Mill. “The sign is distinctive and different and it helps a lot with the marketing of the development,” commented Mark Sowers, president of Oakbridge Development, Inc. “It’s the focal point when you come in and it sets the tone of the community. It really helps us. We have a lot more projects out there and we’ll be using Holiday Signs again,” he said.

 

Harpers Mill Panoramic (1)

 

Contact: Mark Hackley, Account Executive mhackley@holidaysigns.com  (540)416-3154

 

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6 Reasons to Retrofit Neon Signs to LED

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-LED-retrofits-NEON6 GOOD REASONS FOR NEON TO LED CONVERSIONS

Retrofit Neon Signs to LED to Save Money & Go Green

 

Brand image is the overall impression in a consumer’s mind formed from all sources, including electric signs. The purpose of any branding sign is to draw attention to the brand in a positive way, but many times due to inconsistent sign lighting, a positive branding statement is compromised.  Many channel letter signs, for instance, were put in service when neon lighting was the only option, or the least expensive choice until recently. Unfortunately, because of high maintenance requirements and cold weather reliability, neon has a lower performance level than LED, leaving a brand vulnerable to projecting negatively in its market.

Improvements in technology have brought down the price of LED’s and now the majority of today’s custom electric channel letter signs are made using LED’s. LED’s require much less maintenance and use almost 1/20th the electricity of neon. LED is also a low voltage system as opposed to high voltage neon which means that LED installations are less invasive, preserving building aesthetics and integrity while maintaining a positive branding statement.

Consider the following 6 reasons to switch your electric channel letters to LED:

  • Reduced energy costs by up to 94%
  • Long Life – 50,000 hours (Conservative estimate equal to 11 years of nighttime use)
  • Less service/reduced maintenance costs (provides more consistent brand for customers, year-round)
  • Less insurance risk (reduced fire and shock hazards)
  • Improved performance in cold weather (provides more consistent brand for customers, year-round)
  • Fewer required primary electrical circuits

WATCH VIDEO ABOUT GE TETRA LED FOR CHANNEL LETTER SIGNS

Because neon is more bulky than LED, neon signs tend to be a little wider and taller than its LED counterparts. That is usually not a big issue for most window and wall applications. The biggest difference is depth. An LED sign can be as little as 1” thick whereas a neon sign must be at least 3.5” deep since the glass tubing must extend away from its backing.

Existing neon channel letters can be upgraded to LED for longer life and reduced energy consumption. The result is a sign that is not only “green” and eco-friendly, but also budget-friendly, more evenly lit, and maintenance free.

LED For perspective, 80 linear feet of neon draws as much power as twenty 42” flat screen TV’s. The same 80′ of LED has the equivalent power draw as one TV. That’s a huge difference! From an environmental standpoint, neon signs are much less environmentally friendly. They use loads of power and also contain mercury. The “green” qualities of LED can also be a helpful factor in the permitting process.

Holiday Signs offers free estimates for custom neon-LED conversion projects which provide consistent branding statements and at the same time reduce operating costs. How’s that for a deal? In addition to securing a positive brand, the chart below shows the tremendous annual power savings gained by conversion to LED using the 80′ example:

 

LED CHART 1

 

 

power cost chart

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Written by Jason Maggard and Mark Hackley, Holiday Signs

 

Contact: Mark Hackley, mhackley@holidaysigns.com

 

 

Here are some other Articles You May Enjoy:

What is the Cocooning Effect?

Shopping Center Repositioning

Roanoke Airport’s new Wayfinding System

 

 

 

How Small Signage Features add Big Punch in Retail Repositioning

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-retail-repositioning-shopping-center

Rockwood Square Shopping Center

How Small Features add Big Punch to Signage and Retail Repositioning

 

We worked with AREA Properties, LLC of Rockville, Maryland, who recently renovated the Rockwood Square Shopping Center in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Prior to its makeover, the center had a high vacancy rate, but after all the renovations it is now 98% full, much of which is attributed to the new signs according to Gary Modjeska of AREA Properties. “Signs were a very, very important part of the repositioning of the property,” he said.

 Since the property was not a high end shopping center, the client wanted signage that would not be real expensive to potential tenants. Gary worked with Holiday Signs project manager, Allen Twedt, to come up with a new design for the center’s signs. Before renovations, the center had plain, rectangular-shaped box signs with flat faces and poor hodge-podge designs. The client originally planned to replace everything with channel letters but asked us what we thought. We told him we could come up with a nice design for box signs that would include some architectural amenities, and if there is a tenant change all that would need to be done is swap out a new face, keeping a new tenant’s costs down in the future versus them having to come up with money for a new set of channel letters.

Allen and the Holiday Signs design team utilized an interesting lighting sconce detail forBlog Blurbs 9-9 the box signs and the main pylon that tied all the signage together. The detail also appears on the under-canopy signs as well. The owner also liked the idea of keeping all the tenant signs consistent and uniform regarding colors and layout. The sign backgrounds are opaque, so at night all that is seen is the copy and the lighted sconces giving the retail center a classy look instead of the typical image portrayed by standard illuminated white-background box signs. Adding the simple architectural details and keeping all signs consistent in design supports a unified theme that is attractive to customers and has helped the center grow and thrive again after the re-imaging.

sconce detail

Sconce detail on the wall signage. By utilizing box cabinet signs for the center’s tenants versus channel letters, it makes them all consistent, easier to change, and less expensive than custom channel letters. If not a high end property, lower up front costs attract and keep more long-term tenants, and there are many creative ways to keep costs down while promoting a consistent and eye-catching sign design.

This was the first project we provided for Gary at AREA Properties, LLC, but he said he will use us again on future projects because he was so pleased with all aspects we provided him.

pizza place        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact: Mark Hackley

mhackley@holidaysigns.com (540) 416-3154

 

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September 2013-Retail Re-Branding

 

Other Articles You May Like:

 

What is the Cocooning Effect?

Shopping Center Repositioning

Roanoke Airport’s new Wayfinding System

 

 

Source for Digital Sign Content Marketing

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-daktronics-watchfire-digital-LED-signs

RISK-FREE DIGITAL MESSAGING

PART 3- SOURCE FOR DIGITAL SIGN CONTENT MARKETING

 

If you’re like most people in business these days, you see value in content marketing. Consider the following 2013 trends:

  • $118.4 billion will be spent on content marketing in 2013. (Brafton Editorial)
  • 90% of businesses use content marketing. (B2B Marketing Insider)
  • 77% of people understand that an organization’s goal for custom content is to sell them something, but are OK with it as long as it provides value. (TMG Custom Media)
www.holidaysigns.com-where-can-i-find-content-for-digital-signs

The website, blog and social media outlets tell all about the special events, and the digital sign at each location should broadcast supportive content to lead people in.

When we think of content marketing strategies we think of blogging, case studies, white papers, website landing pages, e-mail, and so on, but digital messaging plays a big role in any well-rounded content promotion program. After all, a digital sign is just a big, exterior-grade computer monitor able to share custom content with more than a million viewers a month. (A two-sided sign on a busy road like Jefferson Davis Highway in Fredericksburg, Virginia with an average traffic count of 30,000 cars a day has 1.3 million potential monthly views based on the U.S. average of 1.5 persons per vehicle.*)

*VDOT 2012 Traffic Data (http://www.virginiadot.org/info/resources/Traffic_2012/AADT_PrimaryInterstate_2012.pdf)

 

Leveraging Online Content

Many customers of Holiday Signs operate hotels, restaurants, banks, and car dealerships and utilize prime road frontage for digital advertising. They understand the value of reaching real-world traffic in addition to traffic online. Digital signage can utilize text and also static and video images that tie in with elements of virtual marketing campaigns. Marketing themes from on-line content can be linked in to electronic messaging signage and customers entering the door become a measure of the campaign’s success rate.

Blog Blurbs 9-3Many times chain customers ask about the process involved with setting up a central computer where content is designed and used to send scheduled messages to pylon signs at each of their locations, sometimes across several states. Recently, marketing managers of a 23-store nursery chain, a 9-branch bank chain, and a growing retail healthcare organization were delighted to hear that this process can be part of the normal installation these days, easy to configure and train employees. (See June 2013 Article about Augusta Health.) Nowadays it’s also possible to utilize RSS feeds for live data like stock prices, news clips, emergency information, and other data that an organization may want to feature on its signs.

Read More About Electronic Sign Control Software

Customer Realization

www.holidaysigns.com-source-for-digital-sign-content-marketingOur project managers regularly demonstrate to customers how adding digital signage to their existing marketing programs can help them grow sales. At first they are very cautious. It usually takes a little while, but once they realize the tremendous size of their captive audience pool and understand the huge value of potential customers right at their doorstep, a light goes on. Then, as they compare the cost of other media to reach so many in their direct market, they begin to understand the value of digital messaging, eliminating their perceived risks in making the investment.

 

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Contact Holiday Signs

 

 

More Info on EMC’s-

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

 

 

 

How Sign Viewing Angle Effects Sign Readability

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-channel-letters

Channel Letters: Effective versus Ineffective Design

Part 2- Consideration of Sign Viewing Angle

 

August 2013-Channel Letters Newsletter-Part 2

Horizontal Viewing Angles of two stores. The store on the left utilizes fewer words and uses a wide-stroke font that makes it much clearer than the other example as customers approach from either side of the store entrances.

The simple design elements of “wide strokes” and “getting to the point” are in a nutshell, part of the formula for good, readable channel letters. If a store is located in a strip mall with an internal parking lot off the main road, then sign viewing angle considerations in channel letter design should be considered to effectively keep the traffic’s attention as it approaches the store. Unfortunately, many times a store sign becomes unreadable at wide angles.

 

The term “viewing angle” in sign design these days has different meanings depending on the sign media you’re talking about. When talking about channel letters, we can define sign viewing angle as the area where people can effectively read a set of letters. Illuminated letters may have a different viewing angle in the day from the viewing angle at night, and it is always a good idea to take a look at other signs in your commercial neighborhood prior to ordering one for your organization to see what works best.

 

August 2013-Channel Letters Newsletter-Part 2 ChartWe will focus on one of two types of sign viewing angles. The vertical viewing angle measures readability of signs high off the ground. This is a necessary consideration for letters on high-rise buildings, but most retailers with one story buildings will focus on horizontal visibility. The horizontal sign viewing angle is the area of view in which the sign can be easily read from points left to right of the sign. Notice that horizontal sign viewing angle gets wider the farther you move away from the sign, therefore vehicular traffic passing on a main roadway parallel to the sign will have a greater viewing distance than pedestrians or vehicles in the parking area passing right by the front of the store. This is important to remember because while your sign may be legible from the road to lure traffic in, when they get to the row of stores where they thought you were, they have a difficult time picking up your sign closer in because of the narrower sign viewing angle.

 

August 2013-Channel Letters Newsletter

Both examples work fine for more straight-on viewing, but as soon as the viewers travel left or right of each store entrance, only the store on the left’s sign will still be readable. As always, simpler is better!

The two examples pictured top-left demonstrate designs that have adequate horizontal signage viewing angles from the main road, but only one continues to be readable from close quarters. The reason for the difference is design. The one with the widest viewing angle uses a font with a wide stroke and minimum words. The other uses a narrow stroke font and crowds too many words together on one line. As you approach this sign from angles other than straight-on, the letters will eventually run together the closer you get to the store, making it ineffective in getting the attention required.

For further reading on SIGN READABILITY, Click Here

Contact: Mark Hackley, Account Executive mhackley@holidaysigns.com  (540)416-3154

 

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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?

 

Restoring the Hotel John Marshall Sign (Talk About Sign Viewing Angle!!)

 

Engineered Low Maintenance High-Rise Signs

www.holidaysigns.com-portsmouth-virginia-hih-rise-signs-technically-challening-channel-lettersCASE STUDY: DOMINION ENTERPRISES CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS

Norfolk, Virginia

 

 Dominion Enterprises, based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, moved into a new high-rise building in downtown Norfolk and needed to brand it and make a 24/7 statement for the corporate headquarters. Holiday Signs was selected as the contractor for the project because of our technical expertise with signage for high-rise applications.

 

One critical and overlooked aspect of any high-rise project is the impact of design on the future costs of sign maintenance and repair. The design and manufacture of signs installed at high elevations is significantly different than signs installed at ground level. Issues of strength, structural integrity, illumination, visibility, reliability, and serviceability are all magnified due to higher wind loads, tougher service environment, much greater viewing distance, and limited or significantly more difficult access to both the front and rear of the sign. Even more importantly, signs installed at a company’s headquarters become a symbol of the company itself and require the boldest designs, best construction and reliable performance to make the appropriate statement high above the city.

 

blog blurb for 8-20Considering all this, Holiday Signs proposed a solution for effective corporate identity signs at this location that included provisions for efficient maintenance. When the architect and general contractor considered our proposal, they liked that our approach used LED lighting and accessible power supplies while a competing sign manufacturer recommended a neon lighting system with transformers installed inside the letters. Neon is a poor choice from a basic electrical cost standpoint, but reliability and maintenance cost concerns from using a neon system for this application far exceeded the concerns about excessive power costs.

 

 Another important element of our solution that set us apart involved our recommendation of gray and red as the daytime colors of choice, considering the building color and achievement of the best possible contrast. We suggested 3M Dual Color Film for the face material so the logo would shine white during the night. The competing firm proposed all white graphics for both day and night setting up poor contrast for the letters during the day against the light-colored cast stone walls which would lead to a pale projection of the company’s corporate brand.

 

To ensure the finished product did its job, we prepared prototype models of the lettering prior to final production with three levels of lighting: one was as specified in the design drawings engineered by others; another was what we recommended for lighting; and a third was a sample halfway in between one and two. By presenting actual lighted samples at nighttime on the wall 32 stories high to the CEO, CFO, and other Dominion executives, we showed them without a doubt how to best illuminate their image and successfully brand their new building to the City of Norfolk.

 

click here for more technical case studies

 

Contact: Mark Hackley, Account Executive mhackley@holidaysigns.com (540)416-3154

 

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  • Technically Challenging Sign Projects

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 Signs

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 Signs

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?

Brick and Mortar Branding

www.holidaysigns.com-re-branding-signage-repositioning-remarketing-renovating-signsBrick and Mortar Branding: Upgrading Existing Buildings to Fit Your Brand

 The power of branding is consistency. My vacation this summer was a 10-day train trip from Vancouver to Toronto. As we passed through towns and cities from the Canadian Rockies to Niagra Falls, it was interesting to notice that Ford Dealerships, Starbucks, Citibank, and other familiar brands looked exactly the same all over Canada as they do in the United States.

When most of us think of a company’s visual brand we think of a defining logo like the old cattle brands. Architecture speaks brand too. There are always challenges when an organization acquires a building that was part of a previous brand. In banking, we see it all the time. One company buys another and has to re-brand itself using the old infrastructure. Sometimes a bank is so successful it grows super fast, acquiring new buildings at a rate faster than it can keep up with its own brand. When it comes to visual branding and signage, all of a sudden there are buildings and signs of all different shapes, sizes and colors and consistent branding becomes difficult.

Blog Blurbs 8-13Such was the case with Franklin Federal Savings Bank of Glen Allen, Virginia, that was founded in 1933. Holiday Signs has been working with Franklin Federal’s internal marketing and facilities executives to help the organization re-brand itself across eight branches and its corporate headquarters. Earlier this year the bank opened a new branch in Mechanicsville in a stand-alone building previously occupied by Union First Market Bank. Signage was designed to fit this particular re-branded site, adaptable for future and existing sites.

Building shape, colors, materials, lighting and signage are all considered elements of brick and mortar branding. It’s the way a brand is recognized and evaluated from the street. Many people today are focusing on their virtual identity, but brick-and-mortar identity is still extremely important. Surveys say most people prefer the internet to find and qualify a brand they are interested in before becoming their customer. Even so, constantly passing the company’s brick-and-mortar branding and recognizing a positive brand continuity strengthens brand image and serves as a reminder of that brand.

During a 2012 Bank Marketing Conference, Mary Beth Sullivan, Managing Partner of the Capital Performance Group of Washington, DC, stated that brand image is the top driver of customers choosing their primary financial institution. In the course of the conference, Dean Browell, Executive Vice President of Feedback, Inc., recommended that financial retailers continue to think of brick-and-mortar as a strong marketing tool, stating the average bank customer visits the lobby or drive- thru four times a month. These are big reasons why on-premise branding and advertising continue to be important. Just as positive branding attracts customers, negative aspects of a brick-and-mortar brand resulting from rapid growth and inconsistency across the branches is a detraction and makes investments in branding new sites as well as re-branding existing facilities a worthy cause.

Many of our most successful clients like Franklin Federal are looking hard at their on-premise signs to determine if they convey the right image and are effective at attracting new and retaining existing customers. Clients such as these know they never get a second chance to make a first impression.

 

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  ADDITIONAL ARTICLES BY TOPIC:

 

  • Technically Challenging Sign Projects

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 Signs

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 Signs

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?

New Redskins Training Camp Branded by Holiday Signs

Dickie Saunders of Holiday Signs positions the new stadium identification sign on the wall in Richmond.

REDSKINS MOVE TRAINING CAMP TO RICHMOND

HOLIDAY SIGNS PROVIDES THE SIGNAGE!

 

Holiday Signs of Chester, Virginia, provided facilities signage for the new Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center in Richmond, VA. The training facility opened in July, 2013. 

Fast Facts from the Training Center’s Website:

  • A world-class training facility that will set the standard of excellence for training camp experiences in all of professional sports
  • Home to the Washington Redskins’ three-week Summer Training Camp in July / August
  • Situated on 17 acres along Leigh Street, behind the Science Museum of Virginia
  • Two professional-quality football fields, along with spectator areas
  • Washington Redskins Training Camp represents the single largest grassroots professional sports event to take place within the Commonwealth of Virginia
  • Brings an NFL presence to Richmond, from one of the most recognizable professional sports brands in the world
  • Expecting to attract more than 100,000 fans, the three-week Training Camp will bring tourism opportunities to Richmond
  • Economic impact of the Training Camp is an estimated $8.5 million annually
  • Training Center will bring an estimated $40 million investment to Richmond and hundreds of new jobs
  • Stimulates the City’s economic development activity, job growth and business expansion
  • Washington Redskins will team up with Bon Secours to promote healthy living, with community health and wellness programs extended into Richmond
  • Bon Secours will further its long-established commitment to bringing health care services and education to Richmond’s underserved areas, including the East End, Church Hill and now the Leigh Street neighborhoods
  • Bon Secours Sports Medicine, located at the Training Center, will include:
  • Sports medicine rehabilitation anFull page photod athletic performance development
  • Men’s health, fitness and education programs
  • Headquarters for movin’ mania, Bon Secours’ healthy kids initiative
  • Bon Secours sports medicine specialists, therapists, trainers, physiologists and orthopaedic physicians providing services year-round
  • Fields and locker rooms available to the public for youth programming and competitions when the Redskins camp is not in session
  • Richmond-based firms instrumental with the construction, development and engineering of the Training Center include Hourigan Construction, 3North and the Timmons Group, respectively

Photo Captions: Top left: Dickie Saunders positions the new training camp sign;

Photo by Allen Twedt, Project Manager

Bottom right: Project Photo by Hourigan Construction http://www.houriganconstruction.com/

 

 

 

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Active vs Passive Advertising

www.holidaysigns.com-richmond-va-daktronics-watchfire-digital-LED-signsRISK-FREE DIGITAL MESSAGING

PART 2- ACTIVE VS PASSIVE ADVERTISING

www.holidaysigns.com-active-versus-passive-advertising-marketingRecognizing both active vs passive advertising in your current marketing mix will lead you to have the greatest influence over your target market’s purchasing decisions. Both types of advertising are important and digital messaging is one form of active advertising that makes sense as you consider one of the most overlooked group of customers and prospects: the drive-by market.

Active forms of media include:

  • Digital Messaging
  • Digital Billboards
  • Radio & Television

Passive media includes:

  • Print (Newspaper, Magazines)
  • Yellow Pages
  • Static Signage & Billboards

The “drive-by” market is not discussed much but it is the life blood of many businesses. I tried a Google Search and there just isn’t much written about it. But unless your business is 100% virtual, you must rely on it. (If you operate a business in Virginia, you can calculate your drive-by market at http://www.virginiadot.org/info/2012_traffic_data.asp.) Active media attracts the drive-by market by using dynamic, ever-changing, focused content. It is attention-getting and intrusive. On the other hand, passive media utilizes one-time, static, broad and generic content that fades into the background and is non-intrusive. A marketing plan with a solid passive infrastructure Blog Blurbs call to actionand ongoing effective active ingredient will produce the best long-term results.

On-premise digital signage is one of the most effective forms of active media. Once an adequate passive structure is in place for a specific business situation, use signage to lead seekers from your passive infrastructure while attracting spontaneous drive-bys. For existing businesses that have a strong customer base, an ongoing regimen of content-driven digital advertising using dynamic on-premise signage becomes a great tool to drive existing customers to new products and services while in the act of doing business at your site(s), increasing the volume from your loyal accounts. By using alternating content, the same sign can attract new and existing impulse buyers who respond to advertised sales and events. The sign can also be used to sell specific items that need to move fast, and can provide education & awareness to fuel longer term sales.

McDonalds digital messaging for restaurantsIf your business is in a high-traffic location, a signage system that utilizes both active and passive channels is best. A good example  is a business identification sign that displays a company’s brand name (the passive part) and a digital messaging center (the active part).  Digital signs are usually mounted to the main pylon sign under the main ID signage that serves as the focal point of traffic as customers and potential customers pass by. A study by consulting firm OTX found that people find digital signage to be more unique (58%), interesting (53%), and entertaining (48%), but less annoying (26%) than other media. Consumers must make a decision- informed by any available signage- about the shopping potential of the store versus the option of continuing to future opportunities. By utilizing digital signage, you promote a “call to action” that viewers are attracted to and can respond by visiting your store.

SEE RISK FREE DIGITAL MESSAGING PART 3- “CONTENT FOR DIGITAL SIGNS”

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Risk Free EMC’s Part 1

 

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