In this day and age everyone is trying to do their part and go green to save what’s left of our planet. In many cases, going green ends up being more expensive than sticking with the norm.

Does the higher initial cost of green or energy efficient products outweigh the potential savings and peace of mind down the road?

In the sign industry there are multiple initiatives underway to be green or recyclable; most notably the conversion to the use of LED lighting versus neon. The pros and cons when weighing LED and neon or even standard incandescents are very one sided: up front expenses. What should be looked at is the fact that in most cases, LED lighting is much more energy efficient and uses nearly half of the energy that standard neon or incandescent lamps do.

In the sign industry, there are old neon signs refurbished and retrofitted with new LED lights every day. Most notably, the classic Genesee Beer sign in upstate New York was recently given a new life with flexible LED tubing that closely resembled the look of the original neon tubing. It is best to mention that the sign had remained dark for nearly 30 years because the costs of upkeep and replacement of the neon was just too great.

Also, in the consumer world the idea of LED Christmas lights is a crawling debate. The lights were introduced in the late 90s, but haven’t been fully adopted by the public because of their higher initial costs. The fact that the LED lights have a longer life and consume less than half the electricity doesn’t seem to sway general consumers. However, the White House and Rockafeller Center have made the transition to LEDs for their large scale Christmas decorations, and it has made a world of difference. The Rockafeller Center display was able to cut its energy useage by 63% by switching to LEDs.

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Did you know that on-premise signs are considered a form of free speech, and are protected under First Amendment rights?
City sign regulation codes are designed to keep sign allowances uniform, in that a car dealership isn’t allowed a larger sign than a clothing store just because of the type of merchandise they sell. Essentially, the codes are meant to keep the peace so that no one has the bigger stick than anyone else when it comes to on-premise advertising.

However, in instances where a sign code greatly limits a signs capability of clearly executing their purpose, a code is in danger of violating First Amendment rights.

They are also in danger of downgrading the economic development of the community through restrictive sign codes. Most small businesses must rely solely upon on-presmise signs to advertise their products and store location to potential customers.
If that sign is not able to adequately perform that duty due to restrictions placed upon its design and location, this is detrimental to the business and in turn the economy.

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Did you know that many financial institutions reserve the right to refuse a business loan if a sign is not included in your startup budget?  That is how important signage is.

According to the International Sign Association, the cost of your sign should be
factored into your business start-up budget. Some loan companies look for this item when assessing your loan request, and may not issue a loan without it.

The reason is that a well executed sign is a sure fire way to bring in business, and
the lack thereof could indicate poor business planning.  Signs should be thought of as a long term investment, and in most cases end up paying for themselves within a very short amount of time.  Your sign should expect to generate about half of your new customers as a start-up business.

The importance of having a well constructed and executed sign is paramount. And there are several steps to take to get to that point.  Choosing the right kind of
sign for your business as well as the placement of that sign are the first start.
Most sign companies offer design assistance and will work with you to determine the right sign for you.

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According to USA Today small-business expert Steve Strauss, price is an important factor when deciding on a sign and sign company, but it should not be the deciding factor. Instead, small-business owners should think ahead to the profit that they could make via the added foot traffic and advertising that well placed sign could bring.

When a reader wrote in asking how to allocate marketing dollars, he states “It seems to me that I do not really need to invest a lot of money in a big sign,” and requested advice on how to allocate resources without allowing for a sign. In response, Strauss advised him to consider something simple, tasteful and bold in a sign. Signage can create an additional source of foot traffic to the new business, above and beyond the word-of-mouth advertisements.

In his arguement, Strauss cited McDonald’s and their signage strategy with new restaurants. The restaurant super-chain reportedly spends $40,000 on signage for each new restaurant, and can expect to receive up to $600,000 per store in revenue as a result of said signage.

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Which is more of a traffic hazard….cellphones or electronic message centers?

Well, a study conducted in 2003 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicated that the use of a cellphone while driving is similar to driving under the influence.  While in 2007, two different studies were conducted by the Foundation for Virginia Tech Transportation Institute for Automotive Safety Research and Tantala Associates.  This study shows that traffic incidents are no more likely to occur in the presence of electronic billboards than in their absence.

Oh, and on top of that…electronic billboard and message center energy consumption is down by about 40% across the board for the last four years.

On the other hand, standard billboards in Colorado are designed to prevent deadly accidents.  In this scenario, two storyboard-type billboards were placed in the same area, at different times.  The first billboard states “You can turn any car into a convertible.”  After a period of time this billboard was replaced by a new one that graphically depicts a possible crash scenario stating that “Tailgating a truck can turn any car into a convertible.”

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There seems to be quite a draw on whether large-scale electronic message centers should be allowed within city limits.  Several major city governments are wrestling with the idea of allowing such signs, and what kind of restrictions would be set in place if they were to be allowed. 

The Orlando, Florida mayor requested a halt on the voting on a sign ordinance to allow digital billboards.  He argues that the signage should be limited to on-site advertisements and announcements, in order to preserve the character of downtown Orlando.

While in Pittsburgh they are contemplating eliminating the current moratorium and establishing size and placement regulations for electronic billboards.  This would also give the ok to replace existing vinyl billboards with electronic ones.  The original moratorium stemmed from a disagreement on a 1,900-sq. ft message board at the Grant St. Transportation Center with Lamar Outdoor Advertising.  At a local City Council meeting, Mel Blount voiced his concern regarding the message centers and Lamar Advertising.  Blount is a former defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers and now runs the Mel Blount Youth Home.  He states, “There’s no way we’d be able to do the things that we do to reach out and help young people without the support of organizations like Lamar Advertising.”

How do you feel the pros and cons of large-scale electronic message centers weigh out?

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According to the National Federation of Independent Business, the biggest problem that small business owners face today is lack of consumer demand. 

While it is true that sales and demand suffers during slow economic times, the blame cannot be placed solely on one person or organization.  Based on the weekly polls conducted by the NFIB, the bane of small business has ranged from sales and big box businesses to taxes and regulation.

Previously taxes were the top hurdle that small businesses had to jump to have a successful year.  But, taxes can only be taken into account if there is a profit to be had, which in the case of suffering sales does not happen often. During this economic rut consumers have chosen the road of abstinence from spending; and in turn this directly influences the local economy.

In years past, the government has countered a faltering economy with borrowing more money to run a bigger deficit to plump up government spending and increase demand.  Think about the effect that government spending had on ending The Great Depression.  This results in a shorter and shallower recession period.  However, this technique did not work as well as hoped during the current recession.  It seems our government has reached its debt load limit and will have a limited ability to generate demand through spending.  The only way to go forward is to either add borrowing capacity by paying down debt or increasing taxes, or both.

Therefore, everyone is watching and waiting for the right time to spend. How do you, as a small business owner or employee, feel about this?

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“The Oakley Community Council (Cincinnati, OH) has approved a 90-ft. LED sign for a new movie theater. The sign will exceed the space recommended by Cincinnati’s city council, the Eastern Hills Journal reports, but local residents supported the design, which they say keeps with the character of the neighborhood. The larger sign has a “retro look” similar to other theaters in the area, and exceeds the building’s height.”      – signweb.com

This is an example of why business owners must be aware of their city and township zoning rules pertaining to signage.  This also reminds you to be courteous of your neighbors!  Signs are part of our environment and unsightly signs make unsightly neighborhoods.  This proves that the customer, the designer and the person selling the signs have a responsibility to their community to take everything into account.

Not only that, but the local zoning restrictions on signs are so fierce that they tend to hurt small, non-franchised businesses that lack resources and depend primarily on their signage to bring in sales.  When businesses are struggling to attract customers, zoning restrictions can really put the pinch on a small business owner trying to take that extra step to further their business.
Be aware of what is and is not acceptable, but also know that you do have a chance to make a strong arguement.

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