When you think of famous signs, what is the first one to come to mind?

HOLLYWOOD!

This iconic sign has been in existance since 1923, and has undergone many facelifts
to keep up that glorious facade, as befitting her city of residence. It was
originally built as a huge billboard to promote an upscale real estate development
called “Hollywoodland”. In the time of its birth, the massive structure cost $21,000
to build. Each of its letters was 30 feet wide by 50 feet tall and was composed of
hundreds of sheets of metal rigged together with wire, scaffolding, pipes and
telephone poles. The sign featured about 4,000 20-watt light bulbs, spaced 8 inches
apart.

The sign was originally designed to only last for about a year and a half, but has
actually lasted for more than eight decades. But this is not without some assistance
from the public and some well known stars.

In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce removed the letters spelling “LAND” and
repaired the rest of the letters.

In the late 1970′s, it was determined that the sign needed a complete overhaul and
Hugh Hefner came to the rescue in 1978 with a fundraiser gala hosted at the Playboy
Mansion. Individual letter sponsorships were “auctioned” off at $27,700 per letter
at the event.

Through the years since, efforts have been made to protect the sign and the land
around it while maintaining the powerful symbolism and character of the iconic
Hollywood sign.

For a more thorough history of the sign, please go here.

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If the tough guys at the NFL can be environmentally conscious, why can’t you?

The Super Bowl is one of the country’s largest waste-generating events, and has been
working tirelessly to reverse this reputation. The NFL worked with the Indianapolis
Super Bowl XLVI Host Committee to help reduce the environmental impact of the game
this year. They approached the facets of recycle, reduce and reuse in a variety of
different ways.

After the game concluded, the NFL donated numerous boxes of leftover office supplies
to Indianapolis public schools. Included were an array of pens, pencils, staplers
and reams of paper that will go to good use and reduce the expenditure of the public
school systems.

As advertisement for the game, there were approximately 6 miles worth of vinyl,
fabric and mesh graphics or banners in use. These were all taken down and donated to
a locally based non-profit group called People for Urban Progress. These materials
will be used to make purses, wallets and messenger bags and then sold as unique Super
Bowl XLVI memorabilia.

Thousands of pounts of food was collected by Second Helpings, a food recovery
organization that aids social service organizations. Check them out here :
http://www.secondhelpings.org/what-we-do.  PepsiCo provided recycling bins
throughout the event.

While 100% of the waste cannot always be recovered, it is the effort that makes a
difference. Every little bit helps. (Original story by www.SDGmag.com)

What can you or your business do do aid in the green initiative?

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Last week we discussed the importance of vehicle wraps as mobile advertising. As
important as it is, it still needs to be designed properly to catch the maximum
amount of unique impressions. While there is no limit to what you CAN do with a
vehicle wrap, there are reasonable parameters to keep within for proper execution.

Since the vehicle is a moving advertisement, it must be able to relay its message
within 10 seconds. This makes an effective design absolutely paramount. Many
consumers would like to use very wordy wrap designs in order to utilize the amount of
surface area a vehicle has. However, the key to a successful vehicle wrap is the
‘less is more’ attitude.

You will want to stick with key points or catch phrases to generate interest in your
brand. Try to utilize colors and design elements that are synonymous with your
product or service.

Always remember that design advise is always available at Signs Now, and most other
print shops that offer vehicle graphics.

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Vehicle wraps net between 30,000 to 70,000 daily impressions, and tend to stick in peoples minds better than any other kind of advertising. Why wouldn’t you invest in something that is likely to pay for itself several fold in just a short time.

According to Signs Of The Times magazine (www.signweb.com), about 95% of Americans are reached by all types of media that target motorists and their passengers. And out of the target audience, 30% of viewers would be base a buying decision on what they view on such an ad.

The fact is that a vehicle wrap can earn you jobs whether you are getting gas, making a delivery or just sitting in a parking lot.

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Last week we discussed the green applications of LED lighting as opposed to old neon
in your signs. Not only is it easy to retrofit an existing neon sign for new LEDs,
you may also qualify for new incentives with Traverse City Light & Power.

By changing over your signs, as well as your office lighting you could stand to save
up to $15,000; in addition to monthly changes in your bill and peace of mind.

Traverse City Light & Power is a local pioneer in the way of good environmental action.  They not only constructed a wind turbine in 1996, they continue to offer their customers (both residential and commercial) incentive opportunities to save money and save the environment.  In 2010 alone, the utility saved nearly two million kilowatt hours through their energy efficiency programs.  That is enough energy to power about 344 homes for a year!

For more information, check out the Traverse City Light & Power website here.

A full listing of the terms and conditions can be found on the application PDF file
available for download.

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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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