PRESS RELEASE
Switch Masters the Art
and Science of
Digital Out-of-Home Media Advertising
Experiential Marketing Agency Manages
Spectacular LED Advertising Displays Nationwide
ST.
LOUIS – (Jan. 15, 2009) – By the time 2008 was history on the East Coast,
Switch Digital Technical Director Steve Paolicchi had spent the day managing 18
consecutive worldwide New Year’s Eve countdown celebrations, down to the
precise second, from his laptop. His most prestigious countdown included the
Eastern Time Zone celebration on the Budweiser
spectacular board in
Outdoor
LED spectacular advertising allows brands to take advertising to a new level.
To be competitive today, brands using spectaculars incorporate the technical
science of studying audience behaviors based on specific locations and targeted
core content with the art of delivering fresh, immersive and interactive
branded media. Every brand is unique and requires a keen understanding of the
target audience. Translating the brand messages to the right outdoor
spectacular venue in the most appropriate visual format requires much more than
simply editing existing TV spots and programming them for billboard rotation.
Experiential
marketing agency Switch http://www.theswitch.us
has become a leader in the fast-growing digital-out-of-home category of
spectacular advertising by enabling audiences to engage with brands in some of
the busiest and trendiest venues nationwide.
Boasting
the largest boards in the United States, the new 17-story Walgreens LED
spectacular venue at One Times Square in New York City, http://www.walgreenstimessquare.com,
reaches audiences from the east, west and south sides of the famous spot. To
launch the new Walgreens
spectacular, Switch created original 30-second Budweiser brand LED spots in
less than 48 hours.
For
the past two years on the north side of the venue, Switch has managed content
and rotation for the 70-foot Budweiser LED spectacular billboard. Every day,
Switch-managed content earns more than 1.6 million impressions in
PQ
Media has reported that since 2006, out-of-home media advertising and spending
on digital billboards have increased by double-digit percentages, and continue
to grow. The Outdoor Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB) released the industry’s
first audience metrics guidelines in October. Not only does measurement
validate the medium, it allows marketers to deliver ROI for clients’
investments. And digital out-of-home is rated the most attention-catching of
all media by more than 60 percent of audiences surveyed by the OTX Digital
Signage Awareness Study.
“Our
approach to digital outdoor evolved from our high-end event and technical
production expertise,” said Tom Eisenhauer, Digital Media Director for Switch.
“We fused that with more than 10 years of experience in traditional outdoor
creative, and insights from studying audience demographic data. By balancing
those components, we’re able to ensure some of the world’s biggest brands stay
relevant with some the world’s largest audiences.”
Switch
creates and manages live content, short segments, reformatted broadcast ads and
high-resolution 3D animation. The team can turn simple flat art into dynamic
full-motion LED content for any board venue, and manage it from the office or
laptop computers.
Industry
resources view Switch as an innovator. “Switch takes a different perspective
than a typical ad agency when it comes to digital outdoor,” said Ryan Laul,
Managing Director of Hyperspace Digital and board member for the Out-of-Home
Video Advertising Bureau (OVAB). “Switch understands how to manipulate
spectacular LED venues to showcase content that goes beyond advertising. They
blend creative with technological expertise to create immersive opportunities
for brands to connect with audiences.”
In
addition to the board venues in Times Square, Switch manages full-motion video
content on LED outdoor advertising displays in Victory
Plaza in Dallas, the Sunset Strip and Nokia Theater in
Los Angeles, the Miracle Mile in Las Vegas http://ww.miraclemileshopslv.com,
Broad & High in Columbus, Ohio http://www.broadandhigh.com/index.html
and the Desert Ridge Marketplace in Tempe, Ariz http://www.tempemarketplace.com/Index.aspx.
“Brand
managers are fueling the growth of the spectacular digital outdoor category
because they are looking for engagement rather than passive acknowledgement,” said
John Burns, Vice President of Business Development for Switch. “Statistics
prove that digital out-of-home media is more immersive and holds audience
attention longer. And with today’s interactive texting and Bluetooth
technology, viewers can provide instant feedback, participate in real-time
contests and receive discount coupons with time-lapse restrictions. If you are
a brand looking for audience interaction, this is where it’s at.”
Switch
Liberate Your Brand is an experiential marketing agency headquartered in St.
Louis with offices in Atlanta and Dallas. For more than 25 years, the agency
has helped clients enjoy audience-brand relationships that run deeper, last
longer and translate into action faster than those formed through one-way
dialogues. Switch creates and executes brand marketing experiences for clients
nationwide specializing in digital media, mobile tours, displays and exhibits,
meetings and events, and graphic design. For more information please visit www.theswitch.us.
Media Contact:
Julie Voss; julie@vosscommunications.com
or 314-258-1018.
Business Contact:
John Burns; JohnB@theswitch.us or 314-206-7700.