Every day a half million people visit Times Square and another 10 million see scenes of the famous New York intersection on TV. It’s a shopping, theater and business district but in media it's most famous for its huge, often innovative billboards, or spectaculars as they're called.
They’re a collage of video, vinyl and LED displays, and they range from tickers circling buildings to full-motion commercial spots mushrooming from huge screens on the sides of skyscrapers.
One new billboard now under construction will be powered by solar and wind energy.
And that's just the billboards.
Times Square is a venue for every form of out-of-home advertising, from ads on trash kiosks to alternative events, such as the recent construction of a beach scene, including figures sculpted from sand, for the premiere of USA Network's "Burn Notice."
Lighted billboards first started appearing in Times Square in the 1920s. Some advertisers like Coca-Cola first lit up in Times Square in the 1930s and are still there today.
Advertisers can also sponsor events, among them the much-watched New Year’s Eve count-down celebration.
To find out how to get your client’s message up big and bright in the billboard capital, read on.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts
What
Advertising in Times Square.
Who
There are multiple companies offering advertising in Times Square. For this article, Media Life spoke with Times Square Alliance, Clear Channel Spectacolor, Times Square2, Sherwood Outdoor, Ricoh Americas and Gilmore Group, all in New York.
How it works
Ads appear on large, brightly lit billboards known as spectaculars or other venues in the dozen or so blocks that make up Times Square, whose center is at the intersection of 42nd Street and Broadway where it meets Seventh Avenue.
Some ads come with Bluetooth technology. Nike recent ran build-your-own-shoe campaign.
“You would stand in front of the Nike billboard and design a shoe using your cell phone,” says Dave Jenssen, vice president of Times Square2, which handles advertising for the Reuters Sign and NASDAQ Tower, two of the area's largest spectaculars.
The person could then go to the Nike site and order the shoes he or she had designed.
Ads can be targeted by dayparts. Jenssen notes, as an example, that a chain like Starbucks could restrict its ad to mornings, targeting commuters stopping for coffee as they head for the office.
Advertisers often develop creative specifically for use in Times Square, though many run spots created for TV.
“Advertisers absolutely come up with creative just for Times Square,” says Clear Channel Spectacolor’s vice president sales and marketing Michael Steinberg. “For the new ‘Step Brothers’ movie the stars play with one another like they’re posing for photos in Times Square.”
There are two ways to buy Times Square, says Sherwood Outdoor president Brian Turner. “The primary way is to design, build, install and maintain your own sign. The other way is to purchase screen time on some of the LED screens.”
The largest Times Square billboard is a three-sided sign at One Times Square that spans the east, west and south walls, notes Greg Tribbe, creative director for Gilmore Group, who designed the new sign.
The solar- and wind-powered billboard is 47 feet high by 126 feet wide and is located on the corner of 42nd and Seventh. A static sign being developed by Ricoh, it’s expected to be up and running by December.
Markets
Times Square, New York
Numbers
There are 500,000 visitors to Times Square daily, according to the Times Square Alliance.
Times Square2 has the Reuters sign, which is comprised of 11 screens and the single NASDAQ screen.
Sherwood Outdoor has 28 signs in Times Square. Of those, 15 have long-term advertisers. Sizes range from 20 feet high and 60 feet wide to 40 feet wide and 60 feet high.
Clear Channel Spectacolor has 70-plus billboards in Times Square, measuring 23 feet wide by 28 feet high to 54 feet wide and 320 feet tall. About half are long-term, or more than three years, with the rest short term, which could be as brief as three to six months.
The new, giant billboard designed by Gilmore Group for Walgreens is 41,000 square feet of which 17,000 square feet is LED screen.
There are 200 banners available through Times Square Alliance.
How it is measured
Times Square Alliance has staff on street corners counting pedestrians and vehicle passengers, and those figures are used to estimate impressions.
It’s estimated that impressions measure 1.5 million daily.
Research
According to a Times Square Alliance study conducted by Philip Habib and Associates, by year 2030 pedestrian traffic in Times Square will grow 500 percent between 1982 and 2030 during the peak 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. time period at Seventh and 42nd Street.
What product categories do well
Automotive, consumer electronics, communications, entertainment, packaged goods and retail are top categories.
Demographics
“Times Square is the crossroads of the world. There’s not a demographic that doesn’t come here,” says Times Square Alliance vice president marketing Lori Raimondo. “That said, certain events make sense for certain brands.”
Ads target a broad audience but they can be targeted by location within Times Square.
“Reach the financial community at the north end of Times Square. For entertainment, reach the south end,” says president Clear Channel Spectacolor Harry Coghlan.
Making the buy
Times Square Alliance: Lead time for banner ads is eight weeks.
Times Square2: Lead time is five to 10 days for a sign. Lead time is five to six weeks to add interactive features like a web site or game. A minimum buy is one year.
Sherwood Outdoor: Lead time is typically two years.
Clear Channel Spectacolor: Lead time varies with the type of billboard.
Who’s already on Times Square signs
Coca-Cola, Wrigley’s, Hershey’s, Purina, Kodak and AOL are recent advertisers.
What they’re saying
“The great thing about Times Square that lends to the energy and excitement is that you can do anything you want. There are no regulatory restrictions. The city actually desires the light output. They want spectaculars because they realize they’re a draw to the area.” –Harry Coghlan of Clear Channel Spectacolor
Web site info
Times Square Alliance at http://www.timessquarenyc.org
Clear Channel Spectacolor at http://www.spectacolor.com
Times quare2 at http://www.timessquare2.com
Sherwood Outdoor at http://www.sherwoodoutdoor.com
Ricoh Americas at http://www.ricoh-usa.com
Gilmore Group at http://www.gilmoregroup.net
Additional Times Square signage is available through:
Illuminations at http://www.illuminationsllc.com
MTV 44 ½ at http://www.mtv445.com
Light Year Media at http://www.lightyearmedia.com
