|
|
put your client there
Lots of ways to get a message in front of bathers
By Kathy Prentice
Clear summer skies, hot sun and burning sand herald the first beach days of summer, and with them the scorched crowds searching for a cool drink, sun block or a Popsicle.
With a variety of beach media now available, beachgoers heading to the restroom or parking lot and wanting to get cool can see full-color images of ice-cold sports drinks, bottled water and ice cream.
These ads are mounted on lifeguard stands, phone kiosks and anything else standing in the sand.
Beach boards are currently available on both coasts. To find out how to get your client on the sand, 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 messages on the lifeguard stands, trash barrels, bus stops and sand of public beaches.
Who:
TDI (Transportation Displays, Inc.) with offices worldwide.
Wilkins Media, headquartered in Atlanta.
How it works:
Beach ads appear in print on the back of lifeguard towers, phone kiosks, bus benches and trash barrels.
Panels on lifeguard towers are 26 inches high, 53 inches wide and mounted horizontally. A public service message informing beachgoers that alcohol and dogs are both prohibited on beaches is included on the signs. The towers cover 19 miles of beach in Los Angeles County.
Phone kiosk panels are 50 inches high and 26 inches wide and are mounted vertically.
Beach barrels are 3 feet wide and 2 feet tall, and each one has space for two posters.
TDI and other media companies do installation, maintenance and tear-down at the conclusion of the campaign.
Creative is provided by the advertiser.
The most effective creative for beach boards follows the out-of-home credo: Big and Bold.
“It’s consistent with the rest of out-of-home,” says Frank Sandusky, TDI’s vice-president/regional manager for Southern California. “Though since you don’t drive by it, you walk up to it, there’s an opportunity to digest a longer message. Sometimes it’s a little more wordy.”
However, the message or logo must still be visible from a distance.
“It can be a long read for when you’re walking down the beach,” says Leia Taylor, media planner/buyer for Wilkins Media in Atlanta. “A quiz or funny message is good but shouldn’t be so much of a riddle that people don’t know what the advertisement is about.”
Using a creative twist on the beach theme, ABC’s signage on bright yellow trash barrels reads: “It’s a beautiful day. What are you doing outside?” The message, obviously, was to remind beachgoers to turn on ABC when they returned to their homes or hotel rooms after their day at the beach.
The panels are printed with waterproof, UV-protected ink and sandwiched between a clear acrylic face and frame backing.
Branding and promotions are both prominent on beach media.
Movie premieres are common beach media promotions. “They use minimal wordage, primarily the name of the film and the face of a big star for catchy creative,” Sandusky says.
Creative can be changed during the course of a campaign. “A lot of the time a movie studio will run a teaser and then a reveal,” Sandusky says.
Beach media is often part of a campaign mix and in California is commonly combined with signage on college campuses. In Florida beach signage often runs with aerial ads.
Exclusivity is usually not an issue, Sandusky says. “It doesn’t come up, except with automobiles, because the county department of beaches and harbors has contracts with specific automobile manufacturers to give them lifeguard vehicles, so you can’t have a competing brand advertising.”
For additional beach media coverage, see previous Media Life out-of-home stories on advertising in the sand (“Rolling Your Message Out Upon the Sands of Time” July, 17, 2000) and in the sky over beaches (“Up, Up and Away! Putting Messages in the Sky” July 1999). Sand impressions are bought by the beach and aerial banners by the hour or day.
Markets:
Lifeguard towers are available on public beaches in Los Angeles County.
Phone kiosks and trash barrels are available on public beaches in Los Angeles County and in some parts of Orange County.
Bus benches are available in some Florida beachfront markets.
Beach signage is also sometimes available through local municipalities.
Numbers:
How measured?
The Department of Beaches and Harbors provides a count of beachgoers, Sandusky says.
Research:
What product categories do well?
Beach-related products like sunscreen, sunglasses, bottled water, juice and soft drinks do well. Also fashion—especially swimwear, entertainment, fast food, magazines and radio.
National brands are most commonly found on beach media, though movie studios that are in close proximity to the Los Angeles-area beaches are also frequent advertisers.
Demographics:
Target audiences are tourists, teenagers, young adults and anyone in leisure mode.
Spring break can bring a different demographic, Taylor says. “Definitely the younger crowd.” Later spring and fall can bring out seniors and others with disposable income and free time.
Making the buy:
TDI: Lead time on lifeguard towers and phone kiosks is dependent on print production. Once the posters are in hand a typical showing takes a day or two to install.
Contracts are negotiated in four-week increments.
There is often a waiting period for prime time. Currently TDI beach inventory sells out through the summer, though the beaches are typically used year-round.
“There are exercise trails, volleyball courts and food concessions throughout, so the signage is visible all year,” Sandusky says. “But crowds are stronger when it’s warmer, so we typically sell out through September.”
Signage is available on about 200 lifeguard towers and 350 phone kiosks.
Advertisers can buy specific beaches or all inventory. Sandusky says a sunscreen or sports drink company would typically request signage close to the volleyball courts.
Contract length affects pricing, Sandusky says. “The rate card sets up incentives for longer-term deals, not by number of units.”
Contact any TDI sales office or the Los Angeles office at 323-721-7211.
Wilkins Media: Lead time varies with the type of beach media selected. Barrels and lifeguard stands typically take 20 working days to produce, ship and post.
Typically advertisers buy a showing. There’s a premium for cherry-picking beaches within a market.
Contracts run month-to-month with a longer buy usually providing a discount.
Prime time in Florida can vary from the prime-time summer months on the West Coast. “The hotel peak season is December through May,” Taylor says. “A lot of people go to Florida in February and March.”
Factors that affect pricing include volume and continuity. Barrels are the least expensive at $25 to $110 per month per barrel, Taylor says. Bus benches on beaches cost approximately $100 per month per bench excluding production.
Beach panels and kiosks run $760 to $1520 per unit. Check with Wilkins for details and production costs where applicable.
Contact Wilkins Media sales offices in any market to place beach ads on either coast.
Who’s already on beach media:
Companies placing their messages on the beach include Disney, Coca Cola, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Universal Studios, McDonald’s, Fox Television, ABC and Snapple.
Web site information:
TDI at www.tdiworldwide.com
Wilkins Media at www.wilkins-media.com
May 29, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
-Kathy Prentice writes about out-of-home advertising for Media Life, penning her stories from the resort town of Traverse City, in the upper reaches of Michigan.
Printer-Friendly Version
|
Send
to a Friend
Cover Page |
Contact
Us
