Sit at the traffic light on South Willow Street and Andrea Drive in Manchester and you'll get a history lesson, learn about community events and get leads on area businesses. The messenger is Willy, a 9 by 22 foot two-sided digital billboard installed in September. The sign changes every eight seconds, offering businesses the chance to run ads 600 or 1,215 times a day.
But businesses get more than a digital ad: Owners Karen and Christine LaMontagne of South Willow Sign reserve 10 percent of the spots for community events, local trivia and nonprofits. We want to give people a reason to look up there. The New Hampshire Trivia, that's where [Willy's] personality really shines through and provides entertainment, says Christine LaMontagne. Advertisers can change their ads daily via email with Altos Marketing in Bedford, which manages the board. Advertisers can see the board in action via the Internet (southwillowsign.com) and Willy even has a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SouthWillowSign). The cost for spots ranges from $2,650 for 600 messages a day for four weeks to more than $50,000 for an annual contract with twice that many daily showings. About 35,000 people drive by the sign daily. The LaMontagnes expect to make back their investment in a few years.
Based on the experience of Allen Kasiewicz of Trellis Realty Management in Wolfeboro, that's entirely possible. He owns a piece of land on Route 3 in Belmont with a 10.5 by 16 foot digital billboard, the first in NH. Kasiewicz invested about $250,000 in the sign. Two years later he's almost paid it off, however this year is the first time he's had to actively seek advertisers. It is beyond my wildest dreams. It's like an incredible annuity, he says of the sign, seen by 20,000 cars a day. Elliot Health System is finding success incorporating a digital element within its billboards on Route 293 North and on Elm Street in Manchester. It posts, in real time, the wait time at its two urgent care centers.
Current Issue - April 2024