Outdoor Electronic Billboard downtown

[metro]

Hey guys and girls,

I have decided to make a new thread since this topic has been discussed in several other threads. I have sent a detailed letter to Lamar advertising discussing the figures and the feasibility of creating an outdoor electronic "new york" style billboard on the Trigen energy building downtown on the corner of Sheridan and E.K. Gaylord. This would be an excellent location for several reasons:

1. The building is plain and not used for offices
2. It is the gateway to Bricktown and possibility of exposure to 7+ million visitors
3. It would also be visible to convention goers at the Cox C.C and the two nearby hotels.

I will keep you guys posted on any updates. Also if any of you are interested in making this a reality even if the location changes. Let me know how you can help. It will be another project for us all similar to mrandersons walk of fame.

[windowphobe]

Similar to the famed Times Square scrolling marquee?

Yeah, that might work. It will probably run into some serious bucks; then again, they should be able to charge some serious bucks for placement thereupon.

[Patrick]

I'd be happy to contact Lamar as well. The more people we can get to contact them, the better. Are you mailing them a letter or emailing them? Could you PM me and send me their address?

By the way....metro, I think this is an excellent idea! The location is great as well....turning an ordinary looking structure into something more "eye-catching" is definitely something a member of the "creative class" would come up with!

[Luke]

So, would this be like a large television?

[mranderson]

Totally in favor. In fact, I have already PM'ed Metro with my thoughts on it.

[ClipedWingAngel]

Fabulous idea! a ticker with weather, time and some advertising would be great. A good site is that Uhaul building downtown next to the highway. Displaying facts about Oklahoma to people who drive by might interest them into visiting.

[Luke]

It would be nice if there was a good visible location near a park. Kerr Park is nice and it's downtown, but I dont' think there's enough exposure over there for advertising to be worth it. The Tri-Gen building is good for advertising, but there's no park nearby for people to gather and watch it for special events (like Opening Night and such).

Somewhere in Bricktown maybe?

[El Gato Pollo Loco!!!]

How about across the overpasses that take one into/out of Bricktown?

[Patrick]

Hmmmm...I suppose if you wanted a park atmosphere around it, it could be placed across fromt he Convention center on the northeast corner of the Myriad Gardens. Move the existing Myriad Gardens sign and put the sign here. Make it about 5-10 stories tall!
Not only would it be in a park, it woul be right across from the convention center and CVB.

[Patrick]

I still like the idea of putting it on the Trigen Building. That would spruce that building up a bit! Plus it would be close to the convention center and Bricktown.

[Luke]

I thought of a great location:

There is a huge blank wall on the East facing wall of one of the taller buildings downtown overlooking Kerr Park. In fact, if you went to Opening night, this was the blank wall that MidFirst Logos were being shined on.

The location offered the enjoyable Kerr Park, business-oriented Downtown, views from both I-235 and I-40. It's a perfect location for events as well as advertising. The wall is big enough for other advertisers as well.

I tried to find a picture of that area, but had no luck.

[floater]

I think you want the scrolling ticker where the pedestrians are -- cars move too fast or shouldn't slow down to read what's on the sign. My spots would be 1) on the Robinson/Park Avenue intersection, on Leadership Square 2) on the Library facing Hudson and City Hall/Art Museum 3) Bank One Tower facing Broadway/Main Street and the hotels, or 4) in Bricktown, on top of Spaghetti Warehouse or JDM Place!

[Luke]

Floater, those are all great locations, too. But, I like the Robinson/Park on Leadership Square location. There's a place there to congregate in front of Leadership square. And Park Avenue could be closed for special events. I think your suggestion of BankOne Tower would be a great location too. That's right near where the Opening Night Ball goes up, too.

In any case, the location overlooking Kerr Park would at LEAST be great for a huge mural or one of those creative,artistic, huge banner advertisements or SOMETHING.

[Midtowner]

I would really hate for something like this to interfere with the appearance of our skyline. Also, remember that anyone who can afford an ad on something like this will be able to put one up there. Do you really want Cover Girls ads up there? Cimmaron Alliance ads? 1-800-DNA-TEST ads?

Before you think how "cool" something like this must be, it's very important to examine the potential unintended consequences.

[ClipedWingAngel]

You have a huge point here. I dont want to see an ad for Syphillis like I've seen near NE 23rd by the Capital. I dont want to see ads for Cigarettes, Beer or Tampons!

Can we restrict them?

[metro]

Yes, I already have thought of all the possibilities, both locations and advertisements. I'm a marketing major so advertising was alot of my study. It really doesnt matter as a feat like this wont be desided by a blog site but by the city and the ad agency. I think we need to stick to the basic idea of supporting the idea in whatever way is needed and not being over analytical and leave that part to the experts. I'll keep updates on here when given

[Luke]

I was under the impression that this wasn't going to be a standard billboard. I was thinking a scrolling marquee with market updates, news updates, weather updates... And it would double as a Jumbotron for events.

Maybe you guys aren't talking about what I'm thinking... but I still think it would be cool!

If we're talking about a regular old billboard on one of the buildings downtown, that doesn't seem so innovative.

[metro]

Luke, sorry if you were confused. Your first impression was correct. The proposal is for an electronic billboard, hence my first original post saying "electronic". It would be a scrolling billboard with a ticker, etc.

[Midtowner]

Yes, I already have thought of all the possibilities, both locations and advertisements. I'm a marketing major so advertising was alot of my study. It really doesnt matter as a feat like this wont be desided by a blog site but by the city and the ad agency. I think we need to stick to the basic idea of supporting the idea in whatever way is needed and not being over analytical and leave that part to the experts. I'll keep updates on here when given

Not being analytical and supporting for the sake of unity.

I believe it's called groupthink

I'd have a tough time supporting such a thing though -- it's almost certain that a group like the Cimmaron Alliance or other nefarious businesses would want to purchase some facetime there. I'm not sure how NYC keeps Times Square PC -- something worth looking into.

[mranderson]

This may fall under the same regulations radio and televison advertising does. In those mediums, the station has the right to refuse advertising except for political ads. Cimmeron Alliance is not political. It is homosexual, thus making it a group that supports their opinion of civil rights.

[Midtowner]

An interesting assertion. I'm not really sure where it stands here. I do know that the Cimarron Alliance has recently (this last year, maybe right now) had banners on Classen.

It could be that Lamar could pick and choose whoever they want to let advertise as long as it's not due to race, color, religion, etc.

If that were the case, I guess that we'd just have to really count on Lamar to really censor what kind of ads get placed up there.

I think the gist of the Cimarron Alliance v. OKC case was that if the city government owned the banners, they couldn't decide who bought the advertising.

I do know OKC lost that legal fight.

[ClipedWingAngel]

There are several in NYC at Times Square. The main ticker that scrolls around the building has been there since WW2 because my parents spoke about it. There are others one of which is on 34 ST near Macys which marks time and another the national debt. The others at Times Sq near the ticker is a Marketing Ad and of course lets not forget now the new Jumbo Screens in that Times Sq area. If its a Ticker like the one that scrolls news great. Unfortunately, when it comes to marketing, "we the People" may not have much control since the "big money" will be key in setting up the ticker and keeping it operational.

[mranderson]

There are several in NYC at Times Square. The main ticker that scrolls around the building has been there since WW2 because my parents spoke about it. There are others one of which is on 34 ST near Macys which marks time and another the national debt. The others at Times Sq near the ticker is a Marketing Ad and of course lets not forget now the new Jumbo Screens in that Times Sq area. If its a Ticker like the one that scrolls news great. Unfortunately, when it comes to marketing, "we the People" may not have much control since the "big money" will be key in setting up the ticker and keeping it operational.

And if I remember correctly, there is one at Rockefeller Center that scrolls news and stock reports. That would also be neat. Maybe one on the Bank One building.

[ClipedWingAngel]

You speak my language! Dow, NASDAQ, etc!

[floater]

Cleveland's theater district, Playhouse Square, is the beneficiary of a business improvement district as downtown OKC is. The BID provided funding for the scrolling marquee and two jumbotron TVs that hover above the district. If the sponsoring organization is the DOKC BID, they can control the content. Because the only the member ratepayers fund it, there is no legal claim to it being a publicly-funded good.

We could also have the building or some other corporate sponsor, such as a media outlet, take responsibility of the BID. The Oklahoman surely would have the resources to fund it.