Environmental signage:
the great oxymoron
As ad budgets are cut, what better
way to broadcast a message than
to install a large flat panel display
where it will reach a captive audience?
These advertisements are popping up in
railway stations, airports and shopping
malls – anyplace where busy professionals
will get the message at a single glance.
The sign industry remains strong, possibly
as a result of these tough economic times
– with analysts predicting growth of more
than 40 percent in 2009. The massively lit
displays are signs of the times in more
ways than one. These electricity hogs are
joining the trend toward green – albeit, in
this case, light green.
Historically, outdoor electronic signs
have moved from incandescent to neon to
fluorescent – and now to LEDs. Pamela
Thompson, vice president of marketing at
Folsom, Calif.-based Sugarman Consulting, said that the biggest savings in electricity in the signage industry occurred
“when we moved from incandescent to
LEDs.” One benefit of the new high-brightness LEDs, she pointed out, is that
you need fewer diodes and less power to
achieve the same brightness levels compared with just a few years ago.
The move to LEDs
In New York City, it’s not just the New
Year’s Eve ball that’s lit by energy-saving
LEDs. “More than a million people pass
through Times Square each day, and it’s
important for advertisers to know their
branding efforts, utilizing spectacular LED
displays, are stopping people in their tracks
These electricity hogs are joining the trend
toward green – albeit, in this case, light green.
The 65-ft-high Coca-Cola display in Times Square is hard to miss with more than 2 million LEDs. Photo courtesy of Daktronics.
