Chris Cowlbeck, the general manager of LOOK Billboards started in the real estate business before getting involved with the Outdoor Advertising Industry. His first experience with outdoor advertising was in the promotion of his own businesses as he felt like it was the most cost effective way to advertise. He and his partner invested in a network of billboards in Southern Oklahoma in the 1990’s and they have been expanding ever since. LOOK Billboards currently has 130 vinyl billboard faces in the region.
With addition of the three Watchfire Digital Signs, LOOK Billboards has been able to implement a unique rotary program that allows both their existing customers and new customers to rotate their ads among the vinyls and the digitals to have excellent exposure. One of the concerns that Mr. Cowlbeck had before installing the digital billboards was that he may lose his existing vinyl customers to the digital signs. However, only one customer dropped off the existing vinyl to go digital. Many of the existing customers kept the vinyl advertising and opted for some digital space and then he gained 40 NEW customers that he had not been able to serve in the past.
“The Digital Signs are selling very well – they are bringing us new customers and they are even selling the vinyls” says Cowlbeck.
Cowlbeck was immediately impressed with the Watchfire manufacturing plant in Danville, IL. It was important to him that these Digital billboards are Made in the USA!
Another important factor to Cowlbeck was that the signs would hold up to the high winds, rains, and tornadoes in Oklahoma. This is not something to be taken for granted as I experienced these high winds in February of 2009 when a mobile home park that I owned 5 miles away was completely destroyed. With the quality of construction of the Watchfire signs, Cowlbeck and his partners were sold. He was convinced when visiting the plant, he was able to see a digital billboard functioning under water!
Once the signs were delivered, the Watchfire team, with Cowlbeck in attendance, began the installation of the boards at 12:30 A.M. By the end of that day, all three boards were installed and running with about 75 messages. That was a quick turnaround!
Now that the boards have been up and running for a few months, Cowlbeck continues to be impressed with the service and support from the Watchfire team. “The digital boards are not a replacement for the vinyls but rather a compliment,” says Cowlbeck. He is finding that the digital boards make it more affordable for the mom and pop businesses out there as well as for those looking to announce special events and to work with the state with broadcasting weather and roadway emergencies.
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Watchfire Digital Outdoor produces the industry’s only 19mm pixel pitch billboard—which packs 768 LEDs into every sq. ft.—and is capable of producing 281 trillion colors, the most in the industry. It is the only manufacturer that fully encapsulates the LED module in a thick bed of silicone gel, which enables the LED boards to operate in extreme weather conditions: 180+ days completely submerged in water, 60 days in a salt-spray chamber, and temperatures ranging from -40 degree F to 120 degree F. In areas where heat and humidity are both high, the silicone gel encapsulation protects the boards from humidity and moisture, greatly improving projected reliability. All Watchfire boards feature unique extruded aluminum cabinetry that comply with 2006 IBC codes and a streamlined electronics design that improves operation and simplifies maintenance. Watchfire’s warranty, lead-times, customer support, and no-fee software are considered to be the best in the industry.
Watchfire Digital Outdoor offers a free digital billboard financing guide, Top 10 Things To Know About Financing Your Digital Billboard. A download is available at http://watchfiredigitaloutdoor.com/look.
Watchfire Digital Outdoor offers a free digital billboard financing guide. The Top 10 Things To Know About Financing Your Digital Billboard is available at http://watchfiredigitaloutdoor.com/TrellisOffer.
Watchfire Digital Outdoor is located in Danville, Ill. with marketing and sales operations in Indianapolis. For more information, go to http://www.watchfiredigitaloutdoor.com.
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Dave Reynolds is the founder of OutdoorBillboard.com. OutdoorBillboard.com helps to put billboard owners, advertisers, suppliers together in one place to service all of their Outdoor Advertising needs. In addition, the website is the ultimate source of information for those looking to get into the Billboard business with books, cds, and expert advice on how to profit with Billboards. Visit www.outdoorbillboard.com or call 1-800-937-6151 for more information.
Billboard Weekly
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