Imagine driving east or westbound on I-94 and coming upon
a digital billboard that resembles a plasma-screen television.
The two-sided billboard gives motorists multiple, static
messages
— anything from Eastern Michigan University's homecoming
date to a downtown festival in Ypsilanti — eight
seconds apart.
And the billboards and advertising would be free to EMU.
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INTO THE DIGITAL AGE: Eastern Michigan
University
and the Ypsilanti Area Convention and
Visitors
Bureau want to team up with the City of
Ypsilanti to
provide free advertising, year-round,
for all three
entities. CBS Outdoor and Adams Outdoor
want to
compete for the bid to construct a digital
billboard
(above left) on city property at I-94 and
Exit 183.
The digital billboard, if approved, would
replace an
outdated sign and pole (above, right)
at the
overgrown site. Either company would build
and pay
for the sign, and provide free advertising
to the three
groups. |
Eastern Michigan University and the Ypsilanti Area Convention
and Visitors Bureau want to team up with the City of Ypsilanti
to provide free advertising, year-round, for all three
entities. The groups already have conceptual letters
of support from the Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce and the
Downtown Development Authority.
"We're approaching you to be the first city
in southeastern Michigan to have a digital billboard," said
Ted Coutilish, associate vice president for EMU's Office
of Marketing and Communications, who presented the proposal
at the May 2 City Council meeting. "Ypsilanti is designated
as a Cool City. I don't think there would be anything more
cool than to have this sign."
Under the proposal presented, advertising firms CBS Outdoor
and Adams Outdoor would compete to pay to remove an existing
sign at I-94 and Exit 183 and 30-foot pole that is rusting
and leaning on overgrown property owned by the City of
Ypsilanti. In its place, the chosen outdoor advertising
company would construct and pay for a 65-to-75-foot pole
and two-sided digital billboard (14-feet-high by 48-feet
wide), maintain the site, and absorb all electrical and
maintenance costs in perpetuity.
Each company proposes the cost to build the billboards
would exceed $1 million, with free advertising provided
to EMU, the Ypsilanti Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
and the City of Ypsilanti. Of the five, eight-second advertising
loops available on either side of the billboard, the three
entities would share one loop on each side.
For example, EMU might advertise an upcoming basketball
game for eight seconds. After four other ads run, the Ypsilanti
Area Visitors and Convention Bureau might promote Elvis
Fest or the Heritage Festival. On the next rotation, the
city could use the board to advertise anything from an
Amber alert to a weather bulletin to city events downtown.
"That's 146 days of advertising total, 24 hours a day,
seven days a week," Coutilish said. "That's $90,000 of
advertising value they're (CBS and Adams) proposing to
promote events. There's no cost to the city, EMU or the
Ypsilanti Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. You have
a lot of associations, festivals and businesses that have
information they need to get out."
In addition, any time one of the three entities wanted
to change its message, CBS Outdoor or Adams Outdoor would
handle the logistics of updating the electronic billboard,
said Thomas Carroll, vice president, central region, for
CBS Outdoor.
Gary Pleva, representing the Great Lakes Region of Daktronics,
the company that constructs the digital billboards, parked
a smaller, low-tech version of the billboard across the
street from City Hall to give City Council members an up-close
view of the possibilities.
Pleva said there are a number of ways — hardwire,
Ethernet, fiber-optic cable and infrared — one can
convey messages on digital billboards. In addition, he
stressed the lighting on the billboard dims at night, so
it will not resemble a "Las Vegas-style" sign. When asked,
he also said he knows of no incidents in which traffic
accidents resulted from motorists being distracted while
reading the signs.
City Planning and Development Director Karen Hart indicated
the property would have to be rezoned if the digital billboard
were to be allowed.
"We really have a (current) sign that is embarrassing.
None of these entities have the money to pay for this," said
City Council member Bill Nickels, who was open to the idea
of a digital billboard. "We should have a time limit so
that (the advertising) companies can come out well financially,
but not keep the city under perpetuity."
Brian Robb, another City Council member, wasn't sure the
city needed the free advertising because the
city puts out a lot of information on its Web site and
suggested the city receive money instead.
"I hope we've opened your eyes to an idea for all parties
involved," Carroll said. "Maybe the city wants a check
on an annual basis. Maybe that's needed more than advertising."
The City Council agreed to explore the issue further and
requested City Manager Ed Koryzno to continue discussions
with EMU and the Ypsilanti Area Convention and Visitors
Bureau.
Coutilish is hopeful an agreement can be reached early
this summer and the billboard will be operational during
the fall 2007 semester.
