Big, right, rilliant, randing

There is much to Times Square in New York, beyond the V-J Day Kiss—a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt which portrayed an American sailor kissing a woman in a white dress on victory over Japan Day (V-J Day). The iconic destination in the USA also stands spectacular with what branding and advertising means to the entire world.

Over the past few years the scenario has changed at the place and LED billboards have replaced the traditional ones which in turn turned so ubiquitous that the whole world adapted it. Among the few who can be credited its implementation in Hyderabad is Rathan Pandu, CMD, RP Signs.

RP Signs is into branding, amidst its huge catalog LED billboards are just one part of it. It is also into arches, digital printing, flex banners, flex signage boards, front and back lit illuminated, glow signs, hoarding signs, in shop branding, inkjet printing, internal display ads, road safety signs and stage backdrops on flex.

Commenting about the feasibility of LED advertising over traditional print ones, he says, “LED billboards are almost impossible to ignore. They're extremely bright, they have colour and movement and special effects. They can be changed quickly and easily if important facts change, such as the date of an advertised event.

They can be customised so they're relevant to the time of day when they're shown -- rush hour, for example. They are also the favourite in the most heavily traveled tourist destinations in the country. If yours is the only LED billboard in the area, your ad will likely get all, or most, of the attention.”

The ones at Punjagutta Flyover and Begumpet Flyover are few areas where you find these the most. While, he also argues that print has its own takers and benefits, “A traditional paper billboard is a known quantity. It's low-tech, it's much less expensive than an LED billboard, and unlike LED billboards that make you share space with five other advertisers, once you pay for space on a traditional billboard, it's all yours -- for weeks or months.

You don't have to worry that your message only has six seconds of display time before it's changed. Unlike an LED billboard, it can be read 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You also won't have to contend with irate residents claiming the light from your sign is keeping them awake nights, or worry that the glare and motion from your ad might make someone drive off the road.”

But then downside is that although traditional billboard is less expensive than an LED ad, it's also more forgettable, according to figures cited by the Wirespring website. A traditional billboard ad can't be changed without hiring someone to climb up and repaper it, which is usually time-consuming and expensive. And if your traditional billboard has to compete with a nearby LED ad, it's likely that your message would be overshadowed.

To end with, “If you live in any major city, you see 800 ads a day. Looking at billboards is supposed to feel like love at first sight. But it's not real love, its marketing. And without that, you wouldn't even know who you are,” said a famous narrative of pop culture.

By:Augustin Kurian