Lamar Advertising Co. of Baton Rouge, La., introduced in mid-April an online do-it-yourself digital billboard service to Little Rock.
Lamar is testing the service, Postr, first in the Little Rock area because it “represents the size of one of Lamar’s typical markets,” spokeswoman Allie Leung told Outtakes.
Postr, offered online at Lamar.com/Postr, allows customers to upload a photo, type in a short message and pick one of six billboard locations to display a custom, albeit formulaic, digital poster.
In Little Rock, the billboards at the intersections of South Rodney Parham Road and West Markham Street, Kanis and Shackleford roads, Bowman and Mara Lynn roads and University Avenue and Boyle Park Road. There’s a Postr billboard in Bryant at Reynolds Road and Roya Lane. In Russellville, a Postr billboard is off East Main Street and Weir Road.
Lamar charges $25 per day for each of eight spots on a billboard. The posters appear publicly for 10 seconds at a time more than 1,000 times daily.
Lamar is using its local digital billboards, social media sites and some paid online ads to promote the launch of Postr. If it succeeds in the Little Rock market, Lamar plans to offer Postr in other areas “to give both small businesses and individuals an affordable advertising option,” Leung said. “Postr is a quick, affordable option for anyone that wants to post a message on a billboard for a short term campaign. …
“We realize that not everyone has an advertising budget, but we wanted to give customers an easy and affordable option to spread their message. At $25 per spot, it allows us to be competitive with Facebook, classified, email marketing and paid search ads.”
David Hamilton, president of Seiz Sign Co. in Hot Springs and of the Arkansas Outdoor Advertising Association, said his company has never tried a do-it-yourself billboard model.
Most personalized digital billboard messages — even simple ones wishing a “happy birthday” — get designed by a sign company’s graphic artist and cost between $125 and $150, Hamilton said.
Billboard company Clear Channel Outdoor of San Antonio, Texas, owns signs throughout Arkansas but doesn’t offer a Postr-like product.