Santa Monica. Sheryl Crowe, Everclear, and Yellowcard have all written songs referencing the iconic arts and culture hub.
But in this place of art galleries, murals, and performance artists, there was little to no outdoor inventory until now.
Big Outdoor began working on an RFP to install wayfinding digital kiosks in the city, somewhat similar to LinkNYC. They won the RFP in March of this year and have been authorized to install 25 digital kiosks across Santa Monica.
“It’s been a joint thing to get these things in the ground,”
Each structure has two faces. Currently, they have six structures with twelve faces. In August, they will have another eight, and by mid-October, they will have 50 faces on 25 digital kiosks.
Each state-of-the-art digital display is 75 inches with ultra-high definition and 4k resolution, illuminated 24/7. It supports full-motion video and 3D and provides cool, interactive advertising opportunities.
The screens’ purpose and the city’s approval were for their wayfinding aspect. Ads run on full screen and then drop to one-third when touched, providing important information such as bus schedules, directions, and local businesses to eat at.
One of these local businesses is Cha Cha Chicken, owned by Elvira Garcia. She told Big Outdoor that her foot traffic increased significantly, and she loves the display, which also advertises her restaurant.
“The display is working great for us. Customers view the menu on the display, and they have an idea when they come to order food. It’s easier and faster. I love it,” said Garcia.
The displays drive more business to and uplift and support local businesses in Santa Monica, in addition to national campaigns. But 10 percent of the advertisements are poised for city initiatives. The design of the kiosks even considered the needs of international tourists, 40 percent of whom don’t have international data plans and many of whom may not speak English. To add value to tourists, the digital wayfinding kiosks can be changed to about 45 languages. They also function as Wi-Fi hotspots.
While Big Outdoor is providing the capital for this venture, It is splitting the venture with the city in a joint partnership.
“The city has been nothing but fantastic in the venture with us. We couldn’t ask for a better partner in this entire process,” Kiley Kmiec, Director of Biz Dev at Big Outdoor said.
The ads will be sold by share of voice (SOV) from 10 to 100 percent, meaning that about ten ads will run simultaneously on each face. Advertisers will be able to buy half or full networks.
Most of the new kiosks will be located near the beach. While wayfinding kiosks can often take up a massive area, the city’s design included an open top and bottom to make it feel beachy and airy. The city also held four different sessions, each five hours long, to get public feedback and consensus.
“The city is thrilled to partner with BIG Outdoor to bring the digital Wayfinding Kiosks to Santa Monica at no cost to the city. We are excited to be implementing a robust revenue-generating program while providing an important resource to visitors, residents, and businesses alike,” said Tati Simonian, Public Information Officer, City of Santa Monica.