Think Static Means Slow? Think Again

Think Static means Slow? Think Again.

Record Turn-Around Times for Prime Fashion Inventory from Big City Outdoor

By Amber Larkins

For Fashion Week NY 2024, Catherine Bibeau, a Fashion Stylist, and her PR/Marketing Team wanted a big presence. 

But time was running out. Big City Outdoor pitched the idea of using two of its prime locations on Saturday, February 3rd, in the evening. Her PR and marketing team responded that they had no creative and it would be impossible to make a quick turnaround just in time for fashion week.   

NY Fashion Week 2024 was set to start on February, 9. There were just six days to plan and post a static ad campaign. For digital this would be easy. For static? Normally, a billboard would take four to six weeks of planning, and there wasn’t even a campaign ready.

But Big City Outdoor was on it, and set expectations with the client from the get-go. Pulling this stunt off would take diligence, perseverance, and hard work from the client and media supplier sides.  In just one day, they came up with a campaign plan and were able to sign a contract on February 4.

Bibeau’s team’s end of the bargain was to complete the creative by EOD Monday. A feat she completed. 

The next hurdle was getting multiple copies of the creative printed on vinyl. There was no time to send the creative away and have the vinyls mailed. They used a local printer to complete the job and deliver it all on Tuesday. 

Wednesday, February 7, the advertisements were posted in Soho/West Village, Manhattan, NY, and at the William Vale Hotel Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. 

“We had a window of opportunity open for these two prime locations and filled it up at the last minute,” Abe Noe, VP of Sales & Operations, Big City Outdoor said.

Luckily, there were no mishaps along the way and the campaign was live before Friday, February 9th, which was also the client’s birthday. 

“We worked with really hard deadlines to make it happen,” Noe said.

The client was extremely happy with the results, 

“This is a record to be at the best locations in simply one day at the perfect timing!” Bibeau’s PR and Marketing team said. 

Big City Outdoor may have less inventory than some other media suppliers, but they focus on prime locations and markets in “Big Cities.” They say they were able to accomplish this “one-day” campaign for a few reasons:

1. They were not bogged down with layers of approvals. Though they say that they would also have been able to accomplish this had they worked with an agency, it usually is faster for suppliers to work directly with a client. Additionally, because they are a smaller media supplier, they did not have layers of bureaucracy to work through on their own ends. A “Big Three” supplier likely would not be able to get the approvals needed in time to make this happen.
2. The inventory was available. Normally, these prime spaces are permed out, but as we all know, January and February are slower months for out-of-home. There was a last-minute opening, which was great for the client.
3. They used a local print shop and local resources, which allowed them to be more nimble and have the creative printed and posted quickly.
4. The client held up their end of the bargain and provided the campaign creative on time.

They were also very lucky that there were no mishaps along the way. There were no issues with the creative or posting. They were able to get everything coordinated quickly.

“You have to be determined,” Noe said. “We were determined to be on time and on top of things, and we got it done.”

Last-minute requests are not new in OOH, but they do seem to be getting closer and closer to the absolute last minute.

“People want them faster than before,” Noe said. “We are trying to accommodate clients, but lately, we are seeing last-minute budgets,” Noe said.

With clients expecting similar timelines for digital and static ads, are suppliers poised to move quickly? If static can achieve this kind of speed, it begs the question – is static really that much slower than digital, or are there some processes being held onto in traditional static advertising that make it less efficient?