For Advertisers, Signing Is the Bottom Line

Most commuters jaunt down U.S. Highway 71 twice a day, at least five days a week. At that rate, commuters can pass a billboard along their route to work more than 250 times a year, and more than 500 times if the billboard stands along both sides of the highway.

Donrey Outdoor Advertising for Northwest Arkansas owns 24 of the billboards along U.S. 71, and sign ordinances have kept the number of signs at a virtual standstill for the last few years. A lack of new sign opportunities has increased the value for billboard exposure.

“Outdoor advertising is enjoying the most popularity it’s had so far,” said Bob Sadler, Donrey’s outdoor ad general manager. “There’s a pretty good demand because of the traffic.”

Tale of the Trout, Soho Clotheirs, AQ Chicken House, McLelland Jewelry and Fine Gifts, Nite Lite Outdoors and Peterbilt of Springdale are among the businesses advertising on billboards along U.S. 71.

Rental rates for billboards depend on the location and availability of the sign, said Robert Brown, a salesman for Donrey for the last 28 years. Advertisers in Northwest Arkansas often find themselves on a waiting list for a billboard.

Leasing a painted board for one year in Springdale costs between $550 and $800 per month, including painting and installation of the sign, Brown said.

According to Sadler’s records, $450 was the average price for billboards in 1990.

Jay McLelland, owner of McLelland’s Jewelry in Fayetteville, leases a billboard on U.S. 71. “It’s a great way to get your name out there,” McLelland said, noting that his sign on U.S. 71 is directed to commuting corporate workers.

“It’s getting very expensive to use billboards,” McLelland said. However, McLelland added that billboards take the least amount of his advertising budget.

Technology now gives advertisers more options for billboard design. Vinyl billboards, rather than painted signs, are gaining popularity. Guaranteed not to fade or crack for five years, vinyl billboards use photo-quality graphics. Brown said several banks in the area use vinyl boards for their signs on U.S. 71. An added expense of $800 for installation comes with vinyl signs.

Another bit of technology allowed the addition of the Baby Billboard, an electronic message board just south of Bentonville that displays the name and weight of babies recently born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rogers.

It vies for potential pediatric clients with the Springdale sign that declares, “Babies are ‘HUGE’ at Northwest Regional Medical Center.”