TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Month’s SBI Trivia Question Stumper:
In RIP software, what does the acronym RIP stand for?
For the answer, scroll to the bottom of the newsletter.
|
|
Industry News
[[HOT TOPIC]] A Retail Sign Decision, Part 2
Here's the Part 2 continuation of last month's Bruce Amaro feature on POP and retail signage:
“But there are lots of rules, guidelines, and regulations about advertising, communications, and graphic design,” says Stavros Cosmopulos of the Hill Holiday, Connor, Cosmopulos ad agency in Boston, Massachusetts, “and those are broken almost everyday.”
According to Cosmopulos, there are three immutable, universal laws of communications that must be in place for your message to work. “First the sign needs to get the concentrated attention of the reader,” he states. “You must arrest the attention of whomever you are directing your message to. That applies to all media, broadcast, print, direct mail, and the Internet.”
“Our pedestal signs are very popular because of there wide variety of uses,” says Mitch Sitcov, owner of POP-Ad Visions (www.popadvisions.com) in Santa Monica, California, noting that anyone can roll one of his P-O-P signs anywhere and immediately put their message to work. “Once they've seen the goods, they can learn why they need it, now,” Sitcov said.
According to Cosmopulos, the Second Law of Communications concerning a good P-O-P sign involves making the product stand out. “A nanosecond after you've arrested their attention, your message must immediately pique their interest in your product or service,” he says. “Show or say something that says this is of interest to the consumer.”
Schwede agrees. “Retail customers' needs vary, but mostly it's to sell more stuff by making the customer aware that the stuff is available, has certain benefits or characteristics, and inspires the consumer to purchase it, or at least consider it.”
Finally Cosmopulos says that once you have the customer's attention, make your message short and clear.
Boyer says, “The idea is for a sign or display to draw attention and send a message. Hence, displays should be colorful, easy to understand, and easy to read (especially with an aging audience), and the takeaway(s) should be easily accessible and easily understandable.”
Point-of-purchase signs have a short lifespan. Once the product they promote has sold out, the sign has no use. To make POP sign economical more sign builders and suppliers, like The Sign Bracket, offer reusable sign bases and text features.
Boyer explains how his company achieves a simulated-neon look with his company's acrylic panels. “‘Neon' acrylic panels require no electricity or wiring and ‘glow' by defracting ambient light through the edges,” he describes. “This gives the illusion that the panel is lit up. Neon or ‘florescent' acrylics are an inexpensive alternative to more costly electrified signs.”
The simulated neon back-lit POP display built by Clearr Corporation (www.clearrcorp.com) of Minneapolis, Minnesota, meets the industry's need for small, cost-effective lit P-O-P signage displays. These small P-O-P displays are easily installed and taken down once the retailer has ended the product promotion the sign advertised.
Clearr Corporation builds the small, horizontal signs of fluorescent lamps are backed by special, highly efficient, patented concave reflectors. This system, in effect, triples the width of the 1-1/2-inch (37mm) diameter fluorescent lamps. “The result is usually, brilliant, concentrated illumination,” said Ryan Lester, marketing manager at Clearr Corporation.
These signs use the first two laws of advertising described by Cosmopulos: It grabs your attention and here the colors as a signature characteristic helps its case. This P-O-P display immediately puts the color to good use in its design. The display's design and use of the outsized text meets Cosmopulos' second law: It holds your attention.
The brevity of these small neon-simulated signs meet Cosmopulos' third law with their short, ordered message that moves your hand to your wallet or you to follow instructions to a meeting, funeral, or to buy something you didn't know you needed.
Although the displays are designed to look like small neon-lit signs, they are not made from neon components. These P-O-P signs are made from a high-impact product that allows the sign builder to use interchangeable colors of illumination and panels to create a different message on the same sign base.
Technology and market forces have refined the way POP sign builders design, develop, and build their products. But human nature hasn't changed.
--Bruce Amaro
Bulbrite Leads the Way with Lighting Facts Labels
Nutrition labels are ubiquitous, and consumers have come to rely on them when deciding what foods to buy, but never before has there been a label for products such as lighting— until now. The Solid State Lighting (SSL) Quality Advocates have introduced Lighting Facts Labels. Bulbrite (www.bulbrite.com), a leading manufacturer and supplier of energy-efficient light source solutions, recently enhanced the credibility of its line of LEDs by becoming one of the first companies to receive the labels. The company now has Lighting Facts Labels for its line of LED MR-16s, LED R30, and Dimmable LED PAR 30 and PAR 38, which signifies their test completion by a government-approved lab.
“It's just one way we're working with the government and energy star to make sure that the quality of products coming out is maintained,” said Dorothy Choi, Marketing Manager at Bulbrite.
As part of the approval process for the labels, Bulbrite was required to take a pledge and submit testing results for IESNA LM-79 from an independent qualified laboratory. “The government is trying to do it right this time, and we're one of the first to be doing this,” said Choi of Bulbrite, who has nine approved SKUs— making them the leader in a group of only eight partners with Lighting Facts Labels.
SSL Quality Advocates is a voluntary pledge program established by the US Department of Energy (DOE) in January 2009. The program ensures that LED lighting is represented accurately in the market, and one of the ways this is achieved is through Lighting Facts Labels, which were developed by the DOE and the Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance. The purpose of the Lighting Facts Labels is to accelerate the adoption of LED technology by providing light source performance information to distributors, specifiers, and consumers. The labels display light output (lumens), wattage, lumens per watt (efficacy), color accuracy, and light color. Choi explained that the labels enable consumers to gauge just what they're buying and why. Often, consumers aren't knowledgeable about the technology behind LEDs, and the labels help to inform them about the lights so that they see the advantages and disadvantages of buying certain LEDs.
Choi believes it is too soon to tell just how the labels will affect sales of Bulbrite LEDs. She hopes as LED technology and products become more available in the marketplace, and consumers begin to have more questions, the labels will prove to be very useful.
Halco Lighting Technologies' HaloXen Lamps Win Best Value-Added Product Award
Halco Lighting Technologies¨ was recently awarded the Best Value-Added Product for its HaloXen¨ PAR and Reflector lamp line at the 2009 National Association of Independent Lighting Distributors, Inc (NAILD) Convention.
The award was judged by NAILD members in attendance, who used their experience to vote on which product they thought would meet the needs of the distributor and customer, while also adding the most value to their business. According to Deby Forster, Marketing Manager for Halco, what distinguished Halco's lighting line was its energy-saving alternatives, which are instant-on, fully dimmable, and mercury free. In addition, reduced maintenance costs, vibrant colors, long life, and high lumen output also played a role in setting apart the line.
HaloXen¨ reduced-wattage lamps save up to 35 percent in energy costs while still providing a better quality of light compared to incandescent and halogen lamp types. The lamps intensify the vibrant colors found in restaurants, retail displays, lobbies, showrooms and office areas. They provide 5,000 hours of average-rated life, and deliver 90 percent lumen maintenance throughout the life of the lamp.
Halco hopes this award demonstrates the value of the HaloXen lamps to customers. “While at Halco we put great emphasis on offering superior products, our customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance,” said Forster. “Being recognized by our customers for providing an energy-efficient product line that they consider to be the ‘best value added product of the year' is an honor and lets us know we are doing our job right.”
AV Planners Adds to the History of Liberty Island
Visitors were once again welcome to climb to the crown of the Statue of Liberty this past Fourth of July, after it was closed for nearly eight years in the wake of September 11th. There were some new additions to the grounds around the statue— digital displays— just in time for this momentous occasion.
According to a press release, AV Planners was brought in to install Samsung 460DRn-A displays on Liberty Island. The digital kiosks contain a 46-inch diagonal LCD screen, which is designed to withstand the elements. Due to the sometimes harsh environment around Liberty Island, the displays, as well as the distribution and playback hardware, are encased in glass and carbon fiber housings to protect them from the elements. This unique installation demonstrates not only AV Planners' ability to integrate digital signage into any project, but also that digital signage is no longer just an indoor component; it can now be used in the most unforgiving environments.
The displays at the Statue of Liberty allow information to be changed yearly, monthly or weekly with little effort and cost, and are a great way to educate the public.
“National parks and monuments are a market that AV Planners is excited to be entering into,” says Craig Heiman, AV Planners President. “We are proud to be part of the new phase of this monument's history.”
Survey Reveals Relationship Between Contractors and LED Manufacturers
A recent survey of electrical and lighting contractors demonstrates that contractors are involved in recommending LED lighting for building projects over 70% of the time. The survey was conducted by Energy Smart Marketers, a company providing sales channel solutions from BtB Marketing and Channel Marketing Group. It polled 2,100 people from 1,900 different electrical and lighting contractors companies.
The results show the importance of contractors in specifying LED products for projects. “The survey indicated that the top three reasons they [contractors] recommend LEDs are energy savings, longevity, and maintenance savings,” said David Gordon, principal, Channel Marketing Group. “This demonstrates that LED manufacturers can influence contractors' lighting and product recommendations through better education and outreach to this group.”
The survey also revealed that despite making recommendations, the majority of contractors desired more LED education through training on product installation, benefits, and layout. They claimed they could sell more products if LED manufacturers provided samples, sales brochures, comparative pricing, etc.
“The survey indicates that a majority of the respondents are relying on manufacturers' reps, web searches, and contractor magazines to learn more about LED fixtures,” said George Bournazian, vice president, BtB Marketing Communications. “Respondents' use of web searches suggests unfamiliarity with LED products and brands, which means manufacturers need to develop an informative web presence, as well as strong e-marketing and traditional marketing strategies, to gain share of mind and to further increase the acceptance, utilization, and recommendation of LED lighting by contractors.”
To learn more about what the survey illustrated about the relationship between contractors and LED manufacturers, please call 919-872-8172.
New Appointments
Meetings and Events
JULY
July 23 - 25: The Mid-South Sign Association (along with ISA) will host the Great Ideas Summer Convention in Mobile, Alabama. To learn more, visit www.midsouthsignassociation.org.
AUGUST
Aug 24 - 25: United Application Standards Group testing will be held at 3M in St. Paul, Minnesota. For further details, call 612/209-9703 or browse www.uasg.org.
Aug 24 - 27:The Hayward School of Dimensional Sign Making will be hosted by Mike Bloomquist at his resort property on Callahan Lake in Hayward, Wisconsin. Students will learn everything they need to know about the design, fabrication, and installation of sandblasted, hand-carved, and routed dimensional signs. Pricing and marketing will also be discussed. Other dates include: September 14-17, October 5-8, and October 19-22. To reserve a spot, call 800/689-0363 or visit www.haywardsignschool.com.
Sponsored Links
This Month's Trivia Answer:
RIP stands for Raster Image Processing.
|
|
For in-depth coverage of these topics and other
sign industry topics, check out
www.signshop.com
ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the August 2009 issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
ADA Codes
Digital Printing Vehicle Graphics
Gold Leaf Materials
LED Message Centers
RIP/Digital Printing Software
Vinyl Cutters/Plotters
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS and SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the September 2009 issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
Dimensional Sandblasting
Extrusions Fabrication
LED Video Displays
Pinstriping Paints
Cedar/Wood Sign Blanks
Large Format Vinyl
Contact your ad sales representative to reserve your space today.
As the premier e-newsletter for the sign industry, SBI Update encourages readers to send feedback on what you like, what you'd like to see, and any other comments you might have. To do so, send an e-mail to Managing Editor Chris Ytuarte at cytuarte@sbpub.com.
|
|
© 2009 Simmons-Boardman Publishing
345 Hudson St., 12th Floor • New York, NY 10014
212-620-7200
|
|
The CaptiVue product line continues to advance as Trans-Lux develops more ways for sign companies and their customers to be successful. Yet as new features and benefits are introduced, the legendary quality of CaptiVue remains the same. Trans-Lux has made the CaptiVue line even stronger with a number of product enhancements. Find out more by clicking here: CaptiVue
|
|
Tetra¨ miniMAX
LED Lighting System GE Lumination's Tetra¨ miniMAX LED Lighting System is now available in 5 colors. The small, compact size and wide 155-degree viewing angle allows bright, uniform surface area coverage in channel letters as shallow as 1.5 inches. New Tetra miniMAX is up to three times brighter than previous generation products. For more information click here GE Lumination
|
|
PlasmaCAM
CNC Cutting Systems Easily cut metal and other materials using a CNC system. Visit our new site and we will ship you a FREE demo video! Visit us here: PlasmaCAM
|
|
Excellart is a leading provider of aluminum extrusion knockdown kits for changeable copy systems (i.e. Church & School signs). Kits are now available with built-in, locking, mechanical support arms for the vandal cover. These arms are non-visible when the vandal cover is closed; and they come partially installed for easy and quick assembly. For more information click here:
www.excellart.com
|
|
The NEW IS900 machine,
the future of engraving today. Unprecedented spindle acceleration and precision combined with engraving speeds up to 3.94”/sec over a 26” x 18.11” work area, guaranteeing outstanding productivity. Exclusive iQ+ Terrain FollowerTM provides precise engraving on uneven surfaces. The IS900 is provided with GravoStyleTM5 professional engraving software for enhanced functionality and optimum performance. Streamlined clamping system and double pass-through design allow for easy access and material clamping. Visit us for more information at: www.gravograph.com
|
|
The NEW UJV-160 from Mimaki is a roll-to-roll large format UV-curable inkjet printer with an optional flatbed attachment for printing on rigid materials. The UJV-160 utilizes an environmentally-friendly, ultra-low heat emitting UV-LED curing technology to accommodate heat sensitive media like PVC. The UJV-160 is all about giving you more - more options, more software, more resolution, more media choices. For information, click here: Mimaki USA
|
|
Sign Builder Illustrated
Buyer's Guide 2008
Published twice per year in March and September, the Buyer's Guide lists manufacturers, distributors, and sign companies that comprise the industry in the U.S. and Canada. SBI Buyer's Guide
|
|
Sign Builder Illustrated
Goes Digital With live hyperlinks to video clips, advertiser information, and other features, SBI Digital offers the newest online technology with the familiar layout of a hardcopy issue. To view an example, click on:
SBI Digital Magazine
|
|
Sign Builder Illustrated presents:
Vehicle Graphics 101 Check out this special SBI supplement for all the information you need to get started, get good, and get profitable in the world of vehicle graphics. From wrap schools and required tools, to marketing your skills and paying the bills, this How-to supplement has it all. Check out the digital version here:
Vehicle Graphics 101
|
|
Sign Builder Illustrated:
The How-To Book Vol. 1 Learn secrets to fabricating neon, illuminating with LED, sandblasting signs, applying paints, cutting and printing vinyl, and more in this 288-page, full-color reprinting of Sign Builder Illustrated's trademark How-To articles. To visit the How-to Book Web site, click on: SBI How-To Book
|
|
|
New Bulbrite Labels