Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Madvertising (part 2)

Remember when billboards were just a flat surface with a picture and some words on it? Once in a while, somebody would throw a 3-D effect in there or something would move or maybe blow smoke rings. But for the most part, a billboard was just a big, flat rectangle and two guys in coveralls and painters caps would climb up there and mop a picture on to it. That image would stay up there for months, get faded from exposure to the sun or start peeling off in shreds under assault from the weather.
Those days are gone. Check out this monstrosity located in downtown Tampa...  
In case you can't tell, this is a digital billboard and it changes every few seconds, all day long. These are becoming the standard and you probably have a few of them near you right now. This one is tricked out with a satellite dish (to receive and download new content), a camera (so the billboard company, and presumably the sponsors who advertise on it, can monitor what's displayed at any given time) and a computer with its own self-contained air conditioning unit.
It's not only bigger than my apartment, it's outfitted with more amenities.

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