Posted by Glen SoCal on March 23, 2002 at 12:54:17:
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Bus Benches…signage. Anyone try it? - Posted by Glen SoCal
Posted by Glen SoCal on March 23, 2002 at 01:21:03:
Has anyone used ’ We Buy Houses’ bus bench advertising? I have no idea of the cost, but your ad would stay up much longer than bandit signs, and they’d be located at intersections!
Tried it years ago . . . - Posted by JoeKaiser
Posted by JoeKaiser on March 23, 2002 at 13:21:38:
No success. Plus, it was frustrating to drive by during the peak travel times and see people actually sitting on the benches, covering up my number. I felt like rolling down the window and yelling, “hey buddy, could ya move a little to the left?”
But that wasn’t my worst marketing investment. That would be the $500 I spent to rent signage on the tee box marker on hole number eight. Didn’t get a single call from that one in the entire year I tried it.
Joe
Re: Bus Benches…signage. Anyone try it? - Posted by Brent_IL
Posted by Brent_IL on March 23, 2002 at 07:06:25:
I’ve no personal experience with results.
There are forms for casting the sides of the benches in cement that are available for sale. Two by fours are inserted into the slots and bolted down. The backrest is covered with plywood for the message display. It?s cheaper than buying completed benches and a good project for the kids.
When I checked it out a few years ago, most government or quasi-government agencies would not give you explicit permission for the benches. I’ve seen some busy spots with three or four benches lined up in a row, so there doesn’t seem to be an effort to get rid of them.
I’m going to give it another shot because I noticed recently that benches are being placed in the middle of the block; there is no bus stop. One bench that I saw was designed with a seat that was too small for anyone over three years old to sit upon. The sign showed well.
Re: Bus Benches…signage. Anyone try it? - Posted by DavidCAL
Posted by DavidCAL on March 23, 2002 at 03:03:39:
Looked into it and it was fairly expensive, although the price goes down the more you rent. I’m trying to get a group together to pool our moneys and buy a load of bench ad space and other ad space. email me for details.
David
How about a Billboard behind a tree? - Posted by John Behle
Posted by John Behle on March 24, 2002 at 20:47:01:
I looked at bus benches and was about ready to opt for the signs that are on the enclosed ones. Seemed reasonable until I found out that billboards were only a little more. Seemed great.
So, signed a contract. Made it very clear that location was important within a certain area and that we would approve all signs. Real clear with the salesman, but not as clear in the contract. DUH. Too busy to follow up and turned over some of the final negotiations. How many times do we need to learn some lessons?
So, they posted the signs. HIDEOUS artwork. So ugly I wanted it torn down, as it reflected bad on us. Argured with them and ended up having to show it to the president of the sign company. She reluctantly agreed. Nepotism is a bad idea sometimes when kids inherit businesses. Her dad should have sold it and given her the money instead.
Anyway. So, they redo the graphics and post most of the first 7 signs in locations we had turned down. Was busy and didn’t drive every location. Next month, same deal. I start to act wise and drive the locations. Several aren’t posted - at all. Seems the sales, billing, posting etc. don’t really have much communication or cooperation. But the owner and other employees swear that we are wrong because the paper in front of them says they were posted - even though they weren’t.
One sign is hard to see because it is blocked by another building. Another is blocked by a tree - in a location we had clearly turned down several times. One is on the opposite side that they said it would be - which can make a world of difference. One sign is reposted the next month over the old sign - which violates the whole idea of exposure.
So we fight it out and end up with a judgement against the sign company.
Just curious - Posted by Tim Jensen
Posted by Tim Jensen on March 23, 2002 at 14:48:49:
Joe,
What did you pay per year or month for the bench sign?
Tim
A guru I know of says… - Posted by Glen SoCal
Posted by Glen SoCal on March 23, 2002 at 14:13:57:
…he put his sign up at the golf course also…says he never got a call from it, that he knows of. He still has it…and some deep pockets.
But as a general rule, advertising works, right?
I’d be frustrated too having to spend the money and get no calls. And people sitting, blocking the signage seems counter-productive.
I ignore most bus bench adds too, except for the back-lighted movie posters. That may be because I go to quite a few movies.
If I were interested in selling my house though (read: insainly preoccupied with a pending foreclosure), any add that targeted my current interest might get my attention.
If you read the link for Council Bluffs near this post, you’ll see that the terms for providing bus benches, for the good of the Council Bluff bus riding public, was $1 per year per intersection!! (4 benches)…plus a liability bond for around $25,000 which would cover your liability requirement for all of the benches you could put on all of the corners in the city of Council Bluffs! Not bad.
Your advertising would be permanent…no one pulling out your signs.
I’m not attempting to reinvent the wheel, But I’ll check in to it.
BTW Does anyone want to send $16.95 to my P.O. Box for my Build-Your-Own-Bench plans?..comes w/full sized bench-form schematic for pouring the concrete supports, seat and back support dimensions, materials list for identifying regulation materials, regulation dimensions for signage or graphics/graphics enclosure diagrams, construction bolt pass-through tubes and …wait a minute, I’m getting tired of these bus benches already…
Thanks for the response, Glen
I Like It!! - Posted by Glen SoCal
Posted by Glen SoCal on March 23, 2002 at 12:11:49:
I was out looking at properties yesteday and on the way back, (driving through a nicer area) I began to notice of some of the nice advertisements in the bus benches.
The back support of the benches where you’d put your sign were shielded with plexiglass. I imagine that it allows Add Service to change the graphic easily (paper) depending upon the advertiser.
The benches I saw were plastic molded, then filled with concrete…like the plastic weights you’d find for weight training. They were actually very well done.
But for some of the areas that I was considering for purchases, the bus benches weren’t so attractive. Maybe I could park a standard (concrete standard) bench in those areas to place my add.
Brent, you said that no Gov. agency would give you explicit permission for the benches. Did they tell you if there were any guidelines, or vendors who pay the city for the space; transit district? If a bench states, “Place Your Add Here” the Add Service MUST be able to insure some consistency, at least related to permission by some public agency for putting them on public property.
If you sought permission though, you’d have to show strenghth and durability studies, artistic renderings of the design etc., and you’d have to show proof of liablitiy insurance.
But I like the idea! Build them ugly and strong enough and no one would take them, they’d last forever (20 years) and you’d have well placed advertising.
So, personal liability is probably the greatest threat to this idea. If someone tripped and damaged themselves on a corner of your bench, it could get very expensive. And there probably wouldn’t be any way to insure yourself without permission to place your benches. Just round off the corners and pray! Then again someone could fall on to a bandit sign post or get a paper cut from a flyer…
As you mentioned, you noticed some benches were built too small, or there where too many, or in the middle of the block (which I kind of like) so it seems like there is room for an UNAUTHORIZED, well built bench(w/rounded corners) surviving for a while.
Glen
How about… - Posted by Glen SoCal
Posted by Glen SoCal on March 23, 2002 at 03:16:58:
…buying enough benches so that you drive THAT price down. Donate the bus benches to the local Transit District, with the agreement that in consideration for doing so, you advertise (tastefully) on them for free?
Re: Just curious - Posted by JoeKaiser
Posted by JoeKaiser on March 23, 2002 at 14:53:49:
Don’te recall exactly, but seem to remember $300 per year.
Joe