Monday, January 25, 2010

The Law in Times Square

The FBI has partnered with Clear Channel Outdoor, an outdoor media vendor, to launch an electronic billboard in Times Square to publicize their Most Wanted. This billboard is one of 1,500 billboards in 40 states. Since 2007, the FBI has used billboards to catch criminals and solve ~30 criminals as a result of these publicity efforts.

Since OOH / traditional media is on the decline, donating Billboard space makes sense... but what I don't understand is why they gave up such valuable real estate. Times Square placements go for a a pretty hefty sum, and the intended audience is generally tourists. Is it worth it to give this highly valuable placement to an ephemeral audience, who will barely be in the city long enough to catch / spot these criminals? Or would it be more efficient to donate a spot in a more residential neighborhood?

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