For Key Ads Watchfire was Obvious Choice for Digital Billboards

After 57 years in the business, Key-Ads had plenty of experience supporting local businesses with traditional outdoor advertising. While attending a 2009 signage conference, Nick Keyes, Jr. noticed digital billboards on display. Though they were eye-catching, he wondered how advertisers would respond to them. “We were concerned about cannibalizing our traditional static billboards when we went digital,” said Keyes, Jr.

Fellow outdoor advertisers universally praised Watchfire’s features, including durable construction, outstanding images and its programming software, Ignite® Online. “We heard other digital billboards in the industry were plagued with hardware problems. Our clients put faith in us, so we put our faith in Watchfire,” Keyes, Jr. said.

After the first digital billboard went up, Key-Ads’ advertisers noticed an incredible effect on sales. Keyes, Jr. thought a digital billboard would bring a strong return on investment for advertisers, and it didn’t take long to be proven right.

One annual festival doubled attendance and increased income by a third, because 70% of attendees saw festival advertising on the billboard. A local heating and air company had such an increase in service calls that they asked to temporarily change their offer until they could fulfill the flood of inquiries. Keyes, Jr. was able to make the change quickly to give the company a break. After adjusting to the increase in business, the company eventually bought more ads.

Key-Ads advertisers appreciate the flexibility of the digital medium. Advertisers who need to change ads often find that digital boards are a better fit, so cannibalizing the current customer base was not an issue. “We found there was a new set of clientele coming in that we weren’t previously doing business with. The digital boards have exposed us to a new set of advertisers. That was awesome,” said Keyes, Jr.

Key-Ads now has four Watchfire digital billboards in the Dayton area. The newest one in Miami Township, near Dayton Mall, attracted advertisers even before it started officially operating. Keyes, Jr. said, “We selected the locations we did because they were high-profile and a good fit for something exciting and something new. They’re [near] high traffic and there’s a lot of exposure.”

Due to the high level of service on past projects, Key-Ads plans on continued partnership with Watchfire. Watchfire’s vivid image quality, pre- and post-sale support and technical reliability have turned both Key-Ads and its advertisers into satisfied customers.