Tyler recently began rolling out its new on-premise electronic message display boards: traditional signage kicked up a notch with digital technology.

Hinkle admits traditional billboards can be monsters on a company’s budget. While not giving exact numbers, he says the cost can be comparable to other well known ad formats.

“These would be more along the lines of quit buying Yellow Pages advertising to pay for this, because it’s a 24-hour salesman in front of your business,” he says.

More than just lights, the boards offer business owners the opportunity to customize their message minute-byminute. Tyler bills the boards as userfriendly, providing software and an on-site user tutorial.

“If you can do a PowerPoint presentation, you can load one of these signs,” Hinkle says. “Everybody has to let the world know they’re there, or nobody knows they are there.”

He estimates Tyler could have 100 boards in the market by the end of 2012.

As the largest provider of off-premise, electronic boards in the metro, Lamar Outdoor specializes in getting customers’ messages out on a large scale.

Lamar Vice President Bill Condon says his company is focused on the big boards for the immediate future. It deployed its large digital boards in the market in 2007 and now has 14 in the metro.

“The technology is the same,” Condon says, but the restrictions aren’t.

The large electronic boards, typically 14 feet tall by 48 feet wide, are regulated both locally and at the federal level. Federal restrictions prohibit the large boards from having moving text.

“I’ve been in the trade for 15 years and technology has affected every business, including ours,” he says. “What you pretty much see out there in Oklahoma City, you’re not going to see any additional boards added. If anything, through attrition, we’re going to slowly lose inventory. I don’t think you’ll ever go down the road and see every single board that’s digital, but you may see more in the future.”

photo Matt Hinkle shows off one of Tyler Signs’ latest electronic message display boards.