FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2009

Missouri and Illinois Billboard Operators Choose Watchfire Digital Billboards; Advertisers Get The Digital Advantage

Mid-America Outdoor Advertising and Drury Southwest Signs Replace Existing Boards with Digital Billboards

DANVILLE, Ill. and INDIANAPOLIS - Drury Southwest Signs (DSW Signs) and Mid-America Outdoor Advertising are the latest independent operators to improve their advertising offerings to customers by replacing their static billboards with digital billboards from Watchfire Digital Outdoor (http://www.watchfiredigitaloutdoor.com).

DSW Signs, which already owns two Watchfire LED billboards, installed three new 19mm poster-size digital billboards—two on a double-sided structure located in Marion in southern Illinois, and another in Cape Girardeau, Mo. DSW’s new billboards capture the attention of 55,000 drivers every day.

Mid-America Outdoor Advertising installed the first 19mm 14’x48’ LED billboard located in the St. Louis Metro east area, near the Poplar Street Bridge at the junction of Interstates 55, 70 and 64, one of the busiest areas in the state. An estimated 130,000 vehicles travel through this area every day.

“Since we had to modify a static billboard structure we were sold on a Watchfire digital billboard because of its comparatively lighter weight and its reputation for reliability and easy programming,” said Bob Connors, owner and general manager of Mid-America Outdoor Advertising. “Our customers have reacted positively to Watchfire’s vibrant images and versatility, and in this tough economy, we’re pleased that 80 percent of our slots are already filled.”

DSW Signs president Jeff Bohnert says with his latest purchase the company now owns five Watchfire digital billboards, and he’ll continue scouting the best locations to place additional Watchfire digital billboards.

“With digital billboards advertisers have the advantage of communicating a variety of timely information about promotions, price points and special events, while influencing consumers to make the spontaneous purchasing decisions that only billboards can prompt,” said Bohnert. “Going digital allows us to offer advertisers the impact of TV and radio with greater message flexibility and at a lower cost.”

Bohnert and Connors said they were impressed with the high quality engineering and construction that went into their billboards, as well as the vibrant colors and picture clarity of the Watchfire billboards. Both companies have signed up advertisers that include local retailers and restaurants, doctor’s offices, regional hospitals, government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

Watchfire Digital Outdoor produces the industry’s only 19mm pixel pitch billboard—which packs 768 LEDs into every sq. ft.—and is capable of producing 281 trillion colors, the most in the industry. It is the only manufacturer that fully encapsulates the LED module in a thick bed of silicone gel, which enables the LED boards to operate in extreme weather conditions: 180+ days completely submerged in water, 60 days in a salt-spray chamber, and temperatures ranging from -40° F to 120° F. In areas where heat and humidity are both high, the silicone gel encapsulation protects the boards from humidity and moisture, greatly improving projected reliability. All Watchfire boards feature unique extruded aluminum cabinetry that comply with 2006 IBC codes and a streamlined electronics design that improves operation and simplifies maintenance. Watchfire’s warranty, lead-times, customer support, and no-fee software are considered to be the best in the industry.

About Watchfire Digital Outdoor
Watchfire Digital Outdoor engineers and manufactures the best looking and most durable digital billboards available anywhere. The company is the digital billboard division of Watchfire by Time-O-Matic, which has been manufacturing outdoor electric signs for more than 75 years, has been manufacturing LED signs for 10 years, and has more than 12,000 outdoor LED signs in daily operation throughout North America. Watchfire Digital Outdoor is located in Danville, Ill. with marketing and sales operations in Indianapolis. For more information, go to http://www.watchfiredigitaloutdoor.com

Watchfire Digital Outdoor
Danville, IL 60035
Website URL: www.watchfiredigitaloutdoor.com