Today’s column by Billboard Planet National Sales Consultant Pete Hautem shows that a great out of home creative idea can come from anyone.
Being in the Out-of-Home business for, literally, decades, I have had the opportunity to work with lots of folks with unique credentials and histories.
So, I thought it might be fun to ask a simple question to some of those folks. “What made you immediately love the Out-of-home business and keep you in it all these years?”.
I called Doug McFarland in Charleston. SC. I’ve known Doug since 1978 when he was manager of Charleston Outdoor. Since then, he has owned his own company, helped develop other Outdoor companies, and has part ownership in a few Charleston radio stations. Even though he recently sold most of his Charleston inventory, he remains active in the business at the tender age of 82. His first job in Outdoor was as a junior AE with Rollins Outdoor in Philadelphia. It was 1963. Just like today, automotive was a big Outdoor category. And, just like today, auto sales were soft because of inflation and recession fears. This was shortly after Kennedy was assassinated and Johnson became our President.
Rollins wanted to put together a campaign to help spur business for Philly auto dealers. The sales team sat in the conference room and bounced around ideas. Folks were stumped. A light went off in Doug’s head, He said, “How about we put billboards up all over town with a simple generic message. “HAPPINESS IS A NEW CAR!” Brilliant. and the idea came from the rookie.
Management loved it and the next thing you know, ads are all over town and the car business is improving. That’s when Doug knew he was in the right business and had a future. He found a problem, solved a problem, and helped the community in the process. Nothing better than that kind of reward.
You can reach Pete at 423-834-0876 or petehautem@gmail.com.
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