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Talk about floor graphics to Sheldon Hurst III, chief executive officer of Georgia Printco in Valdosta, GA, and a degree of amazement seems to enter his voice.
"One of the things I have seen is that most of my clients have no idea we have floor graphics available for them in certain applications," says Hurst, whose eight-year-old shop sells to middlemen who in turn sell to their own customers. "We have floor graphics appropriate for carpets, for indoor surfaces, and for sidewalks. And as soon as they learn that, they begin to market these items. They find it's a higher margin item."
That higher margin flows from the fact floor graphics are newer and easier and faster to produce than other media, Hurst says. And when clients see floor graphics, they're impressed and willing to pay more for this fairly recent marketing innovation.
"Think of all the strip malls and retail locations, the sports stadiums and arenas," Hurst says. "Think of all the advertising space not utilized before. Now it's wide open."
It is, thanks to floor graphics.
Upsurge From Down Low
Floor graphics have gained prominence for several reasons, says Rich Hoban, president of Orangeburg, NY-based aitdigital, which produces floor graphics, banners, and vehicle wraps for Polo by Ralph Lauren, The Children's Place, and Manhattan radio stations Power 105 and K-Rock, among others.
First, he says, advertising is so pervasive today that advertisers are seeking new places to position ads. Second, studies have shown those visiting sporting and other venues actually spend much of their time looking down. Third, the technologies beyond floor graphics have evolved to the point where shorter runs can be highly cost-effective.
"Even in the mid-1990s, you could do [floor graphics]," Hoban says. "But the economies of the equipment at that time lent themselves to much longer runs, because there was so much waste. You'd have to print them on paper, then transfer them to vinyl. That process involved a lot of set-up and a lot of waste. With the direct printers we use today, you're getting a good image with almost no waste."
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