Lamar Advertising Company
Encyclopedia
The Lamar Advertising Company , based in Baton Rouge
, Louisiana
, is a provider of billboards
, transit advertising, and highway logo signs. Founded in 1902, Lamar currently operates over 150 outdoor advertising companies in more than 40 states and Puerto Rico. Lamar has over 70 transit franchises across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico which maintain billboards, digital signs, and advertising on buses, bus stops, and benches. Lamar is also the leading provider of highway signs in North America, with operations in 19 states and the province of Ontario, Canada. It has been the largest outdoor advertising company in the United States
and Puerto Rico
since 1999.
, Florida
, when Charles W. Lamar, Sr. and J.M. Coe decided to dissolve their three-year partnership using a coin toss to divide their assets, the Pensacola Opera House and the Pensacola Advertising Company that was created to promote it. Lamar lost the toss and was left with the less-lucrative poster company, which he renamed the Lamar Outdoor Advertising Company.
Under the management of Lamar and his sons, the company grew rapidly over the next century. In 1996, Lamar made its first public offering of stock, which began trading on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol LAMR. In 1999, after completing its $1.6 billion acquisition of Chancellor Media, Lamar became the nation's largest outdoor advertising company by number of displays. In 2005, Lamar generated revenues of more than $1 billion for the first time. It employs 3,300 workers in more than 150 offices in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Current CEO Kevin Reilly, Jr. (the great-grandson of founder Charles Lamar, Sr.) was appointed to succeed his father, Kevin P. Reilly, Sr.
Since that time, Lamar -- now based in Baton Rouge -- has diversified, expanding into interstate advertising and digital billboards. It also operates divisions focusing on attraction advertising for state tourism departments as well as large-format printing operations for private business.
Tri-Visions: An advertising display (usually bulletin size) using turning triangular louvers to display copy for three different clients on a rotating basis.
Posters: Smaller 12'x24' boards usually purchased in a "poster showing," or a predetermined number of posters within a given market. Posters are used to blanket a market with a message and, due to their smaller size, aren't limited to highways and interstates.
Junior Posters: Smaller posters, usually 6'x12', that are placed where posters or bulletins cannot.
Digital Displays: Computer-controlled electronic billboards using large LED
displays. The board holds a message for up to 10 seconds before the next message is displayed. Due to their electronic nature, they are very flexible, capable of being changed weekly, daily, or even hourly. These boards are often used to advertise time-sensitive information: special promotions, one-day sales, breaking news, price points, etc. Lamar also cooperates with state and local agencies to display local weather warnings, public service announcements, and Amber Alert
s; such displays accounted for over $34 million in donated ad space in 2008.
Digital Posters: Smaller digital displays, either 10'x21' or 10'x36'.
Wallscapes: Large, elaborate, non-standard structures custom-designed to attract attention using eye-catching special effects: neon tubing
, fiber optics
, hydraulic movement
, strobe light
s, etc.
Buses: Buses travelling through busy metro areas are wrapped in a variety of ways to act as "mobile billboards."
Shelters: Signage placed at bus stops and other transit shelters distributed throughout a market. These displays are back-lit for night viewing.
Benches: Signage placed on benches located at bus stops and high-traffic intersections, visible to motorists and pedestrians.
"Station Domination": A saturation campaign where an entire train station and its trains are covered with an advertiser's message.
, polyethylene
printing substrate in place of non-recyclable glued paper since 2006 and has recently switched from vinyl substrate to a similar polyethylene one for other jobs. It also uses UV light to cure the inks printed on its substrates instead of evaporating solvents, eliminating VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds). In addition, Lamar has reduced the energy consumption of its billboards by 50% by switching to a new lighting system and is currently using solar panels
and testing wind turbine
s to power some of its outdoor advertising network.
By switching to all-polyethylene printing substrates, Lamar now uses 100% recyclable materials for its billboards. The lower weight of these materials has also reduced fuel and transportation costs by nearly 65%. Recyclable polyethylene bags are also being used to ship its printed materials to save both cardboard and space in trucks.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, is a provider of billboards
Billboard (advertising)
A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...
, transit advertising, and highway logo signs. Founded in 1902, Lamar currently operates over 150 outdoor advertising companies in more than 40 states and Puerto Rico. Lamar has over 70 transit franchises across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico which maintain billboards, digital signs, and advertising on buses, bus stops, and benches. Lamar is also the leading provider of highway signs in North America, with operations in 19 states and the province of Ontario, Canada. It has been the largest outdoor advertising company in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
since 1999.
History
Founded in 1902, the company became independent under its current name in 1908 in PensacolaPensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, when Charles W. Lamar, Sr. and J.M. Coe decided to dissolve their three-year partnership using a coin toss to divide their assets, the Pensacola Opera House and the Pensacola Advertising Company that was created to promote it. Lamar lost the toss and was left with the less-lucrative poster company, which he renamed the Lamar Outdoor Advertising Company.
Under the management of Lamar and his sons, the company grew rapidly over the next century. In 1996, Lamar made its first public offering of stock, which began trading on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol LAMR. In 1999, after completing its $1.6 billion acquisition of Chancellor Media, Lamar became the nation's largest outdoor advertising company by number of displays. In 2005, Lamar generated revenues of more than $1 billion for the first time. It employs 3,300 workers in more than 150 offices in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Current CEO Kevin Reilly, Jr. (the great-grandson of founder Charles Lamar, Sr.) was appointed to succeed his father, Kevin P. Reilly, Sr.
Kevin Reilly (Louisiana politician)
Kevin Patrick Reilly, Sr. , a retired businessman and active philanthropist from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is the former executive officer of the Lamar Advertising Company who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 68 between 1972 and 1988...
Since that time, Lamar -- now based in Baton Rouge -- has diversified, expanding into interstate advertising and digital billboards. It also operates divisions focusing on attraction advertising for state tourism departments as well as large-format printing operations for private business.
Outdoor Advertising Products
Bulletins: The largest standard-sized form of outdoor advertising, located on highly visible locations such as expressways and primary arteries. Bulletins are commonly used as "directionals" to reach long-distance travelers and direct them to nearby restaurants, lodging, gas stations, etc.Tri-Visions: An advertising display (usually bulletin size) using turning triangular louvers to display copy for three different clients on a rotating basis.
Posters: Smaller 12'x24' boards usually purchased in a "poster showing," or a predetermined number of posters within a given market. Posters are used to blanket a market with a message and, due to their smaller size, aren't limited to highways and interstates.
Junior Posters: Smaller posters, usually 6'x12', that are placed where posters or bulletins cannot.
Digital Displays: Computer-controlled electronic billboards using large LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
displays. The board holds a message for up to 10 seconds before the next message is displayed. Due to their electronic nature, they are very flexible, capable of being changed weekly, daily, or even hourly. These boards are often used to advertise time-sensitive information: special promotions, one-day sales, breaking news, price points, etc. Lamar also cooperates with state and local agencies to display local weather warnings, public service announcements, and Amber Alert
AMBER Alert
An AMBER Alert or a Child Abduction Emergency is a child abduction alert bulletin in several countries throughout the world, issued upon the suspected abduction of a child, since 1996...
s; such displays accounted for over $34 million in donated ad space in 2008.
Digital Posters: Smaller digital displays, either 10'x21' or 10'x36'.
Wallscapes: Large, elaborate, non-standard structures custom-designed to attract attention using eye-catching special effects: neon tubing
Neon sign
Neon signs are made using electrified, luminous tube lights that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December, 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs...
, fiber optics
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
, hydraulic movement
Hydraulics
Hydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties. In fluid power, hydraulics is used for the generation, control,...
, strobe light
Strobe light
A strobe light or stroboscopic lamp, commonly called a strobe, is a device used to produce regular flashes of light. It is one of a number of devices that can be used as a stroboscope...
s, etc.
Buses: Buses travelling through busy metro areas are wrapped in a variety of ways to act as "mobile billboards."
Shelters: Signage placed at bus stops and other transit shelters distributed throughout a market. These displays are back-lit for night viewing.
Benches: Signage placed on benches located at bus stops and high-traffic intersections, visible to motorists and pedestrians.
"Station Domination": A saturation campaign where an entire train station and its trains are covered with an advertiser's message.
Green initiatives
Lamar Advertising has used recyclableRecycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
, polyethylene
Polyethylene
Polyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons...
printing substrate in place of non-recyclable glued paper since 2006 and has recently switched from vinyl substrate to a similar polyethylene one for other jobs. It also uses UV light to cure the inks printed on its substrates instead of evaporating solvents, eliminating VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds). In addition, Lamar has reduced the energy consumption of its billboards by 50% by switching to a new lighting system and is currently using solar panels
Photovoltaic module
A solar panel is a packaged, connected assembly of solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells...
and testing wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s to power some of its outdoor advertising network.
By switching to all-polyethylene printing substrates, Lamar now uses 100% recyclable materials for its billboards. The lower weight of these materials has also reduced fuel and transportation costs by nearly 65%. Recyclable polyethylene bags are also being used to ship its printed materials to save both cardboard and space in trucks.