Kim Gaskill explains how businesses get on highway blue exit signs. Spots cost $500 to $2,000 a year and go to pharmacies, gas stations, lodging, and food places. Selection rules vary by state, but incumbents rarely leave once they're up there.
Welcome to a new day. I'm Kim Gaskill, and this is the Daily Spark. Have you ever wondered who decides what business gets to advertise on those big blue exit signs on the highway? You know, I looked that up one time, and I was curious. And you know, they have a few different categories. There's pharmacies, special attractions, lodging, food, gas, and I think there's one other one. Oh, camping is on there too. But I often wondered why at an exit where there's 30 different restaurants and eating locations, do those 6 get preference on one of those signs? Do they pay more? Do they have connections? What is the process? And so when I looked it up, I found out that they can pay anywhere from $500 to $2,000 a year to advertise on there. And some states go first come, first serve. Others do it by who's closest to the exit. And some other factors. But it's a pretty good gig when you think about it. Hundreds of thousands of people in cars are driving by those exits seeing your logo. Even if they don't stop, they see your logo over and over again. It gets imprinted on their mind. So it's a pretty good bang for your buck, but the process to apply is quite extensive, and the surrounding costs could be, uh, could add up because you have to have the specifications on your logo have to be exact. And you know, once some of those places get on there, they don't leave. That's why you probably see some of the same food places on the majority of the signs, because they were the first to get on there, and because they don't ever leave, no one else has a opportunity to get on. So if you ever have the chance to get your ad on one of those signs, the numbers say it's a pretty good ROI. So next time you drive by an exit, think about those marketers that did that and got on those signs. Kudos to them. See you again tomorrow for another Daily Spark.
