Ad Blog Arabia

Outdoor ad magic from a bygone era on auction

May 15th, 2006 Humeid

The famous Camel billboard on Times Square, which for decades emitted a puff of smoke every 4 sconds. (Image source: http://www.lileks.com/NYC/timessquare/26.html)

In the Middle East, outdoor advertising seems to be dominated by cookie cutter solutions. Unipoles, Mupis and endlessly huge areas of flex printing. Here’s something to think about when dreaming up you next outdoor campaign.

Neon Nostalgia From Times Square to Be Sold by Sign Maker - New York Times:
The heyday of electric signs in Times Square has given way to the era of digital video screens and giant vinyl billboards. This week, like so many things in Times Square, nostalgia itself will be for sale when a Philadelphia auction house sells an eclectic collection of drawings, models and neon signs, all vivid reminders of the brightly lighted advertisements that have long hovered over Broadway.

The collection is being sold by Artkraft Strauss, which made and maintained some of the most recognizable incandescent and neon advertising signs in New York City for decades. The family-owned business, which has shrunk in recent years, has sold off its billboard business and production plant and is refashioning itself as a design consultancy.

Visit the Artkraft Strauss site here. Read about their history here.

Entry Filed under: International, Outdoor

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