TECHNICAL FIELD

Exemplary embodiments relate generally to systems and methods for ground-based advertising.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One of the most pressing business imperatives today is maximizing the value of a property, be it intellectual or physical. Maximizing income is often critical for profitability of a given investment.

Advertising has evolved rapidly with the advent of the Internet and mobile devices. In previous generations, advertising was primarily associated with print media, radio, and television, whereas today's advertising executives are constantly looking for ways to reach potential customers via smartphones, live events (e.g., sports, music, etc.), and Internet browsing.

Traditionally, one of the primary ways a company would advertise outside of the digital space is on physical billboards. These billboards typically reside on the side of a highway or highly trafficked area. The upside to these billboards is that they expose the company's advertisement to many people; however, the quality of exposure is not ideal. A person driving his or her car is presumably paying more attention to the other cars on the road, the call he or she is on, the passengers in the car, or the like, rather than to the content of the billboard advertisement. Additionally, the driver passes the billboard at a high rate of speed, which makes capturing and reflecting on the advertisement difficult. Finally, given the conditions, most people do not take a photo or somehow capture the data on the advertisement as they drive by, making the billboard advertisements less effective.

An alternative to highway billboard advertising that can reach today's on-the-go consumers is in ground-based environments, such as but not limited to sidewalks, roadways, driveways, patios, bike paths, parking lots, and the like. For example, without limitation, when one parks his or her vehicle in a parking lot, a properly placed advertisement may offer a potential customer a quick look at a nearby product or opportunity, thereby creating a slow intake of the information and an impulse to purchase said product or take advantage of said opportunity. Whereas buses and subways are packed with advertisements, private vehicles and parking areas for such vehicles generally sport no such advertisements, and therefore their drivers and passengers are generally difficult to reach. Parking lots offer ideal venues for placing advertisements that drivers and their passages will necessarily see as they enter and leave such structures. Therefore, what is needed is a ground-based advertisement system and method.

These disclosures provide systems and methods for ground-based advertising. Also provided are systems and methods for installation of such ground-based advertising. A plurality of back units may each be adapted for attachment to one of a number of predetermined positions within a parking lot having parking spaces. A plurality of clear or translucent covers may each be adapted for placement over one of the back units. The back unit may include a track for mounting the cover in a slidable manner. The cover and back unit may be configured to receive fasters for securing the cover within the track. Each back unit and the corresponding cover may define a substantially sealed cavity adapted to hold one or more advertisements. The advertisement(s) may be adapted to fit within the cavity. The advertisements may be physical pieces, such as vinyl substrates printed with glow-in-the-dark material. In other embodiments, the advertisements may be images displayed on electronic displays located within the cavities. The advertisements may be illuminated by solar powered LEDs, glow-in-the-dark material, some combination thereof, or the like. The advertisement(s) may include a code, such as but not limited to a QR code, which upon being scanned may retrieve a coupon or further information for use at a nearby retailer. Alternatively, or additionally, the advertisement(s) may include instructions to take a photo of the advertisement and bring it into a nearby retailer for a discount. The cover may comprise a traction material.

An area for installation on the parking lot may be cleaned. A sealant may be applied to the cleaned installation area. A hole may be drilled through the sealed area. Adhesive may be applied to the hole. An anchor may be inserted into the hole. The adhesive may be cured. A fastener may be passed through the advertising unit and into the anchor to secure the advertising unit to the parking lot. In other exemplary embodiments, an adhesive, such as but not limited to two-part epoxy may be used. The area where the adhesive is to be deposited may be first taped off or a stencil may be used. The cleaned area may be excavated such that some or all of the advertising unit may be placed below the surface of the parking lot.

In exemplary embodiments, the back units may be formed by extruding a piece of material, such as metal. One or more side edges of the back units may be likewise formed by extrusion to form a sliding track for the cover. A distal end of each side edge may be crimped to form a backstop for the cover. The advertisement(s) may be deposited within the back unit and the cover may be mounted to the back unit so as to protect the advertisement. Drainage or aeration holes may be created in the back unit to allow water to escape.

In exemplary embodiments, the advertising units may be installed by preparing the installation area. Such preparation may include, but is not limited to, flailing, scrubbing, and/or blowing. Holes may be formed in the installation area, though such is not required. Epoxy may be added to the installation area, and may be added to the holes where such holes are utilized. The back of the advertising unit may be cleaned. Where holes are provided, fasteners may be prepared. The advertising unit may be attached to the installation area. Attachment may involve applying the advertising unit to the installation area. Alternatively, or additionally, attachment may involve passing fasteners through at least a portion of the advertising unit into the holes. Nuts or other anchoring components may be secured to distal portions of the fasteners to provide surfaces for the epoxy to attach to. The nuts or other anchoring components may act as anchors. Weight may be added to the advertising units while they cure to improve attachment.

Further features and advantages of the devices and systems disclosed herein, as well as the structure and operation of various aspects of the present disclosure, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying figures.

