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1 The Signage Foundation | Business Makeover Case Studies| May 2011

howcasing Business Transformations through On-Premise Signage: A Business Makeover

Case Study of Harris Tynes Realty

by Amanda Hagedon, Marketing Capstone Student, University of Cincinnati

Does your business’s on-premise

signage need a facelift? Wait. Better question.

Do you have any on-premise signage to begin

with? It is time to consider what your on-

premise signage is doing… or not doing for

your business. This article describes the

processes that led to selection, implementation

and impact of new on-premise signage for

Stadium Place Shopping Center, a multi-tenant

structure in Huntsville, Alabama.

Compilation of data was administered

by way of a questionnaire (See Exhibit A),

developed over a period of three months. The

questionnaire was distributed by USPS mail

and electronically to two pilot companies, one

of which is Harris Tynes Realty Group.

Stadium Place Shopping Center is one

of many commercial properties managed by

Harris Tynes Realty Group. As the property

management company, Harris Tynes Realty

Group suggested to the property owners that

investing money in a new sign for the

shopping center during a down turn in the

economy would increase the ability to retain

tenants. A signage update would also

enhance property value in addition to

increasing Harris Tynes Realty Group’s ability

to lease vacant space to retailers in the

shopping center. Thus in July of 2009, a new

pylon sign with an EMC (electronic message

center) was erected.

Deciding on what changes to make,

Harris Tynes Realty Group researched types of

signage other shopping complexes have in the

area; in conjunction with holding “think tank”

discussions among office employees,

interviewing tenants, consulting with sign

professionals, as well as holding meetings with

the City of Huntsville sign ordinance officials.

A common problem that this particular

property (multi-tenant) shares with other

similar properties is the inability to provide

adequate signage and exposure to passing

motorists for every single tenant. Stadium

Place Shopping Center is located on a major

road with a high traffic count. The mission was

to find the best way to take advantage of this

opportunity. The existing sign had only the

shopping center’s name (See Exhibit C). Even

though each tenant is allowed to have signage

on their storefront, many of these store fronts

are not visible from the highway since the

complex is built in an “L” shape (See Exhibit E).

Thus Harris Tynes Realty Group set three

prioritized goals:

a. To provide each tenant with the ability to

advertise its products to passing motorists in

the form of sales, specials, etc.

b. To provide each tenant with space to

present its name (logo) to passing motorists,

showing that they are located on this property.

c. To display the name of the complex itself.

S


To meet these specific goals, the new

pylon sign with an EMC (electronic message

center) took the place of the non-digital sign

in front of Stadium Place Shopping Center

(See Exhibit D). The EMC provided space for

each tenant to permanently display its

company name and logo which is visible from

the street. As seen on the original sign (See

Exhibit C), only the name of the shopping

center was previously displayed. The new

pylon sign still carries the Stadium Place name,

but in a much smaller font. A timetable was

also developed enabling each tenant to run

their sales and specials on the EMC. From

concept to completion, the project spanned

over 4 months, with an actual construction

time of 8 weeks. Total cost for the project

carried totaled $44,000.00.

There were a few challenges faced

during the permitting process over a period of

two weeks. Sign supplier, Trav-ad Signs and

Electric, Inc. handled the permit request for

Harris Tynes Realty Group. They wanted to

have the ability to change the message on the

EMC (electronic message center) every 8 to 10

seconds, but were only allowed to change the

message once every hour. Furthermore, the

restriction included disallowance of moving or

running text which constricted the tenants’

ability to advertise their individual business

resulting in messages remaining stagnant for

one hour. Each tenant wanted its business to

be shown on the EMC during peak periods of

the day; morning and evening rush hours. Of

course, Harris Tynes Realty group could not

accommodate their request due to the

aforementioned restrictions. The property

managers also felt that any property such as

Stadium Place Shopping Center,

accommodating multiple tenants compared to

a single tenant property should be allowed

more signage space, but was subject to the

same square footage as a single tenant

property.

With the significant signage change,

the unique measurements Harris Tynes Realty

Group’ hoped to impact are:

a. To offer their tenants something that no

other “like property” is offering in the area.

b. To increase tenant occupancy.

c. To decrease tenant turnover.

d. To increase property value.

e. To insure that Harris Tynes Realty Group is

serving the surrounding community by

providing quality signage that is esthetically

pleasing, readable and surrounded by

beautiful landscaping.

f. To increase tenants’ and property owners’

bottom line.

As a result, the project proved to be a

complete success. The tenants in the

shopping center are now able to have their

names on the pylon sign, unlike the previous

pylon sign which only had space for the name

of the shopping center. While Stadium Place

Shopping Center has been in the area for

many years and most people know where it is

located, not everyone knew what tenants were

actually in the center. Harris Tynes Realty

Group hopes the new EMC will promote

interest for new businesses looking to lease


vacant spaces. In the meantime, however, the

tenants using the electronic message center

enjoy having a free avenue to get their name

out!

Based on this experience, Harris Tynes

Realty Group encourages companies

considering a signage makeover to act on

replacing outdated and ineffective signs.

Jackie McGhee outlined this process for a

successful experience: Make sure to do your

homework. Check that the sign company you

choose to work with is reputable and reliable.

Check references and finished jobs. Insure

that a high quality sign company is

representing your interest. For those looking

for commercial property, before purchasing,

research the municipality’s local sign ordinance

to insure you can advertise a business

effectively in that area. The first impression

that many people will have of your company is

your sign. Make sure it is a good one!


Exhibit A: Original Questionnaire


BUSINESS MAKEOVER CASE STUDY

Stadium Place - Huntsville, Alabama

2011

1. What motivated your company to initiate changes in your on-premises signage?

As the property management company for Stadium Place Shopping Center, we suggested to the

property owner that investing money in a new sign for the property during a down turn in the

economy would increase our ability to retain tenants and increase property value as well as increase

our ability to lease vacant space at the shopping center.

2. What changes were made to your signage? (color, size, location, new sign)

A new sign was installed.

3. How did you decide on what changes to make?

We researched the type of signage other shopping centers in the area had. We held think tank

discussions within our office, interviewed our tenants, consulting with sign professionals as well as

holding meeting with the City’s sign ordinance officials.

A very common problem that this particular property (multi-tenant) shares with other like properties

is the inability to provide adequate signage and exposure to the passing motorist for each tenant. This

property fronts on a major road with a very impressive traffic count. As property manager, our

mission was to research and find the best way to take advantage of this opportunity. The existing sign

had only the center’s name on it. The center is built in an L shape and even though each tenant is

allowed to have signage on their store front, many of these fronts are not visible from the highway.

We set 3 goals and prioritized them in the following order.

a. To provide each tenant with the ability to advertise their products to passing motorist in the form of sales, specials, etc.

b. To provide each tenant with space to present their name (logo) to passing motorist, showing that they are located on this property.

c. To display the name of the complex itself.

To accomplish these goals, we incorporated the following changes with our new sign:

a. Provided an electronic message center (EMC) and developed a time table enabling each tenant to run their sales and specials.

b. Provided space for each tenant to permanently display their company name (logo) that could be visible from the street.

c. As you can see from this picture, the original sign displayed only the name of the center. Our new sign still carried the name of the center but in a much smaller format.

Exhibit B: Harris Tynes Realty Group Questionnaire


4. How much did your signage update cost?

$44,000.00

5. How long did the process of updating your signage take?

From concept to completion, about 4 months. Actual construction time was 8 weeks.

6. How long did the permitting process take?

2 weeks

7. Were there challenges in receiving the permit?

Yes. We wanted to have the ability to change the message on the Electronic Message Board every 8 to

10 seconds, but were only allowed to change it once an hour. We also felt that a property that had

multiple tenants and stores verses a property having only one tenant should be allowed more signage,

but was subjected to the same square footage as a single tenant property. Further the restriction of

only being able to change the message on the electronic message board once an hour as well as the

disallowance of moving or running text greatly constricted our tenant’s ability to advertise or promote

their business because the message had to remain stagnant for an hour. Each tenant wanted their

business to be on the electronic message board during the peak periods of the day (morning and

evening rush hour). We could not accommodate their request because of these restrictions.

8. Who handled the permit request for your company?

Our sign supplier, Trav-ad Signs and Electric, Inc.

9. Please rate how your company might be affected by each of these items after the signage change.

On a scale from 1 to 10 (1= did not affect, 10= affected very much).

a. Employee Retention

b. Increase in revenue (%)

c. Increase in customer count

d. Overall beautification of your company

e. Better image of your company

f. Positive impact on your community

g. Increase in average order size (%)

This question is designed for a single business owner, so it would be hard for me to answer.



10. How long ago was your company’s signage updated?

2 years ago.

11. Please indicate your company’s average monthly revenue before the signage changes (indicate in

percentages increase instead of actual figures).

12. Please indicate your company’s average monthly revenue after the signage changes (indicate in

percentages instead of actual figures).

13. Please indicate the approximate change in customer count after the signage changes.

Answer for questions 11, 12 and 13: The sign was installed at a retail shopping center rather than a

single business. Since this survey is not designed for our circumstances, it will be difficult to answer.

Since the down turn in the economy has greatly impacted every category of retail businesses, it would

be hard to say if the new signage had a measurable impact for each tenant.

14. Please indicate your company’s trend in employee retention (How many employees resigned and

how many employees did you replace (6 months prior to signage changes)?

15. Please indicate your company’s trend in employee retention (How many employees resigned and

how many employees did you replace (6 months after the signage changes)?

Answer for question 14 and 15: Because each tenant is responsible for their own staff, this question is

very difficult to answer. To the best of my knowledge, the staff for each tenant did not increase or

decrease during the six month period before or after the installation of the new sign.

16. List any other additional advertisement done during the re-facing of the signage (radio, print, tv,

promotions, discounts, enhanced sales techniques).

Each tenant is responsible for their own advertising/promotions, etc. We have national

Tenants in Stadium Place Shopping Center that utilize radio, tv and print advertisements for marketing

their stores and the services they provide.

17. Are there any unique measurements that you hoped to impact with this signage change? What are

those metrics and how did they change?

The unique measurements that we hope to impact by these changes are:

a. To offer our tenants something that no other “like property” is offering in this area. b. To increase tenant occupancy. c. To decrease tenant turnover. d. To increase property value. e. To insure that we are serving our community by providing quality signage that is esthetically

pleasing, readable, and surrounded by beautiful landscaping. f. To increase our tenant’s and property owner’s bottom line.



18. Overall, are you pleased that you decided to change your company’s signage?

Absolutely. A happy tenant and property owner makes for a happy property manager.

19. As a result of the signage changes, what was the most significant impact to your company?

The tenants in the shopping center are now able to have their name on the pylon sign. The previous

pylon sign for the shopping center only had the name of the shopping center on it. While Stadium

Place Shopping Center has been in the area for many years and everyone knows where it is – not

everyone knew what tenants are in the center. We were hoping the new sign and electronic message

board would promote interest in new businesses leasing our vacant spaces. This has not yet occurred.

However the tenants that are utilizing the electronic message board like having a free avenue to

advertise their business.

20. Based on your experience, what would you share with other companies to encourage them to

change their signage?

a. Before purchasing commercial property, research the municipal’s local sign ordinance to insure that you can advertise your business effectively in that area.

b. Do your homework. Be sure that the sign company you are working with is reputable and reliable. Check their references and finished jobs.

c. Whatever you do, insure that you have a quality sign company representing your interest. The first impression that many people will have of your company is your sign. Make it a good one.

d. Don’t be afraid to change an outdated, ineffective sign.

21. What feedback, if any, have your customers given on your company’s signage changes?

The tenants at Stadium Place Shopping Center really like the new sign. We received very positive

feedback from the tenants when the new sign was installed.

22. If you could do it over again, what would you do differently?

Spend more time with our tenant’s store managers educating them on the value of good quality

signage and how to take advantage of this great advertising tool and how it can effect their bottom

line. I have found that although a store manager may be great at managing the store, they may have

little or no experience in the field of marketing. In fact, I was talking to the corporate office of one of

our stores about a national sales promotion they were running and they were surprised and elated to

discover that this store had an electronic message board that they could be utilized in promoting their

sales campaign.



Exhibit C: Stadium Place Shopping Center Signage BEFORE images


Exhibit D: Stadium Place Shopping Center Signage AFTER images


Exhibit E: Stadium Place Shopping Center

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