If you've driven across the Country on I-90 you're likely aware of Wall Drug. And if you stopped at Wall Drug you know it's a tourist trap. But the trap is almost impossible to avoid.
Wall Drug Signs on I-90
The farthest highway sign on I-90 is 1000 miles away it feels like. Realistically, the highway signs start advertising Wall Drug 400 miles away. Every ten minutes or so for 4 hours on I-90 you see highway signs for Wall Drug. At first you barely notice, then you're like WTF is Wall Drug, then you're like Gosh, Wall Drug must be important, then you're like F Wall drug, then as you get close, you know you have to stop in.
The First to Harness Highway Signs
Wall Drug became Wall Drug because of highway signs. A small drug store in North Dokata placed a highway sign out on I-90 that said "Free Ice Water". In the old days before fast food and resturaunts all over the Country, ice water was a real need for many traveling I-90. People flocked into the small drug store for cold ice water.
Leveraging Highway Traffic For Cincinnati
13% of the American Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rolls through Cincinnati each year.
I-71 and I-75 are major arteries in the US highway transportation system. Canadians and Northerners flocking to Florida, families heading North and South for vacation; roughly 170,000 cars cross the Brent Spence Bridge each day.
Use Highway Signs to Divert Traffic Into Cincinnati
I do not recommend being as persistant as Wall Drug, but in the fashion of using Highway signs to grow business I suggest a more modern concept than simply hoisting a logo and phone number; use highway signs to suggest:
- "Wait times at the bridge are as long as dinner". QR code opens a map and close parking, along with wait times at each resturaunt creating an easy path for travelers to come off the highway and visit a Cincinnati resturaunt.
- Architecture Tour: QR code that shows a map that brings people off the highway, down 4th street, over to Union Terminal, back up Liberty or across the Roebling Suspension Bridge, then back on the highway. It's very likely that once off the highway, the architecture tour car will stop to eat or get gas.
Architecture Tour and You're Back on the Road
Highway signs that advertise Cincinnati Architecture Tour: 15 minutes, all 1-2 miles from the highway, you're back on the road in no time, but explored Cincinnati! The user could hit a QR code, then when the car passes a NFC box on the exits of the highway it triggers a recording that walks the car through a self guided architecture tour of Cincinnati.
Use Technology to Reduce the Fear Barrier
They key is to use mobile technology to reduce the barrier people have in stopping in an unknown city on the way through. Cities can be intimidating to people from out of town, or to people from the suburbs or rural areas. But Cincinnati is an easy and relatively safe city to see and experience. A quick app that shows how easy the town is with maps to where to park, what resturaunts are open and seating, or what architecture they must see.
Cincinnati businesses and resturaunts can benefit
If signs along I-71 and I-75 starting South of Columbus, OH and North of Lexington, KY advertising Cincinnati resturaunt tour, or Cincinnati architecture tour were to attract 1% of the traffic that comes through town everyday this would equate to 1,700 car loads of people coming into the city either looking at our excuisit architecture or looking to dine at an local resturaunt. If only .5% took the bait that would equate to 800 more cars turning into town. Let's consider that a lot of the traffic is semi trucks and local traffic, so if we say just .1% of overall traffic were to pull into town to dine or view the architecture, likely to turn into a sale of some sort, this would still be 170 cars coming into town to dine or experience the architecture. How many of these people decide to stay the night or stop in again, maybe plannign to visit the town sometime in the future?
Who pays for it.
Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, OTR Chamber, Local business, i.e. private investors.
Leverage Valuable Assets For Local Success
The highway traffic passing throug town each day can be better leverage to divert a small portion of that traffic into town to experience Cincinnati resturaunts and architecture.