Flagship store includes 17,000 square feet of digital LED signage extending 341 feet above the ground.
When Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain, celebrates its return to the heart of Times Square in New York today, its new flagship store will boast a massive electronic billboard that the company describes as “the nation’s largest, most advanced digital super-sign.”
According to the company, the digital signage soars 341 feet above the street on three sides of the legendary One Times Square building, where Walgreens occupies the first three levels. Commonly called a “spectacular,” the massive digital billboard contains 12 million energy efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) spanning 17,000 square feet.
The sign surpasses the current size record held by NASDAQ with its 11,000-square-foot digital screen built in 2000, the company says. The diagonal stripes skyrocketing 17 stories on the east and west sides of the building are programmed to display synchronized animation delivering seamless messages and images 20 hours a day.
Huge Audience
One Times Square, nestled on the island between Broadway and Seventh Avenue and 42nd and 43rd Streets, serves as the centerpiece of the city’s famed New Year’s Eve celebration and one of the world’s most photographed and televised landmarks. Walgreens operated a store at the high-profile location for nearly four decades from the 1930s through 1970. The company sees the homecoming as an opportunity to showcase its brand to an immeasurable international audience and establish its intent to expand its presence in the state.
“With more than 1.6 million passers-by and countless media impressions daily, this sign represents a tremendous opportunity to catapult Walgreens brand among the most recognizable icons in the world," said Greg Wasson, president and COO of Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens. “The signs will also work to build awareness for our strongest supplier partners and the brands that help make Walgreens a destination for millions of customers every day.”
In addition to its digital billboard, the store will be surrounded by 13 digital signs at street level offering a wide range of advertising options for Walgreens suppliers. According to the company, visual campaigns for mega brands L'Oreal, Johnson & Johnson, Colgate and Kraft will launch on the signs when the store lights up at 8 p.m. tonight. Chicago-based ABC New Media Sales, a unit of ABC National Television Sales, is Walgreens’ exclusive sales representative for the sign.
"This eye-catching new landmark in Times Square brightens advertising opportunities for both Walgreens and its vendor companies," said John Watkins, president of ABC National Television Sales. "The sign's towering state-of-the-art video capabilities heighten the value of outdoor advertising in a truly spectacular way."
Design Concept
The Walgreens One Times Square spectacular was conceived and designed by strategic brand consultancy Gilmore Group, New York City. The firm supervised its construction in partnership with Walgreens and technology firm D3 LED.
“In designing the spectacular, our goal was to achieve the pinnacle of urban branding,” said Arthur Gilmore, Gilmore Group’s president and CEO. “We want to tell the public that Walgreens has returned and to send a message that this traditionally quiet company has aggressive plans. Walgreens is driving home this point by becoming the dominant brand presence in the center of the media universe.”
New York-based D3 LED, the designer of the hi-tech hardware and software for the spectacular, says the sign has unparalleled high-resolution graphics. To create this digital marvel, the team employed 10,987 modules, each containing 1,024 to 1,600 pixels.
“Not only is the Walgreens spectacular the largest display of its kind in the country, but it truly breaks the mold in the way it interacts with consumers,” said Jason Barak, founding partner, D3 LED. “Using D3’s proprietary LED technology, we created a display that virtually reaches out and grabs the attention of consumers — from those 15 feet away to those halfway across the world.”