As daily life slowly returns to normal and traffic picks up in downtown Chicago, Lamar Advertising Company recently upgraded 18 digital displays with LED digital displays from Daktronics of Brookings, South Dakota.

The 10-foot-high by 10-foot-wide high-resolution 10-millimeter pixel pitch digital advertising displays are being used to advertise to street, bicycle and pedestrian traffic in the heart of downtown and River North areas. They reach people in business districts, on the Magnificent Mile, and near fine dining, entertainment venues and popular shopping locations.

Bill Ripp, vice president of digital development at Lamar, says they have had digital displays in these Chicago locations since 2013. This upgrade to high resolution LED technology gives advertisers exciting new ways to use the technology to shine more brightly.

“These (displays) are predominantly used for advertising, but we also support many public service causes,” Ripp explains. “Our digital 10×10 network allows all clients to contract our displays quickly both through traditional and programmatic platforms.”

Many advertisers are looking for ways to incorporate social media into their campaigns as well. Jeff Burton, vice president and general manager at Lamar Chicago says, “We often receive requests for low, street level inventory that advertisers wish to use as backdrops for social media campaigns. These boards are a great fit!”

Lamar is a big name in advertising media, and they see a clear advantage in using digital LED displays for advertising, and particularly those from Daktronics. First, Daktronics LEDs can handle the extreme temperature changes and harsh conditions of the Chicago climate. Second, the brightness, image quality and lifespan of Daktronics displays are better than the competition, including the displays Lamar replaced. Third, the messaging is dynamic and easy to change.

“Digital products have the obvious advantage over analog displays in that they can display multiple ads and can be changed much more quickly,” Ripp explains. “This affords advertisers much greater flexibility in taking advantage of contextual issues.”

Burton adds that he sees a bright future for digital displays in Chicago and other cities. “Urban panels will prosper in many locations as economics improve and cities allow more signage inside their limits,”