I've promised you stochastic posts. And thus it begins...

It is time to do the right thing, and give ourselves a break from the economy's meltdown. I have been dubbed "Trendcaster," a surprise nickname that may have been an expansion of the familiar "T" I've owned since childhood. But probably not, more likely just a happy coincidence. Makes it easier to remember :-)

Here's the mental break (as opposed to "breakdown") for today: What do the economy, bus wraps, municipal budget deficits, IESNA, Web2.0 and Amber Alerts all have in common? (Did you get stuck at IESNA? That is the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.)

The common thread is.... (drumroll)... Signage!

To explain, what follows here is the distilled version of a two-hour seminar I delivered to 100 business owners in the sign industry.

1. Cities are being pushed hard by two macro trends: The green movement, and expenses that outstrip revenues .
2. The "science of signs" is a fast-growing body of knowledge, and with that comes confirmation that signs play one of the most critical fiscal roles in this economy: Keeping small businesses awash with new clients, and giving cities a source of advertising revenue they may not have considered just five years ago.
3. Visible and effective signage can appear within a retail establishment in front of a product (the "last three feet of marketing"). It can appear in the form of a bus wrap. It can be reflected in the oh-so-critical exterior sign of a business. It can also be placed alongside the freeway in the form of Amber Alert signage.
4. Advertising dollars are now being viewed as a potential revenue source, by municipalities who are in dire need of funding.
5. Amber Alert signs are a potential source of advertising revenue. Provided they become full-color. Conveniently, this gives us a better medium of communication in the event of an Amber Alert - we will see the abductor's face, the color of the car, the image of the child, instead of amber words scrolling on a screen.
6. Bus wraps, especially attached to public transit vehicles, are a regular source of advertising revenue for cities today. The green movement (and the price of gas) have created such a demand for new transit buses that supply can not keep up with demand. Imagine that!
7. IESNA created lighting standards that take into account the amount of ambient lighting around a subject. These lighting "zones" are built around decades of human factors research. It should be no secret that this science is peer reviewed, and accepted everywhere in North America as the de facto standard by which visible and effective lighting is judged.
8. Today, the illumination of EMC LED signs, such as those used in the Amber Alert system or on the Strip in Las Vegas, can be moderated if necessary by the same IESNA standards. Lab results and field studies have recently been completed that use simple light meters and formulas developed in accordance with IESNA to evaluate EMC LED signage.

Is there a catch? Are there any arguments against any of these points? This wouldn't be a very interesting blog if not. I personally do not subscribe to this argument, but opponents state their case like this: If a city in California were to receive brand-new, full-color EMC Amber Alert signs and in exchange, allowed advertising on those signs when they were not used for traffic alert or Amber Alert conditions, the signs would become ineffective, or worst case scenario, a danger. In other words, drivers would be so engaged in the ads that their driving becomes unsafe, or they are so bored with the screens that they ignore the missing child info. Which is it folks? You can't have it both ways.

Science helps humans whenever they reach this sort of impasse. As it turns out, conjecture and emotion are not very good determinants of "the right thing to do." Go figure. So, we turn to science, to assure that the signs are effectively communicating any and all messages. This is entirely within the realm of possibility. And we look to the research which already shows us that driver safety is not impaired by EMC signage that glows in accordance with IESNA standards. Glow, not Glare, is the Golden Rule.

We watch our favorite tv show, and sometimes tune out the commercials. But has anyone ever accidentally "tuned out" their favorite show? I look at these Amber Alert systems every evening on my drive home, and if there is the usual "55 Minutes to 405 Frwy" message, I glance and tune out. If the sign features a license plate number, a make and model of an abductor's vehicle, I try to memorize those details. Sometimes I have to ask myself, "what does an Aveo look like??"

Can't we give ourselves a little credit and know that with the proper guidelines in place, we will treat Amber Alert system ads, and alerts, the same way? Maybe we don't need as much science as we need common sense. Oh, another point: I would rather see a picture of the car than just a description.... how does the saying go? Oh, there it is, 'One picture is worth a thousand words.'

Next to last word: If your sity or state has found a good, logical way to earn additional revenues, and those revenues can be put to important uses such as education, infrastructure, employment services, then maybe we need to rely more on science when we fear a change, and less on our imaginations.

Almost forgot. The list above included Web2.0 as something connected to these macro trends. Well, you're reading this blog, aren't you?

May I leave you with two thoughts, conveniently mentioned by another blogger:
"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet."-Theodore M. Hesburgh

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."-Peter F. Drucker

Until next time.... may you always do the right things...