2024 Recommendations

Below are recommendations for 2024 annual advertising budgets and recommended creative/ads.

Next steps

  • Please read the explanation and watch, view or listen to the ads.

  • If you have questions or would like to discuss budgets or ad creative, please call or text me, or send your notes in email.

  • If you approve the budgets and the ad creative, please call, text or email with approval.

  • Note the deadlines for reserving billboards and radio this week and next week. If you can’t or don’t want to approve by the deadlines, that’s OK, but we risk losing the billboard locations and radio discounts.

TV/streaming video

We recommend three revised 15-second commercials, to air on traditional TV, like WRTV 6, and streaming services targeted to reach the northside Indianapolis resident who owns an older home that is likely to need drain and sewer repair and replacement.

2024 annual cost - this is an estimate, as we are under contract now with WRTV 6. We recommend budgeting approximately $60,000 for traditional TV and $60,000 streaming services for a total of $120,000 for TV/video.

  • We’re in a contract currently with WRTV 6 through March 2023, approximately $5,000 - $6,000/month.

  • We are adjusting the WRTV 6 schedule within the contract to improve reach and frequency.

  • We are adding streaming commercials to reach homeowners who watch on streaming/don’t watch traditional TV news.

  • We recommend new commercials - the three 15-second videos below, and we are working on concepts for additional commercials in 2024 to address specials, financing and sewer line services.

Video 1 - Any Job - 15-second video showing the common plumbing problems clients have and L.D. Smith providing solutions that work.

Video 2 - Water’s Boss - 15-second video showing L.D. Smith pros as “water’s boss” providing plumbing solutions that work.

Video 3 - Water Quality - 15-second video showing common hard water problems and how L.D. Smith provides solutions that improve water quality.

 

Billboards

We recommend three billboards, located in Broad Ripple, Glendale and Nora, to reach the northside Indianapolis resident who owns an older home that is likely to need drain and sewer repair and replacement.

2024 annual cost $132,475, estimated 14,930,240 impressions.

  • This is an actual cost, and to be live in January, you need to approve the budget and the creative by Friday, December 8 to reserve the locations boards and print the boards.

  • If you can’t or don’t want to approve by Friday, that’s OK, but it means we risk losing the locations.

  • This contract is not cancellable, but if we have issues with locations, we can move to another Reagan board location.

Locations

  • Broad Ripple Avenue and Compton, north side of road, view going east, near Joella’s Chicken, $41,125, 4.4 million impressions

  • Glendale Keystone Avenue, south of 65th Street, east side of road, view going north, near Kroger, $50,225, 6.4 million impressions

  • Nora 86th Street, between College Avenue and Westfield Boulevard, south side of road, view going east, near Kroger, $41,125, 4 million impressions

Below are four new designs for 2024. We recommend selecting at least one design, no more than three designs, that we can rotate on the three billboards recommended.

Billboard 1 - We are water’s boss.

Billboard 2 - Indy’s plumbing pros.

Billboard 3 - Plumb good plumbers.

Billboard 4 - Solutions that work.

 

Radio

We recommend radio endorsements on WIBC 93.1 FM with Denny Smith and The Fan 107.5 FM and B105.7 FM Indy’s Best Variety Station with JMV.

  • In addition to endorsements, we recommend adding radio commercials that use sound effects to paint a picture of a problem problem for the listeners.

  • Below are examples of a sound effects campaign that Shannon Z and I created for a client in 2018.

  • We also recommend adding streaming and podcast commercials to reach the northside Indianapolis resident who owns an older home that is likely to need drain and sewer repair and replacement.

2024 annual cost - this is an estimate. We recommend budgeting approximately $95,000 for traditional radio and $25,000 streaming services for a total of $120,000 for radio, streaming services and podcasts.

We are under contract with WIBC and The Fan radio stations through December 31. To be live in January, we need to approve a budget no later than Wednesday, December 13. Radio contracts are cancellable with two-four weeks notice, and can be adjusted throughout the year.

If you like the sound effects recommendation, we can create commercials specific to L.D. Smith.

Additional

In addition to the annual budgets for TV/video, billboard and radio, we recommend direct mail, email, social, community sponsorships and events.

We have more time to develop creative and negotiate pricing, and you do not need to make any decisions this week or next for direct mail, email, social, community sponsorships and events.