Save 50% on a 3-month Digiday+ membership. Ends Dec 12.
Pitch deck: How billboard boat company Ballyhoo Media sells itself to brands
Since September, New York City’s waterways have been invaded by a single boat equipped with a 20 feet tall by 60 feet wide LED screen, broadcasting ads to passersby. The operation is courtesy of Ballyhoo Media, a company that launched an identical business in Miami 2016. The floating billboards immediately brought intrigue and some disdain from New Yorkers. (Disclosure: Digiday worked with Ballyhoo for an awards ceremony in November.)
But as of January, Ballyhoo is at war with NYC’s Law Department, and advertisers told Digiday they have mixed feelings about being associated.
“I find it over the line personally, and I’m not sure why, but yet I’m assaulted with banner ads all day and just accept it as a consumer,” said a media executive in out-of-home advertising, who requested anonymity since his clients have worked in this type of advertising.
Digiday received the pitch deck for Ballyhoo Media, which works with Pivot Media Ventures for its ad placements. A source told Digiday the ballpark pricing of a 30-second spot in a 2-minute loop on the boats is $55,000 in NYC and $35,000 in Miami for four weeks. A spokesperson for Pivot confirmed these numbers.
More in Marketing
In Graphic Detail: Here’s what the creator economy is expected to look like in 2026
Digiday has charted its expected revenue, key platforms for creator content as well as what types of creators brands want to work with.
Ulta, Best Buy and Adidas dominate AI holiday shopping mentions
The brands that are seeing the biggest boost from this shift in consumer behavior are some of the biggest retailers.
Future of Marketing Briefing: AI confuses marketers but their own uncertainty runs deeper
That was the undercurrent at this week’s Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit in New Orleans.