Businesses pay to have their logos advertised on signs like this along state roadways.
There are some new rules for those signs you see along state highways highlighting places to eat or get gas.
Brooks Glasnapp manages the advertising program for the Department of Transportation and says they’ve made some adjustments as part of a five-year review.
Businesses can put their logo on what are called “logo background panels” that are sometimes 19 feet wide. They have a blue background and can say gas, food or lodging in white letters and are positioned near the exits on highways.
Glasnapp says they’ve established some minimum requirements for the businesses to be featured on the signs. “We’re requiring businesses to be open a minimum of 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. For food service businesses, they have to have seating available for a minimum of 10 customers,” Glasnapp says. He says they want to give drivers some assurance that the businesses will be operating if they take the time to stop.
“Especially for food service businesses, we want to be sure that when the motorist exits that the business is open regular and reasonable hours, because it is primarily a motorist service program,” Glasnapp explains. “The businesses may see this as an advertising program and we certainly see this as a secondary benefit — but it’s primarily a motorist service program.”
The businesses pay to have their services highlighted on the signs. “Each spot costs 230 dollars per year, so it’s quite reasonable. We are not trying to create a huge profit, we are just trying to run the program,” Glasnapp says. He says they have some 1,200d customers who buy logos, with each one averaging around three logos purchased.
One other new rule requires the logos to be made of a highly reflective material to make them easier to see.