Yesterday I was in Siena (Tuscany) with my girlfriend, enjoying the wonderful landscapes of the Tuscanian hills and the marvellous architecture of this incredible medieval town, when I suddenly saw a wonderful LED pharmacy cross! It happen quite often to see one of these LED products installed around Italy but yesterday I was particularly happy as the I loved the city and I liked the idea to have one of these high technology Italian products installed there.



When I got closer to the LED cross though, my happiness was replaced by a little disappointment and frustration... Was the LED cross not bright enough? Was it not properly installed? Was it in a bad location? No, not at all. The equipment itself and the installation were perfect. What generated my frustration was the fact that the pharmacy owner was using the variable message sign (embedded within the LED cross) to broadcast 3 basic information: time, date and temperature.

Time, date and temperature?! That's it?! Hallooo?! This type of product could memorize up to 99 pre-edited messages and you could almost write an entire book in each single message! Why on earth you should not use this amazing potential?! With 99 pre-edited messages you can edit today the message that you will broadcast for Christmas, or Easter, or for the Summer and then just make it visible when needed!

Why the owner wasn't advertising the anti-allergic drugs so popular right now, at the beginning of spring? Why he/she wasn't promoting the prices and discounts offered in the pharmacy? How come he/she was not advertising the fact that the pharmacy is in a tax-free area? And most of all, why he/she was not showing all these information in Italian, English, German, Spanish and all other languages they used on the hand-written poster hanging from their door?!? Maybe they didn't want to inform other potential customers that were at 100 meters distance?!

Ahhh! It drives me crazy! Some people still think that the advantage of LED crosses (and variable message signs in general) is the fact that they are brighter and they consume less energy then neon signs... Wake up people, this is one of the advantages! Only one. And not even the most important probably!

The biggest advantage of your variable message sign is that it is a sign with "variable message"! You can modify the text, change the color, increase/decrease the speed, enlarge the characters height, make it scroll in vertical or horizontal, from left or right, select among tens of font sets... and so much more! Why don't take advantage of such a flexible communication and advertising tool?!

LED crosses (and LED displays in general) are flexible communication tools that allow anyone to broadcast up-to-date general information, latest promotions, new services and anything you think could remotely interest your potential customers. Especially for small business, where the instinct purchase represent a considerable slice of the entire business, LED crosses and LED signs are an incredible marketing and communication tool that could seriously increase the business revenues if used properly!

The little frustration I experienced in Siena derives from the fact that I wish I was able to better communicate these incredible possibilities to any of our customers, so they could take advantage of them to benefit their business. I know I'm a little freak when it comes to marketing, but that's my job. I can understand that a pharmacy owner doesn't have much time to create the messages on the LED cross... but I'm not asking to use the LED sign at 100% of its potential. Just at 10% of its potential would be fine!

So please dear pharmacist from Siena, think about the real treasure that you have in your hands next time you program your LED cross. I am even ready to come to your wonderful city again next weekend to help you program it. No kidding! So we can go out for lunch to further discuss together about the numerous ways your business can benefit from the LED cross in front of an amazing Fiorentina steak! You choose the restaurant, I'll take the bill on me.