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Published on Saturday, 18 December 2010 13:50
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority -- also called the ISTHA, or simply Illinois Tollway -- has come up with an innovative new way to receive millions in advertising. On Thursday, the Illinois Tollway announced two new, three-year partnerships with WMAQ-TV/NBC 5 and WFLD-TV/FOX 32 to provide both of these Chicago television stations access to the cameras of the agency's Traffic and Incident Management System. In exchange for the live video from the Illinois Tollway cameras, the Highway Authority will receive advertising and promotional support of Tollway programs and initiatives.
Illinois Tollway previously had a similar agreement with just WMAQ-TV. The contract was renewed with WMAQ-TV, but they no longer have exclusivity. This is the first time WFLD-TV has had this type of agreement with ISTHA.
The two agreements allow the television stations to have full access to 75 cameras located along the Tollway system. They will have to right to use live video images on their websites, as well as on traffic reports and newscasts.
With these two partnerships, the Illinois Tollway will receive approximately $4.2 million in advertising and promotional opportunities over the next three years. This will include 10-15 second advertisements on the two stations, Tollway messages in traffic & breaking news e-mail alerts, a presence on the traffic page of both stations' websites, Tollway information within the stations' Twitter and Facebook messages, and various co-branding opportunities. Additionally, the station' on-air personalities will make appearences at various Tollway events.
The Illinois Tollway plans to use these opportunities to inform the public about I-PASS accounts, roadway safety, *999 motorist assistance, H.E.L.P. trucks, travel info, construction info, and the Tollway Oases.
Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur said in the announcement: "We're always looking for creative ways to leverage the Tollway's existing assets and these partnerships are a great example of that. The Tollway has no budget for advertising and we depend on these advertising and promotional opportunities to help keep our customers informed. These new partnerships will help us enhance customer service and keep our customers in the loop about new and existing initiatives. We're excited to work with NBC and Fox and look forward to new ways we can promote what we're doing at the Tollway."
Both WMAQ-TV and WFLD-TV will help pay for some needed upgrades that the Illinois Tollway digital camera network needs. In the event of a major emergency, the Tollway has the right to restrict the camera access to the stations.
