The Marriott BWI was one of Night Moves’ prototypes for their new electroluminescent signs. The signs, which light up at night, make night advertising possible with panels as thin as credit cards that draw little power. See It In Action - Click to View Video >

Working on Night Moves

Hanover company lights up the night

By MARC SHAPIRO Staff Writer
Maryland Gazette - June 17, 2009 / The Capital - June 23, 2009 -

Steve Rosa was sitting in a traffic jam a few years ago, with nothing interesting to look at other than the Coors beer truck next to him. As it got darker, that saving grace faded away.

"The sun went down and he couldn't see the vehicle," said business partner Brian Hoffman.

The poorly lit encounter inspired Rosa, who has about 40 patents to his name, to try to find technology that could solve this problem. Two years ago, he, Hoffman, and Paul Greenberg - partners from a previous venture - started Night Moves in Anne Arundel County to do just that.

The company patented a process that combines electroluminescent panels with translucent graphics to make signs for commercial vehicles that are as thin as credit cards, easy to install, require little power, and turn on automatically when it's dark out.

"We thought it had great potential," said Hoffman, a Pasadena resident. "They put out a good bit of light and don't have much glare or draw too much power."

The signs can now be seen being driven around BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport, but the Hanover company is on the cusp of having its signs zipping along roads and streets all across the country. In addition to the Marriott hotels and PreFlight Airport Parking at BWI, Night Moves has outfitted, or is going to outfit, trucks from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, UPS and FedEx, officials said.

The Marriott Hotels at BWI - including the BWI Airport Marriott, Courtyard and Residence Inn hotels - and PreFlight have embraced this technology on some of their shuttles.

The signs light up because of a conductor on the back of the electroluminescent panel. This acts as a flat wire, lighting up the phosphors in the panel, which shine through the translucent graphic.

Tony Lee, the company's electrical engineer, designed a photosensitive cell with a delayed timer so that the signs light up only at night when the vehicle is being driven. The timer prevents the signs from lighting up if the vehicle goes into a tunnel during the day and from turning off at night if light is shined on them.

One of the Marriott Hotels shuttles was outfitted about six months ago as a test vehicle for Night Moves, Hoffman said. BWI Marriott Assistant General Manager Patrick Manley said the technology gives the hotel 24-hour advertising.

"We've gotten some positive feedback from the guests asking about the technology and saying how the shuttle really stands out," he said. "It looks great during the day and it looks great at night."

PreFlight Airport Parking, which provides off-site parking at major airports around the country, including BWI, outfitted the front and sides of 20 new buses with signs from Night Moves. John Walsh, market officer for PreFlight, said the two buses at BWI with Night Moves' signs on them make it easier for customers to flag their shuttles down while also reeling in new customers.

"Not only does the shuttle service keep people coming back, but it's our best marketing tool while you're driving through the airport," Walsh said. "This draws attention to our bus."

Christine Bolewski, general manager of PreFlight at BWI, said the signs have polished the company's image and raised driver morale.

"They're excited to drive the bus because they think it's a better image and it looks a little bit more sophisticated," she said. "If my drivers are excited, then they're going to be able to better provide a high level of customer service."

Rebecca Hamilton, who has a doctorate in marketing, said Night Moves' signs could take off if they make sense for enough companies.

"The question we have to ask is, how much benefit do people see in this and how does it compare with other options," said Hamilton, who teaches marketing and brand management at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. "We have all these messages coming to us every day, how do you encourage people to pay attention to your ad amidst the dozens of others you're seeing all the time?"

Hamilton said Night Moves' success shows that companies are attempting to get their message out through all the advertising clutter.

Hoffman thinks the economy should be a reason for companies to embrace Night Moves.

"In downtimes, companies change market positions based on steps they take," he said. "Companies who brand during downtimes come out in a better position."

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mshapiro@capitalgazette.com