Grand Sierra Resort's new sign key piece of ad strategy

The decision to invest $2 million in a sign was as close to a no-brainer as a $2 million investment can get, says Michael Carsch, the president of Reno's Grand Sierra Resort.

On one hand, says Carsch, the sign that began operation last month along Highway 395 outside the resort formerly known as the Reno Hilton is a key piece of the property's advertising strategy.

The Nevada Department of Transportation estimated in 2004 that 149,000 vehicles and an estimated 300,000 people a day pass the sign. Today, Carsch estimates the number is probably closer to 190,000 vehicles a day.

"It's a bargain," he says. "The sign is the best venue we've got to talk with them about what is happening at the resort."

Icing the deal, he says, were substantial incentives provided by Sierra Pacific Power Co. as part of a program to encourage businesses to reduce electric use.

An old sign at the property one that needed to be replaced anyway soaked up $18,000 a month in electricity.

The new sign, Carsch says, is brighter but costs less to operate.

The 88-foot-tall sign is the largest double-faced electronic sign system in the United States, and it's one of only three of its type in the world. (The others are at soccer stadiums in London and Cairo.)

Its screen measures 44 feet wide by 33 feet high about 700 times larger than the biggest home theater systems on the market and LG Philips required 12 weeks to manufacture the sign at a plant in Korea.

Installation took another three weeks, as LG Philips sent two electrical engineers from Korea to oversee the 12-person crew.

Carsch said the base of the sign, which stands nine stories high, is being redesigned to fit with the brand guidelines of Grand Sierra Resort.

The sign, which is controlled from a remote computer, can display 16 trillion colors. It's also capable of displaying live-streaming video.

It also includes automatic lightness and contrast adjustments to compensate for sunlight, moonlight and particularly dark nights.