A local digital media expert has been building a digital billboard enterprise as merchants in the Bronx have begun to open their doors and resume business amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marie Musacchio, formerly the director of the New York Post’s online division, is bringing Throggs Neck into the digital age. Her startup, ShoptheBronx, is offering local small business owners the opportunity to increase brand awareness and drive more sales using digital signage throughout the community.
“Small businesses are not small when they are on billboards,” she said.
In a post-quarantine, contactless world, digital menus benefit delis, coffee shops, pizzerias and restaurants.
“Customers no longer want to touch menus or advertising materials,” Musacchio said. “With our digital screens, store owners can promote their products and services on a bright, digital display that is proven to capture 400 percent more views than standard paper posters.”
In addition to promoting their own menus, products and services, this private network supports other small businesses as well, by running outside advertising to drive customers to each other.
“Small business owners in the neighborhood already refer business to each other on a daily basis,” Musacchio said. “This is just another way for them to show their support for each other and for the community as a whole, especially now when many small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open.”
Musacchio said that her offerings include getting small business ads displayed on the I-95, in supermarkets, bus shelters, gas station pumps and anywhere else there is a digital screen.
If any store owner is interested in having a digital billboard in their store or office, she is currently running a promotion for free setup.
Some clients include LaSalle Bakery, Family Chiropractic Care, T&G Finest Deli, Dr. Louis Rose, MD – Orthopaedic Surgeon, MaryAnn Albertelli – Rand Realty, Father and Son’s Kitchen and many more. It plans to expand its network to Morris Park, Country Club, Pelham Bay and the surrounding areas.
For more information, visit www.adtraffick.com or email shopthebronx@gmail.com.
