How we started
 We spent 15 years on the continent running exhibitions and using all sorts of advertising; magazines, radio, newpaper and outdoor. Outdoor was always the most effective as the impact was where shoppers were; much better than last nights newspaper.
We returned to the UK in 1999 and ran an exhibition. 500 A1 posters were printed as usual and we went to an agency to ask them to display them around Birmingham. "Where?" they said. It dawned on us that there is nowhere for local businesses to advertise on the street - no wonder there was so much flyposting and A-boarding!
The history of UK advertising showed that pillars have been around since Shakespeare's day, but these were largely replaced by billboard advertising at the turn of the 20th Century.
Well, we wrote to a few of towns with a proposal, and were surprised to find that over half of them were interested. One town in particular was keen. A progressive Town Centre Manager called Martin Blackwell, called from Great Yarmouth called and suggested we start there. So we did.
The first pillar was unveiled by Jenny Livingstone (Chair of the Council) in 1999 and Public Information Pillars started trading on 1st January 2000 - millenium day (and the world didn't come to an end as predicted). Jenny Livingstone, in introducing Public Information Pillars to the town coined the nickname "pip" and it stuck. So Sutton Media Ltd, provides "pips" or Public Information Pillars, nationwide now.
Street clutter is an increasing problem in ever busy towns. Flyposting is not only illegal, but an indication that businesses are sometimes desperate to advertise on the street, "where the shopping bags are". Pillars provide legal means for local businesses to publicise themselves, helps the local economy to regenerate sales and provides the town with a little extra un-budgeted revenue. Everyone benefits.
Steady growth since then (with a few problems on the way) has seen the company grow in over 37 towns by 2008 with increasing demand from towns and clients nationwide. Martin Blackwell has now reached dizzy heights in the Association of Town Centre Management, an organisation that has been most helpful to us over the years, and Great Yarmouth has been going from strength to strength. Ask Peter Jay, he'll tell you his business has doubled since he started using pillars as his main type of advertising.
PIP is still able to give priority to local traders, support to charities and good causes, and also to boost revenues by providing unbeatable publicity prices to national multiples.
Neil Oakden. Founder of Public Information Pillars and owner of Sutton Media Ltd.
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