Office of Public Affairs
2011 Director’s Community Leadership Awards
| Office of Public Affairs |
Ken Klein |
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The Office of Public Affairs is pleased to honor Mr. Ken Klein, executive vice president of government relations for the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, in recognition of his outstanding contributions and assistance in taking the Digital Billboard Initiative to a new level of effectiveness and success. Mr. Klein is responsible for the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) in February 2010, officially launching the Digital Billboard Alert Network (DBAN). This network multiplied the reach of the existing Digital Billboard Initiative from three companies and approximately 1,000 billboards nationwide to more than 20 companies and approximately 2,000 billboards nationwide. It also slashed the time required to launch a multi-state digital billboard publicity campaign from a matter of hours to a few minutes. The DBAN has been enormously successful. In July 2010, the FBI used DBAN to generate a nationwide digital billboard publicity campaign for the “Grandad Bandit,” an unknown bank robber wanted for at least 25 robberies in 13 states in less than two years. The campaign generated a tremendous amount of publicity. A week after launching the billboards, the FBI was able to identify and arrest the Grandad Bandit thanks to a tip received from someone who viewed a billboard in Virginia. In addition to formal assistance, Mr. Klein has also been an invaluable reference for information and advice on managing the initiative and keeping each of the involved companies satisfied. |
