We lost one of NZ’s great poets yesterday. In remembrance of Geoff Cochrane, we invite you to revisit Richard Langston’s interview that was first published in the Phantom Billstickers Cafe Reader Vol. 16, Summer 2017
Carbon is a bit of a dirty word in 2022. But it doesn’t have to be.
Maybe it should be the start of a conversation
We might begin by acknowledging that, while transport and agriculture get most of the attention, commercial property is behind 20% of New Zealand’s total carbon emissions.
So where does your business stand – and how can Phantom support you? We are commercial partners, and we want to play our part in helping your business succeed.
Here’s Phantom’s take on carbon emissions.
Low-carbon posters
The Phantom Billstickers frames on your walls aren’t just a revenue-generating tool. We are systematically decarbonising our operations to reduce their environmental impact.
Unlike flashier forms of advertising, static posters don’t suck energy from the grid. When we install lighting it’s low-energy LED. Our posters are printed on paper from sustainably harvested forests using Greenguard inks.
We are also moving our fleet away from fossil fuels. Our new e-vans will save 11 tonnes of carbon during their lifetime.
You’ll find Phantom is the perfect partner to a carbon zero building portfolio or an owner just starting the journey. Our carbon zero certification and low-impact operations means the carbon impact of revenue-generating posters on your property is low.
The bigger picture for building owners
Of course, what happens on your walls is only part of the story. You can drastically reduce a building’s total carbon emissions through design, technology and switching to sustainable energy. There’s a tonne of stuff owners can do – start by looking here.
This can have the welcome side-effect of cutting your costs. That’s a win/win for the planet and your wallet.
You might partner with an independent organisation like Toitū Envirocare to calculate your carbon impact. Armed with this knowledge, you can then take steps to reduce your footprint.
Whether it’s solar panels, enhanced insulation, carbon offsetting or some other measure, the result is a property that no longer adds to carbon emissions.
And that’s exactly what Phantom has done. Yes, we’re now net carbon zero certified
As always, it’s about the numbers
As a property owner, you know that business is based on numbers. Yields, interest rates, revenue forecasts – just about everything that matters has a number attached to it.
We’re suggesting that the same applies to climate change.
The good news is that you’re not alone. Organisations like Toitū Envirocare can help with tools to reduce your climate impact. And Phantom can play a part on the periphery – because we’re in it for the long term.
It’s the way we’ve always done business. Back in the day, Phantom invented the business model that enables building owners to earn passive revenue by renting the space on their walls. Now we’re adjusting our model to factor in our carbon impact.
Let’s work on this together.
Jim Wilson is the man behind Phantom Billstickers, which is celebrating its 40th birthday this year. A prolific writer and blogger, the book features extracts from many of Wilson’s unpublished manuscripts where he often details life as a junkie in 1970s Christchurch. Having done a lag for possession of narcotics, Wilson returned to promoting live music, something he had first done as a 16-year old. He started booking bands at The Gladstone and Hillsborough in Christchurch, just as the first wave of independent Kiwi bands (including The Clean) were looking for stages to play on. One of the regular patrons at The Gladstone was a young music retailer by the name of Roger Shepherd. Then Wilson moved into promoting all areas of the arts through his paste-up business, which has become this country’s longest running and largest. A biography of Jim and Phantom Billstickers will be released next year
As a property owner, you’re in the landlord business. Our clients – whether they’re indie bands or world-famous brands – are in the entertainment and marketing businesses.
And Phantom Billstickers? We’re in the communication business.
Since we’re all in business together, money is always going to be a factor. So we’d like to share a bit about how the market affects all our returns.
Here are three things we always keep in mind when we deal with commercial partners:
1. It’s a long-term payoff, not a quick buck
A lot of work goes into setting up a Phantom Billstickers site. It’s not just a case of whacking up some frames on any wall we can find.
We may have to spend a lot of time and energy working with Councils and rule makers to get the right permits. We need to analyse the business case for each site, which may involve measuring traffic flows to justify our clients’ investment in attracting eyeballs. And of course, we have to physically install and maintain the frames and other infrastructure such as lighting.
We make this investment of time and money because we take a long-term view. We believe posters are Flora For The Concrete Jungle, so it’s worth doing things right. And we want every one of our frames to make money for our advertisers.
As a landlord, you benefit from the unseen work that takes place before Phantom frames are installed on your walls. It’s an investment in creating a long-term, passive revenue stream for your business.
2. The unexpected will happen
There are the normal ups and downs of the business cycle – and then there are factors no one can plan for. ‘Black swan events.’ Covid-19 qualifies as one, but there have been others and there will be more.
During these times, it’s human nature to expect a return to previous conditions ASAP. But it may not be that straightforward. It’s no doubt obvious to you that, as with a fully occupied commercial property, fully occupied poster frames do not mean an immediate return to smooth sailing.
Once again, it’s about taking the long-term view.
3. We’re here to listen and communicate
Curious about how the market influences the frames on your building? Ask us.
We understand that you’re looking closely at the dollar amounts in the contracts you sign with Phantom. We’ve shared some of the factors that influence the revenue we generate and share with our partners But if you’d like to know more, ask us.
As we said up front, it’s a business after all.
We are always happy to discuss our targets for revenue from your site, the income it’s generated in the past, and our view of where the market sits. We will be as transparent as possible to help reach agreement on divvying up the money that flows from our clients to us, and then to you.
Phantom Billstickers invented the model that created a revenue stream for property owners by renting their wall space to people who wanted to communicate with the public via street posters. We’ve been doing it for over 40 years now.
It’s about creating a win/win scenario that’s sustainable and dependable. As the saying goes, we’re all in this together.
You relax and enjoy the thrill.
Tiger Crystal Ultra Low Carb is the cool new beer with all the bite but a lot less carbs. For its launch, Phantom used some clever printing technology to make the Tiger graphics appear to move and come out of nowhere as the viewer walks past the posters. It’s called lenticular technology and it was first seen on New Zealand posters when Phantom worked with Woman’s Day to scare up some interest around Halloween.
We love it when people ask us for something magic. Because the street is where magic (and tigers) happen.
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