Two area firms create Iowa Digital Newsboards, LLC

Directech, LLC, a Newton-based publisher of community media products and business directories, has joined with Iowa Digital Solutions, Inc. of West Des Moines to form Iowa Digital Newsboards.

The new entity has a network of 80 digital billboards in high traffic retail locations across Des Moines. The business plans to expand the number of network locations significantly in the future.

The network serves advertisers who want to reach consumers out of home in targeted geographies. It is the only billboard network in Iowa that carries hyperlocal news. The network earns an audience of 700,000 viewers monthly.

“We are thrilled with the exciting response we have received from our customers as we start this new venture,” Paul Bird, a principal of Iowa Digital Newsboards, said.

The Iowa Digital Newsboards partnership will provide small and large businesses advertisers alike access to a full suite of products to put them in front of consumers in the communities they target and serve — at retail, in the news, in search and on social media.

The local news is provided by Directech (https://directech.co) which publishes hyperlocal community news websites spanning the entirety of Iowa, with a heavy concentration in the greater Des Moines area. Altogether Directech produces news in 140+ communities in 23 states.

DirecTech hyperlocal news sites with billboard components currently serving Iowa Digital Newsboards include West Des Moines (https://westdesmoinesguide.com), Urbandale Times (https://urbandaletimes.com), Des Moines Guide (https://desmoinesguide.com).

DirecTech operated under the name Hanson Directory Service, specializing in the production of yellow pages, for several decades in Newton prior to being acquired by a Chicago-based group. The company has since recreated itself with a focus on investing in digital advertising and hyperlocal news. DirecTech has quickly built the the most expansive digital advertising footprint in the state of Iowa.

West Des Moines-based Iowa Digital Solutions, Inc. is a relative newcomer to the Iowa advertising scene. The indoor billboard company has taken takes a progressive approach to an age old question of how to get consumers to pay attention to businesses and brands seeking a local audience that is not captured by traditional marketing and advertising venues. The answer, indoor billboards in areas of high foot traffic.