Geographic Placement of Micropolitans

The Eastern half of the U.S. is now substantially filled by metro and micro areas. Few open areas remain in the east without micros. These regions are the upper great lakes, northern Maine, and the central Appalachian Mountains. Micropolitan areas blend with metropolitan areas to a great extent in the Midwest and Southern U.S. Most micropolitan regions lie in the South (43%) and Midwest (34%). Interstate highways that pass through the Rockies and Great Plains often lined with multiple micropolitan areas while remaining at an extended distance from a major metro area. The average distance between a micropolitan area and a large metro is 127 miles with the 25 most remote micro regions are situated at least 275 miles from a large metropolitan area (see Table 1) (U.S. Census 2004). This remoteness factor presents a growing opportunity for outdoor placement and reach. For example, U.S. 377, located on the outskirts of Granbury, Texas, now has 33,000 cars traveling it daily; up 38 percent from ten years ago (McCarthy 2004).

Growth in Micropolitan Regions

As previously mentioned, micropolitan statistical areas typically range in population from 10,000 to 50,000 people. However, micros can exceed over 100,000 residents and the average micro reached 51,179 in 2000, up from 46,596 in 1990 (Lang and Dhavale 2004). For example, the largest micro is Torrington, Connecticut with over 180,000 residents, which places it above 103 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (Frey et al. 2004). Three quarters of micropolitan areas gained population between the years 1990 and 2000. Certain pockets exceeded greater than 50% population growth (see Table 2) (McCarthy 2004). Many micropolitan and metropolitan areas substantially overlap. The fastest growing micros are termed minimetros (Lang and Dhavale 2004) and are situated near large, fast-growing metropolitan areas. This leads to a large commuting culture that may work in a metropolitan area but still resides in a micropolitan area. The opportunity for increased travel time and traffic flows in these areas leads to substantial opportunities for the outdoor industry and businesses overall. Businesses are expanding in many of these formerly rural areas. Wal-Mart, Starbucks and Holiday Inn Express are some of the chains that target micropolian regions for growth. For example, Sedalia, MO (population 24,300) is home to national chains such as Lowe’s Warehouse, Wal-Mart and Applebee’s in addition to a new art museum. Outdoor advertising provides a highly efficient mechanism for reaching consumers within the trade areas of these businesses, particularly on a cost per thousand exposures basis.

Economic development is key to the growth of micropolitan regions. Site Selection magazine awarded the Statesville-Mooresville, N.C. micropolitan region as the Top Micropolitan of the Year for 2004 based on corporate development. The Statesville-Mooresville-region had 24 corporate development projects in 2004 (Starner 2005). Sample industries investing in the region include the NASCAR motorsports and the furniture industry. Micropolitan regions situated in the South and Midwest are quite attractive from a corporate development standpoint, bringing jobs and related service industries to those regions. Nine of the top 10 regions for corporate expansion are situated in the Southeast and Midwest regions of the U.S. (Conway Data Inc. 2005) (see Table 3). This presents lucrative opportunities for outdoor placement in these growing micropolitan regions.

Characteristics of Micropolitan Residents

Ex-metropolitan commuters make up a significant component of micropolitan residents (McCarthy 2004). A greater percentage of micropolitan residents are older than their metropolitan counterparts. A greater percentage of micro residents are married versus metropolitan residents. Micropolitan consumers have been described as having disposable income and lower mortgage balances (McCarthy 2004). Median income in many micro areas is rising which correlates with increased travel times to employment and increased exposure to outdoor advertising.

These attractive demographics: a growing market characterized by many families with relatively high disposable incomes that are growing, provide clear opportunities for marketers. Outdoor advertising provides an excellent means of reaching the consumer in the micropolis. This is true both for businesses that operate nationally, who can target consumers across different micropolis areas, as well as those businesses who operate in a single micropolis. Indeed, because of the low cost per thousand exposures in comparison characteristic of outdoor advertising, the medium offers good value to many advertisers targeting consumers in the micropolis.

Conclusion

Micropolitan regions present opportunities for outdoor advertising. Growth rates in selected regions are leading to a large market characterized by attractive demographics. The ability of outdoor advertising to effectively reach consumers at a reasonable cost both within a given micropolis and across multiple areas represents a substantial opportunity for marketers. Greater geographic dispersion coupled with increased mobility of the micropolitan consumer make outdoor advertising attractive to advertisers. Additionally, in contrast to other media, outdoor advertising appears in an uncluttered environment that allows for very high levels of reach and frequency. Given recent media trends, advertisers targeting consumers in the micropolis are well advised to use outdoor advertising.