The Wrigley Company Returns to Times Square June 19, 2001 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Images Available on Request In mid-September, the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company (NYSE: WWY), a recognized leader in the confectionery category and the world's largest chewing gum manufacturer, will return to New York City's Times Square after an absence of 40 years with a spectacular 21st-Century sign. It will be located on the east side of Broadway, between 43rd and 44th streets, next to ABC's "Good Morning America" studio. Currently occupying the space where the Wrigley spectacular will reside is a static "teaser" billboard featuring Wrigley's Spearmint Gum. A pioneer in Times Square outdoor advertising, the Wrigley Company erected an elaborate block-long electric billboard in 1917 that revolutionized the industry, and set the tone and scale for Times Square outdoor advertising. Residing on top of the Putnam Building, it was the largest, most elaborate electrical sign in its time, measuring 200' long by 50' high. The advertisement for Wrigley's P.K. "chewing sweet" was adorned with giant twin peacocks and animated versions of the famous Wrigley "spearman". It used 17,266 bulbs and was seen by approximately 300,000 people a day from 1917 through 1924, when the Putnam Building was demolished to make way for the construction of the Paramount Theater. Twelve years later, Wrigley dedicated and placed in operation a new sign for Wrigley's Spearmint chewing gum - bigger and bolder that its predecessor and directly across from the previous location. The new, block-long sign was built on the east side of Broadway, between 44th & 45th Streets, at a cost of nearly a million dollars and depicted a fanciful underwater scene. This largest of all electrical signs featured 29,508 light bulbs and stood ten stories tall, dwarfing the two-story Bond Casino Building on top of which it was constructed. In 1939, the sign underwent a six-week redesign and expansion, topping out at 35,220 light bulbs. The revised sign was designed by Dorothy Shepard, artist and wife of Otis Shepard, an outstanding artist in his own right and designer of many famous Wrigley advertising graphics. During both world wars, the Wrigley Company gave the Times Square and other advertising space to the U.S. government - to promote such things as the sale of Liberty bonds (World War I) and War Savings stamps (World War II). In fact, in 1942, Wrigley had the Times Square sign turned off and its materials reclaimed to be used in the war effort. At the end of World War II, the Wrigley sign was reestablished and remained a Times Square landmark until 1960, when the Company's advertising dollars began to migrate to other media, especially television. Wrigley's new sign is being designed and built by Spectacolor Media, one of the worlds leading outdoor media companies. Measuring 52' wide by 31½' high, it will feature a combination of neon, a backlit lightbox for changeable ads reflecting different Wrigley's marketing campaigns, an LED video screen, and an LED "zipper". "Considering the role the Wrigley Company played in helping to establish the look of Times Square that is now famous around the world, it is truly a testament to the area's renaissance that they are coming back," said George Stonbely, Chairman of Spectacolor. "Throughout our Company's history, we have supported Wrigley brands with creative advertising executions," noted Gary McCullough, Wrigley's Senior Vice President - Americas. "We are pleased to be returning to the site of some of our earliest and most spectacular advertising successes, Times Square, to entertain, inform and connect with a new generation of Wrigley consumers." Following a steady stream of additions in terms of news, entertainment and tourist attractions, pedestrians are flocking to Times Square in record numbers. As a global center of media and entertainment, Times Square offers a total "live reach" of over 547 million people each year, providing maximum exposure for the new Wrigley spectacular. About the WM. WRIGLEY JR. COMPANY The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company is a recognized leader in the confectionery field and the world's largest manufacturer and marketer of chewing gum, with global sales of over $2 billion. Founded in 1891, the Company is headquartered in Chicago. Production facilities in 13 countries, operations in 34 countries and approximately 10,000 employees worldwide, enable the Company to market its world-famous brands in over 150 countries. Those brands, a couple of which have been around for over 100 years, include Wrigley's Spearmint®, Doublemint®, Big Red®, Juicy Fruit®, Winterfresh®, Extra®, Freedent®, Hubba Bubba®, Orbit®, Excel®, Eclipse®, Airwaves® and P.K®. About SPECTACOLOR MEDIA Spectacolor Media, LLC, is a pioneer in the design and use of high technology in outdoor media in New York City and throughout the world for more than 25 years. Spectacolor is a joint venture with Eller Media Company, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, the world's largest media company. CONTACTS: Christopher Perille Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company P: (312) 645-4077 F: (312) 644-0015 E: cperille@wrigley.com George Stonbely / Michael Forte Spectacolor Media, LLC P: (212) 221-3100 F: (212) 221-7051 E: mforte@spectacolor.com << Back