Bringing the Luck O' the Irish to the Digital Screen -- Suzanne Grimes

When I was a little girl, St. Patrick's Day was pure magic, a holiday anticipated almost as much as Christmas. My grandfather, Patrick J. Grimes was the Grand Marshal of New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1971, and my tight-knit Irish Catholic family trekked into Manhattan to celebrate. After morning mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, we sat excitedly in the reviewing stand waiting to see the patriarch of our family lead the festivities. From the freshly starched uniforms of the FDNY and NYPD officers to the graceful jig dancers to the hypnotic tune of the bagpipes, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

March 17th is a holiday I still look forward to, and a day when anyone can be Irish whether your ancestors came through Ellis Island or not. At Clear Channel Outdoor, we’re inviting you to share your St. Patrick’s Day spirit with us and we’ll share it with Times Square.

Don yourself in green and white and capture the kilts, the bagpipers, the face-painted shamrocks, and the silly smiles. Tweet your photos to @AervaNYC or email to nyc@aerva.com and they will appear on our Spectacolor screen. Aerva will send back a keepsake photo – which may anger your Italian mother, but like I said we’re all Irish today.

Our St. Patrick’s Day promotions stretch far beyond the Big Apple to our markets across the country. In Atlanta, our digital screens have been counting down the days with a gigantic pot of gold. In Tampa Bay, Peggy O’Neill’s Irish Pub & Eatery in downtown Palm Harbor is inviting the community to get green. In Boston, South Station will be lit green in celebration. In Las Vegas, they’re just plain MAD for March, it is the land of sports book betting. In Chicago, Target reminds its guests to “Make a feeling-a-wee-bit-excited run” for cake mix and green food dye for the big day. Though I suspect they may have already run out – have you seen the Chicago River?

Whatever city you may be in this St. Patrick’s Day, we’re happy to share and connect your messages in real time. May the Luck O’ the Irish extend to your March Madness bracket!

President and COO Suzanne Grimes is leading the transformation of Clear Channel Outdoor NorthAmerica into a dynamic media business that fully recognizes the potential of integrated digital and mobile marketing opportunities in out-of-home across the US and Canada.

Follow her on Twitter at @SuzanneGrimes

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