A McDonald’s spokeswoman confirmed that the company will again turn to the great outdoors this year, having been pleased last year by the results of its first ever national outdoor buy. This year, according to execs in the outdoor industry, Mac will get even bigger.Last year’s buy included some 20,000 billboards in 1,700 markets.“It will be bigger than last year; they are very excited about efficiencies,” said Bill Wardell, evp/sales and marketing at Patrick Media Group, who estimated a double-digit percentage increase. A Gannett Outdoor spokeswoman confirmed the business from McDonald’s has been increasing in the last six months. McDonald’s would not specify the size of this year’s buy.Outdoor is anticipating significant activity from several other maj or clients.Anheuser-Busch and Miller, Coca-Cola (for its fountain service), IBM, Kraft and Hormel also are expected by outdoor execs to be making sizable buys in the medium this year.“Packaged goods are waking up to the targeting opportunities” of outdoor, said Wardell. Several packaged-goods clients are also moving money into outdoor, including Haagen-Dazs and Frito-Lay, both of which had been absent from the medium. Now both are running in at least 20 or 30 markets.Wardell reported that the auto category–including General Motors, Chevy, Ford and Saturn–are also active, especially on the West Coast and in the Midwest.Buyers see good reasons for the increased activity.“For some advertisers it’s new money. Other advertisers, I suppose, are juggling things a bit,” said Pete Riordan, vp and manager of out-of-home and non-traditional media at BBDO. “What they really like is the ability to get the trade support out on the street.” Besides, “it’s a tonnage medium, it’s cheap,” he said.Copyright Adweek L.P. (1993)