Outdoor Ads
You can’t drive anywhere these days without seeing an outdoor advertisement or outdoor billboard. Most outdoor advertisements are regionally based and can be a wonderful medium especially for a local business to promote their product or service. Furthermore, outdoor ads carry a relatively low cost per person reached.
However, making effective and memorable outdoor advertisements requires some attention to time-proven tips and suggestions to running effective outdoor ads.
One of the most important tips to remember when planning your outdoor advertising campaign is to leverage the “invisibility” factor to your advantage. More likely than not, you will notice when a new billboard has been posted either the first or second time you drive by. That’s because your brain becomes programmed to seeing certain ads displayed at certain locations. When a billboard becomes ‘invisible” it is because your brain has become used to seeing it there.
This is why you're most likely to notice a new board immediately after it's posted. It usually takes about 30 days, for an outdoor billboard to become invisible. If an outdoor advertising company tries to persuade you to leave your posters at each location for longer than 30 days (and pay the same) be sure to tell them no. You will not get the same bang for your buck after 30 days and chances are you'll get a free ride at the end of your 30-day contract anyway, due to the fact that no one else was waiting in line for your locations.
Another important tip to effective outdoor advertising is that your billboard design must include a riveting picture. You have very few seconds in which to catch a motorist’s attention. The picture you choose to put on your billboard advertisement must both connect and deliver your message in 2-3 seconds.
Another tip to effective outdoor advertising is that your message should never exceed eight words. The most common mistake made by new outdoor advertisers is that they will attempt to use billboards to deliver longer messages than billboards are capable of delivering. If you need further help in this area, have your board designed by an experienced outdoor artist, and you'll be fine.
More tips for creating effective outdoor advertising include:
- Use bright/cheerful colors, especially the color yellow
- Employ uniqueness (movement/extensions)
- Utilize catchy/clever/cute/humorous pictures
- Attempt to make your message personally relevant
- Adopt familiarity throughout your billboards/repeat exposure
- Illustrate your product in action
Studies show that ¾ of those traveling in a car will view and read outdoor advertising signs. Knowing this will help you in determining how much of your advertising budget should be spent on the billboards of the great outdoors.