A Comprehensive Guide to Billboard OOH Advertising
Billboard advertising is a kind of OOH advertising where the brands use billboards to promote their businesses. Note that billboards are blank spaces that are specially designed for putting ads. They are available in different sizes that may vary according to the place, target audience, and requirements.
Billboards have been around us for a very long time in static forms. However, they have now become smart by integrating digital and 3D technologies.
In this article, we will discuss everything about Billboard Advertising and find out why they still offer a great deal for brands.
What is Billboard Advertising?
Billboard advertisements use display boards to gain the attention of every passer-by. These billboards are placed in areas with large population areas to target a diverse range of audiences. Brands go one step ahead and put the billboards in places where people spend hours such as roads with rush hour routes or outside a sports stadium.
Fun Fact: Billboards are one of the oldest forms of advertising. They were used by some of the ancient civilizations such as the Chinese and Egyptians.
Facts and Statistics about Billboard Advertisement
- 89% of people think Billboard advertisements are effective in raising awareness.
- 75% of people see at least one Billboard a week.
- 71% of people claim billboards to be a better way of advertising than online ads.
- 75% of drivers notice digital billboards whereas only 51% notice static billboard ads in Canada.
- 57% of Gen-Z think that billboards stand out.
- Consumers report a 198% increase in ad awareness by billboards and other large ad formats.
- Billboards increase the online searches by 17%.
- 26% of consumers visit a store by getting inspired by a billboard.
Why Billboard Ads Still Matters in 2024?
We live in the digital age where people are stuck to their smartphones, seeing online promotions, and purchasing from online e-commerce stores. Why would anyone see an ad placed outside that doesn't talk at all?
But here’s the catch!
Billboards are still effective because they don't go unnoticed.
Users have the power to skip or black out any ad on their screens but they can't do the same for billboards. Most people spend days outside of their homes and here the billboards become effective.
- Billboards allow brands to go creative to attract the audience.
- They are cost-effective in terms of impact they create among the audience.
- Billboards present a larger-than-life image of your brand.
Fun Fact: The first modern-day billboards were created in the 1930s in the US.
Benefits of Billboard Advertisement
Cost Effective
Billboards mostly provide brands with a cost-effective alternative to promote their product and services compared to the radio & television ads.
Wide Reach
Billboard ads target a wide and diverse range of audience. They are placed on busy roads, highways, and junctions and provide you with maximum reach.
High Visibility
Billboards are eye-catching and easily get attention even from hundreds of meters away.
24X7 Exposure
Billboards continuously promote the messages irrespective of outdoor conditions which helps share the brand message more effectively on a grand scale.
Brand Awareness
Billboards help brands boost gossip about them. They can share any message such as collaboration, new product launches, sales & discounts, and festive specials. Billboard messages are highly recognized and get spread easily.
Creative Expression
Billboards open the way for creativity. Brands can use unconventional innovative methods to express their value, goals, and messages to the audience. Creativity helps advertisers stand out among the crowd.
Online engagement
Modern-day billboard advertisements feature social media links, website addresses, and QR codes. Integrating digital technologies improves online engagement more than any other offline method.
Types of Billboard Ads
There are several types of billboards that you see everyday. They all seem very similar so the chances are high that you have already seen more than one type of billboard ad and didn’t notice.
Static Billboard ads
These are printed ads that are mounted on a structure. This is one of the most famous billboard ad formats and most people understand this by the term ‘Billboard ads’. These billboard ads use paper & vinyl printing to create the graphics.
Digital Billboard ads
Digital billboard ads use modern technology screen displays. They use LED or LCD screens to display their ad videos, animation, and other visual media.
These are flexible and more interactive than static billboards. Also, they may change their ads to target the right audience at times.
Bulletin Billboard ads
These are the largest-size billboard ads. They come in 14x48 ft sizes and are often located alongside highways & busy roadways. These are famous for their powerful impact on travelers and commuters. However, not all locations are suitable for such huge billboards.
Poster billboard ads
Poster billboard ads are smaller in size but offer flexibility. They are great for reaching local slow moving traffic. They are often placed in heavy traffic and shopping areas to interact at eye-level positioning.
Mobile billboard ads
Mobile billboards are billboards on wheels. They fall into the category of transit OOH ads. They are placed on buses, trucks, metro trains, or cars to reach diverse audiences in multiple cities.
Wallscape billboard ads
These billboards are large-scale displays that cover a good portion of a building. These are placed in high-traffic locations to make a powerful impact on the audience.
How to Choose the Right Billboard Format?
Follow the below given instructions:
- Consider the ideal consumer persona for your product and choose a format that will generate the most engagement through their everyday lifestyle.
- Fix your goals and choose a format that promises the best results.
- Set a budget and see what format fits in.
Consider the message you want to deliver to them. If you want to show dynamic messages, digital billboards are good to go.
How to Choose the Right Location for Billboard Ads?
Choosing the right location is one of the strongest pillars of any OOH ad. They can generate hundreds of impressions each day if chosen carefully. Here’s how you can do it.
- Choose your target audience.
- Consider the traffic flow in the area.
- Look for locations with less competition.
- Consider the size of your billboard and choose the best-fit location for that.
- Research local laws about billboard ads.
Challenges in Billboard Advertisement
Though billboard ads are great for creating an impact and making your brand go viral overnight, it has some challenges as well. Here are some of them for you:
- Billboard ads get only a few seconds of attention in fast moving traffic.
- Billboard ads in high-traffic areas can be expensive for small or medium-sized businesses.
- Getting the right location is quite a challenge for all brands.
- Outdoor billboard ads are exposed to natural challenges.
- Billboard ads must follow local laws about OOH marketing.
- Measuring the success of billboard ads can be difficult.
Billboard OOH Ads Future Trends and Forecasts
Billboard ads are undergoing several innovations with the rise of modern-day technologies. Here are some of the future trends of billboard ads. Read them all.
- Digital billboards, 3D billboards, and experiential billboards are growing in demand.
- Programmatic buying of billboards will soon be a common practice.
- Billboards will use geofencing to push ads directly to users’ smartphones when they pass by the billboard.
- AI, AR, and VR technologies will be used to promote brands.
- Billboards will use data to perform real-time changes according to external conditions such as weather, traffic, and news.
- Eco-friendly billboards are in demand.
- Social media integration will be common for generating traffic.
- Billboard ads will be hyper-local and utilize the local culture to promote brands.
Billboard Advertising Costs & Value
Billboard advertising costs vary depending on several factors. Check the following:
- Locations with higher population density will cost more for billboard ads.
- The size and format of the billboard affect the cost.
- Duration of the billboard ads will affect the costs.
- Locations with higher traffic flow will cost more for the ads.
How to Make Your Brand Billboard Stand Out?
There are several billboard ads out there and consumers are getting bored of them. One more regular billboard ad may get nothing in your hands. But here is the question- how can you make your billboard interactive, engaging, and worthy to be seen? Here are some tips to follow:
- Use contrasting colors to define your ad designs.
- Choose bold & non-serif fonts for the audience to read from afar.
- Keep the background simple so as not to get highlighted.
- Use striking visuals to make it memorable.
- Include contact information, email, social media handles, QR codes, and website address.
- Take advantage of billboard size.
- Go creative with unconventional ideas.
How to Measure the Success of Billboard Ads?
The most common way of measuring the success of billboard advertisements is the traffic increment in the brand store. There are more ways to measure it such as surveys to check brand awareness, web traffic, foot traffic, sales increment, daily impressions, social media mentions & engagement, and lead generation.
Sales is the strongest metric to measure your ad success. If you see an influx, your ad has been a success.
Conclusion
Billboards are the most demanded OOH advertisements for their flexibility, wide reach, and attention-catching abilities. They come in different formats for targeting specific goals. Bulletin is the most famous among the billboard ad formats. They are large and often placed alongside highways to create a broad impact.
In this article, we have discussed the types of billboards, how to choose the right size & location, statistics about the billboards, and whether they are still making money for brands. The obvious answer is yes, they are making money and creating brand awareness at a grand level.
Want to run a billboard advertising campaign? Connect with Vigyapan Mart billboard advertising experts today.
