Saturday, July 25, 2009
CNN iReport
If you want to read one of my articles go to www.ireport.com and type in "Shabby Apple" into the search engine.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Keys To Outdoor Advertising
If used correctly billboards can be highly effective as either an informational or directional tool to spur immediate action on the behalf of the viewer. An example would be a restaurant owner employing a billboard as a means of beckoning hungry motorists to “get off at the next exit” so that they can enjoy a good meal. But before a billboard can be effective there are several key variables that should be considered. They are; the type of boards available, the board’s associated costs, and issues surrounding both the style and design of the board.
The two most common types of billboards are posters and painted displays. Posters are made up of vinyl panels that are pasted onto the board’s frame. These panels are referred to as “showings” and the number of showings needed depends in part on the size of your target market.
There are three basic types of posters; 24-sheet, 30-sheet and bleed. 24-sheet posters measure 12x15 feet and provide 25% more copy area than its 24-sheet counterpart. Bleed posters are generally 30-sheets whose print area extends all the way down to the board’s frame thus providing maximum copy area.
Painted displays are larger than posters and come in two forms. They are walls and bulletins. Painted wall displays tend to be expensive because the ad is hand painted directly onto the wall of a building. Bulletins on the other hand can either be hand painted on-site or painted offsite, and then transported in sections to the desired location. Once at the desired location the bulletins are re-assembled and affixed onto the board’s wooden frame. Bulletins measure 14x48 feet whereas wall displays vary depending on the wall’s available surface area.
The costs associated with billboard advertising vary based on the type of board used, design elements, the length of the contract, and the location of the board itself.
Painted displays are more expensive to create and maintain than poster displays due to their handcrafted nature. Whereas posters can increase in price depending on the number of showings needed to achieve market penetration. Furthermore there is another cost associated with posters that one must be mindful of in terms of maintenance related issues. Unlike bulletins which can be purchased individually, poster showings must be purchased as a group. Therefore even though one showing in the display may need to be repairs, you must purchase the entire display all over again in order to replace that one panel. In addition, boards in higher traffic areas tend to command higher purchase prices.
In terms of contracts, the longer the duration of the contract the more economical the price. The most cost effective contracts run three to five years in length. However, certain types of displays traditionally involve shorter contract times like poster contracts. They generally run for 30 day increments at a time. Rotating bulletin contracts run for 60 day increments.
In regards to design elements, the more complex you get, the more costly the ad. Design elements such as cut outs, kinetic boards, spectaculars, backlighting and holography tend to cost more than straight one-dimensional designs.
Traditionally there are two basic types of billboard contracts rotating or fixed. Due to their transient nature, the cost of rotating billboards tends to rely heavily on the amount of traffic flow in the area surrounding the billboard itself. If you are unsure of whether or not a certain billboard location will work for you, you can ask if they offer train run or seasonal rates. This can be a good option for billboard novices.
In addition to cost, factors to consider when choosing a billboard location are the number of other billboards in the immediate vicinity, visibility, spacing in relation to billboard size, and traffic flow.
You do not want your board in an area with too much competitive clutter. The less competition for a motorist’s eye the better.
The size of your billboard should be based in part on the number and sizes of the other billboards in the area. For example is you are using a series of billboards (1-3) each billboard should be 14x48 feet. If you are using a series of three or more boards you can vary the sizes more. As a general rule of thumb billboards should be places no less than two miles and no more than ten miles apart. This however can vary once again based on the size and number of competing boards.
A board’s visibility is determined by the closest distances at which the billboard becomes both visible and readable while traffic is moving at the maximum legal speed limit. Other issues related to viability are the proximity of foliage, traffic lights, road construction and or detour schedules.
While we are on the subject of visibility, let’s take just a moment now to talk briefly about billboard copy. It should consist of five to ten words that immediately attract attention and are memorable. . The billboard’s lettering should be simple, large and complement the ad’s overall design. The colors used in both the text and overall design should be bright and contrast from the surrounding landscape. A classic example of brief, memorable text combined with proper spacing was the Burma Shave billboard campaign of the 1950’s.
As it should be with anything in marketing, your billboard campaigns should be measurable. Unfortunately the effectiveness of a billboard can be hard to measure. To combat this problem most marketers rely on the TAB (Traffic Audit Bureau) to aid them in measuring a billboard’s effectiveness. The TAB is an impartial monitoring organization that is supported in part by advertising agencies and billboard companies. Their function is to verify the number of billboards in a given market and establish their impact on consumers.
In summary, outdoor billboards if used effectively can have a positive impact on your business. For a billboard campaign to be effective it is important to remember a few simple rules of engagement about the types of board’s available, their associated costs as well as design and style. If you can do those things, you are well on your way to launching a successful outdoor advertising campaign.
For more information on this or other business related topics consult you local marketing professional.
The two most common types of billboards are posters and painted displays. Posters are made up of vinyl panels that are pasted onto the board’s frame. These panels are referred to as “showings” and the number of showings needed depends in part on the size of your target market.
There are three basic types of posters; 24-sheet, 30-sheet and bleed. 24-sheet posters measure 12x15 feet and provide 25% more copy area than its 24-sheet counterpart. Bleed posters are generally 30-sheets whose print area extends all the way down to the board’s frame thus providing maximum copy area.
Painted displays are larger than posters and come in two forms. They are walls and bulletins. Painted wall displays tend to be expensive because the ad is hand painted directly onto the wall of a building. Bulletins on the other hand can either be hand painted on-site or painted offsite, and then transported in sections to the desired location. Once at the desired location the bulletins are re-assembled and affixed onto the board’s wooden frame. Bulletins measure 14x48 feet whereas wall displays vary depending on the wall’s available surface area.
The costs associated with billboard advertising vary based on the type of board used, design elements, the length of the contract, and the location of the board itself.
Painted displays are more expensive to create and maintain than poster displays due to their handcrafted nature. Whereas posters can increase in price depending on the number of showings needed to achieve market penetration. Furthermore there is another cost associated with posters that one must be mindful of in terms of maintenance related issues. Unlike bulletins which can be purchased individually, poster showings must be purchased as a group. Therefore even though one showing in the display may need to be repairs, you must purchase the entire display all over again in order to replace that one panel. In addition, boards in higher traffic areas tend to command higher purchase prices.
In terms of contracts, the longer the duration of the contract the more economical the price. The most cost effective contracts run three to five years in length. However, certain types of displays traditionally involve shorter contract times like poster contracts. They generally run for 30 day increments at a time. Rotating bulletin contracts run for 60 day increments.
In regards to design elements, the more complex you get, the more costly the ad. Design elements such as cut outs, kinetic boards, spectaculars, backlighting and holography tend to cost more than straight one-dimensional designs.
Traditionally there are two basic types of billboard contracts rotating or fixed. Due to their transient nature, the cost of rotating billboards tends to rely heavily on the amount of traffic flow in the area surrounding the billboard itself. If you are unsure of whether or not a certain billboard location will work for you, you can ask if they offer train run or seasonal rates. This can be a good option for billboard novices.
In addition to cost, factors to consider when choosing a billboard location are the number of other billboards in the immediate vicinity, visibility, spacing in relation to billboard size, and traffic flow.
You do not want your board in an area with too much competitive clutter. The less competition for a motorist’s eye the better.
The size of your billboard should be based in part on the number and sizes of the other billboards in the area. For example is you are using a series of billboards (1-3) each billboard should be 14x48 feet. If you are using a series of three or more boards you can vary the sizes more. As a general rule of thumb billboards should be places no less than two miles and no more than ten miles apart. This however can vary once again based on the size and number of competing boards.
A board’s visibility is determined by the closest distances at which the billboard becomes both visible and readable while traffic is moving at the maximum legal speed limit. Other issues related to viability are the proximity of foliage, traffic lights, road construction and or detour schedules.
While we are on the subject of visibility, let’s take just a moment now to talk briefly about billboard copy. It should consist of five to ten words that immediately attract attention and are memorable. . The billboard’s lettering should be simple, large and complement the ad’s overall design. The colors used in both the text and overall design should be bright and contrast from the surrounding landscape. A classic example of brief, memorable text combined with proper spacing was the Burma Shave billboard campaign of the 1950’s.
As it should be with anything in marketing, your billboard campaigns should be measurable. Unfortunately the effectiveness of a billboard can be hard to measure. To combat this problem most marketers rely on the TAB (Traffic Audit Bureau) to aid them in measuring a billboard’s effectiveness. The TAB is an impartial monitoring organization that is supported in part by advertising agencies and billboard companies. Their function is to verify the number of billboards in a given market and establish their impact on consumers.
In summary, outdoor billboards if used effectively can have a positive impact on your business. For a billboard campaign to be effective it is important to remember a few simple rules of engagement about the types of board’s available, their associated costs as well as design and style. If you can do those things, you are well on your way to launching a successful outdoor advertising campaign.
For more information on this or other business related topics consult you local marketing professional.
Monday, July 6, 2009
New Article
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