The earliest recorded leasing of a billboard for an ad occurred in 1867 so they’ve been around for at least 152 years. Estimates say there are as many as 2 million billboards on federal and state highways. It can cost 3 million dollars per month to advertise on the largest billboard in New York City’s Times Square. It will set you back six figures a month for billboard locations along the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. That should tell you billboards really do work. Few companies will part with any amount of cash for something that doesn’t. Prices do run the gamut, and there are deals to be made. Used correctly, targeted tactically, designed and written creatively, billboards can be effective. So, forget the mousetrap, let’s build a better billboard.
The rules and reality
So, let’s start with a rule that isn’t really written in stone. Typically, we are in a vehicle when we see a billboard. We’re moving. We could be heading to the desert on the 10 at 80 mph, we might be doing 25 on surface streets or we could be crawling on the 91. Regardless, the industry standard has been set at 7 seconds to read a billboard. The reality is we don’t read billboards the way we read Stephen King. We scan billboards, and our brains can register more than one word at a time. Also, the majority of us take the same routes to work, the market, the gym, or Starbucks. In most cases, the billboards that we pass by today will be the same billboards we pass by tomorrow. We typically see a billboard more than once. How far away we are from a billboard when we first notice it and how large the print is are major factors too. The 7 second standard isn’t accurate but the ancillary rule it spawned is; keep your message short and the design “clean” (uncluttered).
Riverside Transit Agency billboard by HyattWard
Short and simple
You should definitely limit the number of words you use. If possible, use a variation on a common phrase or idiom. Your brain recognizes them; they take less time to process. Avoid clutter of any kind, at all cost. Too much information on a billboard means no focal point. Your eyes don’t know where to naturally enter and exit the frame. TMI is a great way to confuse the consumer instead of captivating them.
On a billboard, your company logo doesn’t need to be the size of Texas, but it shouldn’t be Rhode Island either. Don’t allow it to detract from the message but don’t let it disappear. It’s also better to use one good, large photo than multiple small ones.
Gain Federal Credit Union billboard by HyattWard Advertising
You can be cute and clever. We believe the billboard we did for Gain Federal Credit Union is both. The name Gain lends itself to cute and clever. The trick is not to get complex. Don’t create a Rubik’s Cube; think checkers, not chess.
Riverside Physician Network Billboard by HyattWard Advertising
It’s okay if it takes a moment for the message to register but it’s not if, after multiple sightings, the consumer still isn’t sure what you mean. Show your concept to 10 people you know. If fewer than 8 understand it immediately or quickly, go back to the drawing board.
Outdoor advertising, like billboards and transit shelters, is the only form of advertising that can be working 24/7. A billboard is constant, it’s promoting your brand every minute of every day for as long as your contract states. And, like all forms of advertising, when done right, it will be rewarding.