Imagine you’re at a huge party. There’s a heavy back-beat thumping, making any attempt at conversation difficult. You’re surrounded by people dancing, chatting and generally in your space. You mingle around, trying to meet new people. One person says, “Tell me about yourself.” You get eight seconds and only six words. Go!….8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Stop! Time’s up. That’s all you get.
Now, imagine your six word answer on a digital display for all party-goers to read. Would you change anything?
From a painted brick wall to a 12×24 poster, digital billboards are now the fastest growing medium for advertising today. And it’s getting faster. According to SMRT Media on pubarticles.com, “This advertising medium offers lower creation costs, remote advertisement updating and higher effectiveness rates when compared to conventional billboards.” So, it’s more important than ever to make your billboard messages count.
If you only get eight seconds, should you even bother with placing billboards? Let’s find out.
1. Carefully Clever.
Billboards are typically a secondary advertising medium, meant for campaign building and not necessarily a direct call to action. Even so, the more creative, the better. Like any other medium, boring won’t cut it. Gaining attention is the name of the game here. You want to leave a lasting impression on your audience and help them drive away without question marks. SMRT Media mentioned, “A digital billboard that is trying to be too clever will only get lost on the audience. As a rule, don’t make your target audience scratch their heads and wonder what is going on.”
2. Witty Words Win.
Since digital billboards are mostly used to reinforce your brand, your message strategy must be clever, yet to the point. Anywhere from one to six words is your limit. Try to catch the audience off guard with inventive strategies and brilliant words.
Step outside the norm. Use a two-word pun with a related graphic, or a familiar character from a past print campaign, like Union State Bank’s Phil Angie.
This will be something the audience looks forward to seeing again and again, and will strengthen your overall campaign impact.
3. Get Personal.
Targeting your audience is one of the major steps in any marketing strategy, and digital billboards will give you an edge on this point. You can create a more tailored experience for the viewer with digital billboards by engaging the audience with stunning visuals, and allowing them to interact with the advertisements. “Advertisers are now able to blend into the reality of the consumer, which strengthens brand awareness and helps capture the customer’s attention,” said SMRT Media.
4. Attractive & Interactive.
Digital billboards provide something more than just a pretty picture, they are lifelike and interactive. And they offer an element of surprise, which is always a good thing. Digital graphics tend to increase the time spent looking at a billboard, which builds a positive experience and inspires the consumer to take action.
Digital billboards help your brand stand out from the rest, and help create a buzz about your product, which is the key overall goal.
5. Safety First.
Billboards are generally focused on drivers, so you want to ensure yours doesn’t cause an accident. According to Digital Billboards Today, “The Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved digital billboards in 2007 with a few stipulations:
- They must adhere to an eight-second display rule.
- They must adjust brightness in response to changes in surround light levels so that the signs are not unreasonably bright.”
Most motorists glance at a digital billboard for less than one second. In a 2009 Arbitron study, there was no relation found between traffic accidents and digital billboards. Consumers said they actually enjoy digital billboards. They find them pleasing to the eye and useful for finding out about community information, such as emergency contact data and local events.
This is great news for you!
Go Digital.
Incorporating digital billboards are important for building your campaign effectiveness. It’s not a very cheap medium, but using them in the right way will make the higher cost more worthwhile in the long run. SMRT Media mentions, “Billboards are a mass market medium but they need support. Get more than one because you want as many eyes on them as possible.”
So instead of getting lost in a crowd of poster and paint, make your next decision a digital one. Need help? Absolute Marketing’s media department can help you get this squared away. Take your first step towards the future and contact our Media Buyer today at: info@absolutemg.com.