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Tapping Into the Great Outdoors
June 25, 2008

In Monday's post, I introduced the topic of outdoor advertising in the context of increased public transit ridership.

The Outdoor Advertising Association of America identifies a variety of types of outdoor advertising, including these general categories:

• Billboards—Generally, large-format displays that can be either print or electronic.
• Street Furniture—Bicycle rack displays, bench advertising, bus shelter advertising, convenience store displays, shopping mall displays, kiosks, etc.
• Transit—Airport terminal displays, interior and exterior bus posters/cards, subway and other rail advertising, taxis, etc.
• Alternative—Name it: airborne displays, blimps, cartons and cups, gas pumps, golf carts, parking meters, stadium and arena displays, and anything else you care to name.

Not everyone is going to be able to take advantage of blimp-based advertising, but when it comes to outdoor, the sky’s the limit—perhaps literally (and if you think that no one has thought of the idea of advertising on the face of the Moon, think again, April Fools jokes notwithstanding).

Different outdoor media are purchased in different ways, but one common way that outdoor is priced is based on estimates of how many people are likely to see a display as a percentage of the general market population. So a billboard or display on a busy thoroughfare will cost more than one on “the road less traveled.” Electronic displays have allowed the possibility of outdoor advertising to be charged based on “dayparts”; that is, peak times like rush hour can cost more than off-times. This also means that advertisers can vary their messages by time of day, or even by other prevailing conditions. For example, if it’s raining, electronic signage can be dynamically changed to promote umbrellas. If the sun comes out, the message can be changed again to promote sunblock, say.

There are a number of considerations when looking at outdoor advertising: some strategic, some practical:

• Location, location, location: you want to pick a well-traveled location. Sometimes this is obvious (the 405 Freeway in L.A., for example). If you’re a local business marketing to the community, you probably have a sense already of what the popular routes are.
• When printing outdoor materials, ensure that they are weather- and UV-resistant. Most providers have requirements for outdoor materials, so be sure that your print provider can comply.
• Be consistent with other marketing materials and campaigns you are concurrently developing. After all, the goal of marketing is to reinforce a brand or a message, and it pays to not distort that message. Use common fonts, color schemes, and tag lines so that no matter where someone encounters your message—in print, online, or on the bus—they know it’s you.
• At the same time, tailor content to each medium. That is, play up where someone is seeing your ad. If you have a poster up in a subway station or at a bus stop, have text like “Waiting long? With us, you’ll never have to wait this long.” Or something better; you get the idea.
• Encourage interactivity, even if you have a static poster. Mobile phones are ubiquitous, and people waiting for public transit are often bored; encourage viewers to send a text message. Why? To participate in a poll, send a comment about something, etc.; it doesn’t even really matter for what. The idea is simply to engage the viewer in some fashion. And as mobile phones become increasingly Internet capable, a URL on a billboard or poster can drive traffic on the spot. (I can, and often do, surf the Web on my iPhone while waiting for the bus or, when I am in Boston or New York, waiting for the subway.)
• Be creative! Some of the most famous advertising campaigns of the 20th century have been outdoor advertising—and many have even become part of our cultural heritage. I mentioned Times Square on Monday; many older folks remember the Burma-Shave roadside signs that dotted the landscape from the 1920s to the 1960s. Even folks too young to have seen them firsthand have at least heard of them. South Dakota’s Wall Drug has done a similar campaign with its ubiquitous signs familiar to anyone who has ever driven on I-90 in the Midwest—and not all of them have erected by the company itself  (and you thought viral marketing was solely an Internet phenomenon!).

I began these posts discussing the increase in public transit ridership thanks to high gas prices. News reports are also starting to circulate about communities expanding their bus and rail systems. This creates more and more opportunities for companies to avail themselves of transit advertising

Posted by Richard Romano on June 25, 2008 | Comments (0)