Today’s advertising landscape is fast-paced and crowded. Americans see an average of 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day, so if you want to stand out, you need to think creatively and figure out a way to get your content in front of the most eyes possible. But beyond visibility, you need to stand out. Your advertisement needs to be big, bold, and beautiful. It needs to catch the eye and grab attention. One of the best ways to do this is by using a billboard rental.
Billboard rental is an easy, convenient way to serve large-scale advertising to a vast number of people. It’s one of the best-known and best-understood forms of OOH (out-of-home) advertising that has been around since the 1830s when they were first used to advertise circuses. Since then, billboards have paid homage to their colorful history by being bright and dramatic, making impressions on thousands of viewers each day.
While billboards might seem old-school, there are plenty of reasons that they’re amazing advertising opportunities that will help you thrive in an aggressive, competitive market. If the circus history isn’t enough to convince you, then perhaps these other fantastic reasons will!
Billboards Can’t Be Blocked
Nearly 800 million people use ad blockers. For many marketers, it’s a growing problem. People are more resistant to advertising across media platforms and will go out of their way to avoid ads when they can.
This makes billboards an easy answer. They can’t be avoided. Whether you rent a billboard in a bustling urban center or a massive highway advertisement, people cannot escape a billboard. What’s more, if the billboard is engaging and interesting, it will stick out in peoples’ minds. People will remember it as disrupting an otherwise boring experience, like a commute, rather than disrupting something they were actually interested in or trying to do.
People Like Billboards
Statista data from 2022 shows that 32% of consumers like billboard ads and 9% like them a lot. Some of the most memorable ad campaigns on both national and local levels are billboard-based; from Burma Shave to Chick-fil-A, to campaigns like Pass It On, billboards are an effective way to keep your ads relevant and in people’s attention. Outdoor advertising in general is appealing to the public, and billboards are an important part of this new media landscape.
Location, Location, Location
Billboards can be placed in a number of incredible locations. It’s not just highways and roadsides; urban centers and tourist attractions are prime locations for this type of advertising. You don’t have to look far to find a centrally-located billboard that your business can rent.
For example, take one of our newest large format signs, located at the West 8th Street subway station in Brooklyn, NYC. Advertisers renting this sign get to enjoy eyes from tourists visiting Coney Island and the New York Aquarium, as well as commuters coming up through the subway on the F and Q lines. That’s more than 800,000 views per month– 800,000 ad impressions for the relatively low price of renting a billboard!
A Billboard Rental Is Cost-Effective
The average cost of renting a billboard in the US is only $850 per month. This of course is highly variable; billboards in Times Square run around $50,000 per month, while rural highway billboards may only cost around $100 per month.
Billboards also have a very high return on investment (ROI), the highest of any OOH advertising medium. Digital billboards have a 38% ROI, while traditional billboards have a 40% ROI. Billboards also are great for brand recognition and offer a high return on ad spend (ROAS).
For an advertising medium with an average of 147,325,197,729 impressions per month, this makes billboards one of the most cost-effective ways to get your message across. The challenge is finding the right market and the right location– but the right billboard rental company can certainly help you find the ideal place for your ads!
Billboards Target Everybody
A frequent piece of advice in the advertising world is to find your target demographic and serve content to them. You can’t do this with billboards– and that’s part of their unique appeal. You can’t choose who will see your billboard. You can choose your location, which can affect demographics to an extent, but your content is going to be in front of thousands of pairs of eyes each and every day.
And that works. 71% of people say that they look at roadside billboards. Your content doesn’t need any special presentation. You don’t need people to open an email or look at their digital device; you simply need to have the content there and people will see it. If you post it, they will look!
Billboards Are Creative
Today’s billboards are a far cry from the hand-painted circus posters of the 1830s. Digital billboards offer you the option to have moving ads, color changes, and more. A digital billboard can even be interactive; street-level billboards can display different ads for each person walking by, or allow for some input that makes the ad more personal and memorable for your audience. Digital billboards can also let you get creative with timing; for example, a clothing company could advertise workwear during the morning commute hours, then switch to an ad for comfy loungewear as people are commuting home.
You can get creative with traditional billboards, too; for example, you can often include structural elements and other three-dimensional features to catch people’s attention.
Billboards Are Big
This one seems like a bit of a no-brainer, but let us explain: billboards… are big.
This means that billboards dominate the landscape, literally. While they aren’t as mobile as print ads or as flashy as TV or internet ads, billboards have a strong visual appeal that attracts the eye from literally miles away sometimes. There are about 342,000 large format displays in the United States, and about 8,800 of them are digital billboards. When you rent one of these displays, you are quite literally elevating your brand’s imagery and visual appeal. They’re perfect for brand recognition, product launches, directing people to a physical location, and more.
Billboards Reinforce Branding
Building upon the idea that billboards are big and perfect for brand recognition, it’s important to note that billboards also play a crucial role in reinforcing branding. Repetitioning your brand’s visual elements, such as logos, colors, and imagery, on billboards helps establish a strong and consistent brand identity. This consistency across multiple billboard locations strengthens brand recall, making it easier for people to remember and recognize your brand when they encounter it in other contexts.
Moreover, the large format of billboards allows for the prominent display of your brand’s messaging and value proposition. By showcasing your brand’s unique selling points and key benefits, billboards help to solidify your brand’s position in the minds of consumers. This reinforcement of branding through billboards ultimately contributes to increased brand loyalty and customer trust.
Measuring the Success of Your Billboard
Measuring your billboard rental campaign’s success is essential to ensuring that it delivers the desired results. While billboards may not provide the same level of granular data as digital advertising, there are still effective ways to assess their impact.
One key metric to consider is the increase in brand awareness and recall. Conducting surveys or focus groups before and after the billboard campaign can help gauge the effectiveness of your branding efforts. Additionally, monitoring website traffic, social media engagement, and sales inquiries during the campaign can provide insights into the billboard’s influence on consumer behavior.
For businesses with physical locations, tracking foot traffic and sales at stores near the billboard can also be a valuable indicator of its success. Comparing these metrics to a control period without the billboard can help determine its impact on driving customer action.
Furthermore, partnering with a reputable billboard rental company like Pearl Media can provide access to additional data and insights. With their expertise in the industry and understanding of the local market, they can help you optimize your campaign based on performance data and consumer trends.
Get Your Billboard Rental Started Today
Billboard rentals offer a powerful and effective way to elevate your brand’s visibility, reinforce branding, and drive measurable results. With their unblockable nature, creative possibilities, and strategic locations, billboards can help your brand make a lasting impression on a broad audience.
By partnering with Pearl Media, you can leverage their expertise in providing high-impact, street-level media in vital urban areas. Their commitment to quality, results-oriented solutions, and exceptional client service ensures that your billboard rental campaign will be executed flawlessly and deliver the desired outcomes.
Don’t let your brand get lost in the noise. Contact Pearl Media today to discuss how a billboard rental can help you stand out, reinforce your branding, and achieve your advertising goals. With their proven track record and industry knowledge, Pearl Media is your trusted partner in taking your brand to new heights.
