Scrolling through a billboard company’s website I was astounded at the price of hiring a bit of space to advertise a product. Installation alone was $1000 and that did not include the artwork!
A lonely old road in the back of nowhere at around 6 metres by 3 metres of space would then set you back $1500 a month. And if you wanted something near the traffic in a city be prepared to dig deep to find $20,000 each month. Ouch! The Haka Beer campaign in Australia cost $75,000 over 8 weeks. The company however stated in a testimonial the campaign created in excess of $800,000 in revenue.
Now outdoor media is a proven medium in any campaign, it delivers impact and awareness. And it can reach a formidable number of people.
But interestingly, one of the better outcomes from billboard advertising is its ability to compliment other types of advertising and to create sustained awareness. It does this because consumers understand that if billboard advertising is substantive, and it is professional, the marketer is committed to the campaign and has the resources to deliver.
So how would buying a stock photo of a billboard and putting on your message compete or even come close to this.
Well, for a start, you might not be running a huge campaign, and the choice of a blank billboard might be just a fun thing to add to your image.
However, there are millions of billboards around the world. And if your image is completed successfully, there is no reason that consumers would not assume that this is indeed a real billboard somewhere.
In the real world advertising space is at a premium. Why not save a bit.
