Natural Inspiration for Billboard Creative

This week’s eclipse gave brands an opportunity to capitalize on nature with themed advertisements. But it doesn’t need to be a once-every-few-years natural occurrence in order to serve as inspiration for marketers.

Something as simple as the day’s weather conditions can be utilized in campaigns such as Paramount Pictures’ promotion of the “Baywatch” movie. As reported by Media Life Magazine, Paramount Pictures ran a digital billboard campaign with Lamar Advertising that used current weather conditions to automatically update their ads.

If it was snowing, the ad would read, “Snow sucks. Summer is coming.” And if it was icy or temperatures were below zero, the ad would update to, “Frost bites. Summer is coming.” These small adjustments helped the ads remain “relevant and interesting”.

This campaign was also unique in the choice of markets in which to run. Rather than the top 10 DMAs, the 16 coldest U.S. markets were chosen. “This allows for the creative relevant messaging to really speak to the audience in a unique way when they’re longing for warm weather,” says Ian Dallimore, Lamar Advertising’s director of digital strategy and innovation.

With only a month left of summer, it’s time for marketers to consider how interactive and relevant messaging can boost the effectiveness of their campaigns.

Where and When to Reach Your Customers

We all know that advertising is a way to reach customers and hopefully impact their opinions, actions, and decisions in a positive way. But what is the best way to impact customers before they make a purchase decision? Starcom Mediavest Group dove deep into researching customer activity prior to purchases to discover just that.

Through SMG’s research, they found that customers are highly impacted at all stages of the decision making process through audio and out of home.

From the above graph, you can see the correlation between purchase activity and media usage. Interestingly, each category affects consumers the most at the “consider” and “decide” levels except for television and digital video which highly affect consumers at the purchase point.

Taking a deeper look into the industry’s hot-topic generation, the Millennials (ages 18-34), SMG found that trends tend to be relatively similar. By analyzing the graph below, we can see that Millennials tend to react in a similar way when compared to non-millennial adults.

Surprisingly, television and digital video are the only media outlets where Millennials correlate at a higher level than adults 18+.  Search and social, while being incredibly popular with Millennials, have a correlation that fails to outperform that of the adult group.

For advertisers looking to influence their target audience in a way that will cause them to consider, decide, and purchase a product or service, this information is incredibly relevant and might require some re-strategizing to reach consumers in the most effective manner.

Outdoor Ads Are Being Noticed, Discussed, and Interacted With

Nielsen has recently conducted a new study that has the advertising world talking. Nielsen revealed that out of home advertising is producing high levels of engagement from those who see it. The study is packed of data proving the success of this well-known medium.

More than 90% of US travelers have noticed some form of OOH (out of home) advertising in the past month. Roadside billboards were the number one noticed OOH media. Eighty-three percent of adults noticed the advertising message on said billboard.

Looking at the past year, 26% of respondents have discussed the message seen on an OOH advertisement with family or friends. Twenty-three percent have searched for the advertiser online, and 16% have visited the advertiser’s website after seeing their OOH message.

When it comes to teenagers and young adults (ages 16-34), interaction is more likely in different ways. Nielsen’s study reports the following:

·        One in four OOH viewers with smartphones have interacted with an ad through a NFC sensor or QR code

·        One third have searched for an OOH advertiser on their smartphone

·        Twenty-five percent have accessed a coupon or discount as a result of seeing an OOH ad

·        Twenty-two percent have visited the advertiser’s website

·        Thirteen percent have downloaded an app related to the advertiser’s ad

Stephen Freitas, the chief marketing officer of Outdoor Advertising Association of America puts it simply, “consumers today want the choice to connect with advertising. They want incentives to choose brands, and they want it all in the palms of their hands. OOH is the ideal medium to propel that interaction – driving attention from big screens on the street to the small screens they never leave home without.”

With Gas Prices Down, Opportunities for Advertising Goes Up

You might be wondering what the price of gas has to do with advertising. Seems like a long stretch, doesn’t it? Well, think again. With the price of gas going down all across America, consumers are choosing to take advantage and get out more. For advertisers, this means more people to interact with while they are outside of their homes.

In America, the average price of gas in October 2014 was roughly $3/gallon. October 2015 lowered the average price to around $2.25/gallon. On this December day, I drove to work in Kansas City, MO, and saw gas prices for as low as $1.53/gallon.

The first trend influenced by lower gas prices is that Americans are driving more miles every year. As you can see from the graph below, provided by the Census Bureau, 

Americans are rapidly increasing the number of miles they drive.

The Census Bureau found that sales at restaurants/bars and hotels have increased from last year by 8% and 5%, respectively.

According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, Out of Home (OOH) advertising is, “second only to digital media in total growth from 2014-2016 (based on actual and projections)”.

Marketers now have a larger audience to reach while they are out and about and likely to be influenced. Consumers can be reached on a variety of OOH platforms like billboards, smartphones, social media, and more. For advertisers, this can be seen as a huge opportunity. Consumers now have more disposable income to spend along with the drive (pun intended) to spend it. 

How does a media buyer verify that a schedule actually ran?

As a media buyer, there is a lot of interaction between the media vendor and buyer; likewise, the media buyer interacts a lot with his/her client. Part of the job is following up with vendors to verify that the advertising placed actually did run. This is the backend paperwork that is necessary in order to avoid accounting errors and to keep clients updated. Below are a few questions that most media buyers/planners must address for each campaign and define expectations for the client.

How often should I receive online summary reports from my vendor? Some media experts say that monthly reports should be enough to watch online trends. While others, I fall into this category, prefer to see a report every two weeks. That way, if a negative trend is caught, it can hopefully be reversed prior to the end of the month. A buyer should speak to the vendor and client and agree upon a summary report schedule prior to running a campaign.

What should I expect for a proof of posting for an out-of-home campaign? For outdoor billboards, bus signs, train signs, and any signage out-of-home, a proof of posting should be sent to the media buyer. The proof of posting should be a time stamped photograph that verifies the location, panel number, date and time creative was installed. Historically, hard copy pictures were requested; however, nowadays, a .jpg photo is typically fine.

How many tearsheets should I request from the print vendor? Before a campaign starts to run, ask your client if they would like tearsheets of their upcoming ads. If not, request two copies, one for accounting and one for your files. If your client does want a copy, verify how many are needed and notify the vendor. eTearsheets are becoming more and more common place. These are a viable option; however, it is a good idea to let the client know that’s how the tearsheet will be sent.

What is the best way to verify that my spots ran on a broadcast schedule? When a cable, television, or radio schedule runs, a spot log is created. Basically, this is just a listing of each time an ad runs. The report should include the time, date, length, cost, and creative title. A buyer can request this at any time, but it’s typically evaluated when an invoice is submitted by a station.

An example of billboard creative controversy

Controversy isn’t something that most advertisers like to deal with when it comes to creative messaging. However, it is something that can come up, and advertisers and vendors alike must handle it quickly.

Recently, some billboard creative has caused offense in neighboring communities. According to MediaPost, some of the outdoor vendors have chosen to remove the creative that has incited the uproar. One example is from Texas where there was an ad for “reparative therapy.” This is largely known as “ex-gay” therapy. It was removed soon after initial posting.

Anecdotally, we had a client that once had a campaign that was very tongue-in-cheek to advertise new small plates on the menu. While the creative translated well on outdoor, print, and online campaigns overall, the positioning of one billboard near a church did not. After complaints, the outdoor company approached the client and us. To alleviate the tension, we moved the creative to another board. While the creative was not meant to offend anyone or any affiliation, it did. This situation was handled relatively easily because the campaign did not suffer because of the board location shift, and the gesture from the outdoor company and advertiser ended the matter on good terms.

Overall, advertisers have to remember that pushing the boundaries for creative can have a big impact. It can be good, but it can also cause problems. It’s up to advertisers to handle each situation accordingly.

New study explains consumer opinion for out of home advertising

For advertisers, it can become challenging to keep track of consumer behavior research. Fortunately, the abundance of information is meant to help steer campaigns towards an engaged audience. A recent study performed by Future Foundation titled, Always On: Out of Home Lives 2014, breaks down how the public views out of home (OOH) advertising.

The Outdoor Advertising Association of America reported on key findings from the study. Research was conducted interviewing 6,000 respondents across six large, urban cities world-wide. 

Top highlights include:

·        A reported 59% said that OOH digital advertising would be relevant and interesting if it portrayed information that was localized and beneficial at a certain time of day or location. Examples are concerts, events, or discounts to local stores.

·        Approximately 72% of the 18-34s surveyed have viewed a billboard and taken some kind of action as a direct result.

·        About 35% reportedly selected OOH advertisements as the most memorable. Television was the primary memorable vehicle at 46%.

While this was a world-wide survey and not exactly representative of the whole American media landscape, it can give advertisers tips to re-work outdoor initiatives. 

Highlights of Arbitron's Out-of-Home Advertising Study

Arbitron recently released its findings in the 2013 edition of the Arbitron Out-of-Home Advertising Study. The intended purpose was to study the travel habits of US adults and exposure to outdoor advertising like billboards (standard and digital), bus transit (vehicle and shelter), taxi cabs, kiosks, etc.

Here are a few brief highlights of the study:

·        The average amount of time people spend traveling is 20 hours and 16 minutes per week. This could be either driving or being a passenger in any form of vehicle. The bulk of this time is spent during the work week with an estimated 3 hours and 16 minutes per day. Weekend days are at an average of 1 hour and 59 minutes.

·        Americans travel an estimated 169 miles per week on average. There is a group called Mega-milers who average 363 miles per week. This group is more likely to be male and live in higher-income households.

·        Arbitron reports that close to 9 of 10 American adults, who are 18+ in age, travel in a vehicle on roads or rails during the past month. The mode of transportation could be considered any of the following: cars, trucks, buses, taxis, commuter rails, subways, etc.

·        Nearly three-quarters of travelers have noticed advertising messages on standard, static billboards, digital billboards, buses, transit shelters, taxi cabs, commuter rails, subways, kiosks, newspaper stands, etc.

Advertisers can use this information to help support out-of-home advertising. While there is clutter that advertisers have to cut through, there is a massive audience that notices it. It’s really up to advertisers to come up with an inventive and original message that can stand out and reach the masses.

Digital boards react in real-time as British Airways planes pass overhead

A major benefit to outdoor bulletins transitioning from vinyls to digital is the immediacy in which creative can be changed. MediaPost reported on a British Airways digital outdoor campaign that reacts to planes flying above the displays.

The outdoor company, Clear Channel, has a new “Storm” digital network in London. It launched in October and has been positioned along the busiest streets and highways in London.

British Airways’ campaign utilized the boards so that when a plane flies overhead, creative of a child pointing at the plane is displayed along with a detailed message with the flight number and destination. MediaPost gives the illustration of “Look, it’s flight BA430 Amsterdam.” Following this message are other creative displays that list facts or attractions of that certain destination. This campaign is possible by using surveillance technology and flight schedules to anticipate when a flight is above the outdoor board.

Being able to reach consumers in real-time can be a challenge for advertisers. By utilizing new technology and thinking outside-the-box, surprise your audience and give them something to talk about. 

Illegal outdoor boards will receive fines in California

Let’s face it…the current generation is all about mobility. We want what we want when we want it, and media is no different. Media is working hard to stay relevant to advertisers and more importantly, the consumer. Sometimes, however, that can backfire. Take for instance outdoor and California. MediaPost reports that the state is working to shut down illegal outdoor ads and limit legal boards.

California Governor Jerry Brown recently approved a law that will make it increasingly harder to advertise with illegal outdoor boards. Typically, these illegal boards are trailers pulled by cars, trucks, bicycles, etc. to various locations. What makes this illegal is neither licenses were obtained nor rent paid to the city government or property owners. In Los Angeles alone, it is estimated that nearly 4,000 signs around the city do not have the proper paperwork or are in violation in some way.

Once caught, this new law allows for steeper penalties to be given to the violators. Los Angeles and San Francisco are two cities that have already established ordinances. Some people are working to increase Los Angeles penalty fees from $2,500 per day to $48,000 per day.

Advertisers should be aware of laws in any market in which they are advertising. One great outdoor blitz may end up costing the client a lot more than originally planned. The lesson one should take away is make sure that your outdoor vendor, whether it be mobile or static, has a permit. 

Outdoor boards being sold in an out-of-home network vs. individual sale

In a society where advertisers have more tools to reach specific target audiences, it can lead some media vendors to develop new systems for its products.

According to MediaPost, Clear Channel Outdoor has created “consumer networks.”  Basically, this is a way for advertisers to select out-of-home inventory that best aligns with the desired target audience. The networks are chosen based off of demographic, geographic and psychographic factors.

So far, the networks can be purchased on national and regional levels. In addition, it will include the “Eyes On” ratings from the Traffic Audit Bureau in order to give an estimate on viewership. This new system could eliminate the selection of individual boards.

Currently, the new system is active in Albuquerque, Cleveland, Orlando, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Seattle. More markets are noted to follow.

While the network is appreciated, I would still recommend picking out a few key individual boards in a campaign. Just like other advertising initiatives, it’s smart to reach the individual consumer with very tight targeting but still have a solid coverage base.

Times Square billboards have a hefty price tag

2012 is a thing of the past, and 2013 is here. While billions rang in the New Year at parties, at home with loved ones, or simply doing laundry, one thing is for certain, millions were tuning in to “New Year’s Rockin Eve” at Times Square in New York City. Besides watching the ball drop, did you notice anything else in the square? The billboards perhaps? Ever give a thought to how much those billboards cost on a yearly basis?

According to AdvertisingAge, the billboards on top of One Times Square in NYC are some of the most expensive outdoor advertising in the world. In the Wall Street Journal, it’s reported that Dunkin’ Donuts spends approximately $3.6 million a year for the digital sign. Brewer Anheuser-Busch spends $3.4 million a year on its board. There are some reports that annual contracts could be as lucrative as $4 million. This shows the incremental rate increase since in 2005, the average yearly investment for a billboard on One Times Square was $2.4 million.

How can an advertiser justify that kind of investment for just the space and not even the production charges? Consider this, if just looking at “New Year’s Rockin Eve” at Times Square, there were 22.6 million viewers tuned in to watch 2011 turn into 2012. Dunkin’ Donuts would have paid about $0.16 for each person/impression. That doesn’t include the millions that visit Times Square throughout the year or the thousands that were in attendance that night. Even if a tenth of those 22.6 million viewers (2.26 million) bought a 1lb bag of coffee for $8.99, that’s $20.3 million in revenue, and $16.7 million in profits. Makes it easier to understand the gamble, doesn’t it?

Can anyone advertise on an arena jumbo screen?

For years, sports stadiums have had sponsors and advertisements all over the venue. While LED boards and jumbo HD screens used to be exclusively for team sponsors that has recently changed.

InStadium is a sports venue network company that helps advertisers get messaging into stadiums without being an official sponsor. According to MediaPost, this change can be attributed to teams needing to create new revenue streams.

The media company has partnered with about 480 NBA, MLB, NFL and NCAA teams. Advertisers can expect a ten-second PA announcement to encourage fans to look at the jumbo screens, a 30-second video, and digital crowd rings. All three components are set up to complement each other.

How does this help advertisers? This will enable those who are not team sponsors reach a large and engaged crowd.

Is your typeface distracting drivers?

Any graphic designer has been taught that different typefaces appeal to different emotions, personalities, and can mean different things. For example, a serif font is better when writing a lot of copy. The little tails on the letters flow together and make it easier on the eye to read. The media industry has been looking into typeface to see if different kinds can help reduce distraction for drivers while in a vehicle.

According to MediaPost, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s AgeLab, the New England University Transportation Center and Monotype Imaging Holdings recently conducted a study in order to find safer designs for in-car media devices. Eighty-two people between the ages of 36-75 were monitored while utilizing an in-car device in a driving simulator. The researchers were primarily focused on eye-tracking measurements.

Results showed that hard-to-read typefaces create more distraction. Overall, technical typefaces tend to reduce glance time. Do note that the space between the letters also aid in readability. For example, the popular technical-styled font Eurostile is tightly spaced and difficult to read.

Changing up typefaces can translate to less time not looking at the road and more alert drivers.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Americans spend how much time in a car?

Out of home media is the general term that encompasses every message a person sees or hears while not in his/her home. Arbitron has some statistics that can be helpful for advertisers in choosing media vehicles.

Fact one, the average American traveled 306 miles in a vehicle of some kind in the past week.

Fact two, 46 minutes is the average commute for a working American.

Fact three, 96% of Americans have said that they have traveled in a vehicle within the past seven days.

Fact four, the average American has traveled 1,771 miles in the past four weeks.

Therefore, if you are looking to get brand messages out to the average working American, then looking at out of home media like outdoor bulletins or radio may be a sound choice.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

This advertiser wants to pay your mortgage.

There is a new twist to out-of-home advertising that is finding its niche in the troubled economy. Many people have felt the tragic effects of the housing bubble, but there may be an interesting option that hasn’t been considered. If you are willing to give up the exterior walls of your house, you may be able to keep it mortgage-free for up to a year, according to MediaPost.

A company called Brainiacs from Mars has promised to pay the monthly mortgage for a couple’s home. In return, the couple allows their house to be painted in bright, eye-catching colors and accented with large logos promoting the company’s name, social media, and digital pages.

Foreclosures have swallowed millions of homes since 2006. In 2010, foreclosure notices were sent to 2.9 million properties in the United States. Brainiacs is planning to find up to 1000 homes to use as commercial billboards all over the country. The company’s founder, Romeo Mendoza, not only wants to promote his company, but he wants to help reduce foreclosures.

When planning billboard projects, Mendoza assures that Brainiacs adheres to housing ordinances, neighborhood covenants and homeowners association rules.


Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

UK advertiser trying the sense of smell to attract consumers

AdvertisingAge reports that McCain Foods is promoting its new baked potatoes with an interesting approach. Smell advertising is utilized along with an enlarged 3-D baked potato to catch the attention of consumers.

The interactive ads are placed on bus shelters in several cities throughout the United Kingdom. Consumers can press a button on the poster, and the fiberglass model heats up while an aroma is released that fills the bus shelter with the scent of a fresh, baked potato.

This is expanding the ability of traditional advertising by reaching an audience through the two atypical senses of smell and touch. Experimenting with fresh, unique tactics can draw positive attention to your product as long as it is complementary to the overall campaign message.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Outdoor continues 7th straight quarter of growth

Outdoor vendors have had a healthy streak lately in revenue growth. According to a study from SNL Kagan, that expansion is set to continue well into the next decade.

MediaPost reports that “Economics of Outdoor & Out of Home Advertising” predicts strong growth over the next few years. In fact, it is estimated that ad spending will reach $10.55 billion by 2020. To reach that, outdoor advertising will have to have an annual growth of 5.9% according to SNL Kagan.

Over the last few years, outdoor spending has recovered from the economic upheaval from 2007-2009. In 2007, revenues were at $7.3 billion, fell to $7 billion in 2008, and fell further in 2009 to $5.9 billion. In 2010, spending grew to $6.1 billion and increased further to $6.31 billion in 2011.

With the addition of digital boards, outdoor boards and out of home advertising have been able to adapt to the digital world and continually grow.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Did I just see an ad on a mail truck?

Because the world appears to be trending towards wireless and paperless in many aspects of life, the institutions that are wire and paper must adapt. According to MediaPost, the United States Postal Service is attempting to enter into the advertising world in order to help its financial decline.

A pilot program recently launched in which the USPS is selling advertising on its freight trucks. At the moment, approximately 17,000 trucks in 11 states have advertisements on them.

Paired with an outside contractor Lighted Promotions, advertisements are being sold from $500 to $600 per month.

A noted concern is making sure that the ads are appropriate for the government trucks. So far, most vinyls have been in regards to road safety like drunk driving, seatbelt usage, highway safety in addition to topics like anti-drug and anti-alcohol. In fact, some advertisers have been turned away like political candidates and medical marijuana.

If this pilot program is successful and launched nationally, then it could be a new vehicle for advertisers. As long as its message falls in-line with a government owned platform.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Gas Station TV expands its reach in Southern California

Advertisers always have the challenge of cutting through the clutter of the competition’s messages.

It has been around for a few years now, but Gas Station TV (GSTV) is widening its reach. The digital out-of-home video display network has added 19 new service locations in Southern California, namely Los Angeles and San Diego. According to MediaPost, these extra locations are estimated to add 4.5 million impressions per year.

Like other forms of advertising, GSTV is continuing to evolve its product to better serve advertisers. For example, content not only has news and entertainment segments, but it also has original content like “Your Neighborhood.” Recently, GSTV and ESPN teamed up to offer advertisers brand integration opportunities within the ESPN sports video content. Basically, the video will include calls to action for products available in the gas station convenience stores. Another development is “Echo Ads.” These are about :05 to :10 seconds in length, and they are shown a few minutes after the full :15 or :30 spot airs. This is to reinforce the product or service to the consumer.

Advertisers always have the challenge of cutting through the clutter of the competition’s messages. While GSTV is still growing, it is establishing a solid product for those who want to reach people in a more unique way than traditional advertising. It is the advertisers’ responsibility, however, to be aware of whom they want to target and if a new form of advertising is a good fit.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...