Billboard Facts
Repetition is extremely helpful when you are trying to increase
your product awareness, or when you simply want to get your
message across to millions of people. This task can easily
be accomplished with billboard campaigns.
Outdoor advertising makes it extremely easy to target, or
not to target, a specific market.
Billboards are usually the final message we see right before
we purchase an item. So why not direct everyone to your product?
Driving Trends
It would be fair to state that almost three out of four Australian
rely on road signs to find places while they are traveling!
So why not give them the opportunity to read your electronic
mobile billboard signs?
After all, people are spending more time in their vehicle
than they do to read the paper and watch the news!
How do billboard rates compare to other types of advertising?
Outdoor advertising has a lower cost per thousand (CPM) than
any other type of advertising. Outdoor ads could cost 80%
(approx.) less than television commercials, and approximately
60% less than full-page yellow pages and newspaper ads, and
up to 50% less than radio ads.
Billboards in general, have been rated higher than any other
type of advertising for their ability to communicate ideas
at the lowest possible prices.Outdoor advertising has a larger
audience than any other type of advertising. Outdoor advertising
is the only type of media that has constant exposure. No other
type of advertising could allow your message to be displayed
on and off 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even if they
are displayed at certain time intervals.
Ads on billboards are free to consumers, they do not have
to buy a magazine, sign up for cable television, or buy a
newspaper to see your advertisement.
Why should you use billboards?
In the billboard business, its all about location, location,
location. Why? Because a billboard with a good location (for
example: on an Interstate or major highway) can have more
viewers than the footy fans!
Another great benefit of outdoor advertising is that it does
not interrupt consumers in any way. There's no obnoxious sound,
smell or other type of negative attention grabber. Billboards
get noticed because of their glitzy messages, an assortment
of 2d & 3D text with different colors and creative digital
graphics.
Large to small businesses benefit in different ways from digital
& electronic billboard sign advertising.
What can INDOOR OUTDOOR PROMOTIONS & SERVICES [I.O.P.S.
PTY LTD] do for you that other billboard companies can't?
First of all we provide a digital (electronic) form of advertising.
21st Century form of advertising. Once your advertisement
is made it can be transcoded or converted into many different
forms of advertising media. These are, the list is not exhausted:
Mobile phone formats (MP4), SMS Video messaging, iPOD format,
Webcasting, Blue-Ray technology, DVD Business cards etc. Above
all we would be committed to you (client) and your billboard
campaign. We do not rest until we are both happy.
Competitive Advantage - depending on the timeframe
allocated, or how frequently you would want your advertisement
to appear within the 0-60 seconds timeframe, and the number
of screens you would want to feature your promo on, will determine
the exposure ratio for your wide audience. A longer timeframe
and more frequent exposure within the 60 seconds period on
all billboards, will help you prepare the best and most efficient
advertising campaign for a near perfect outdoor advertising
space.
Loyalty - We will engage the best possible skills
we can get in the current market situation, and will work
hard with the client to get you exactly what you want so you
don't have to spend too much time on this matter allowing
you to use your precious time on something else.
Advanced Web-Site - We would like create and advanced
and a fantastic web-based mapping program and billboard directory
that we would like to make available on-line so all our present
and future clients can find the most suitable or matching
billboard(s) to their desire any time faster.
Convenience - Our customers can pay their bills as:
Cheque & Money Order can be sent via surface mail, VISA
& Mastercard.
Newsletter - Our Newsletter, to be compiled mid 2007,
will be full of useful outdoor advertising hints, tips, and
knowhow.
Target Market Articles:
Here is a list of the articles about target market that have
been featured inside of our newsletter, Outdoor Advertising
Trends.
Are Ads That Appeal To Youths A Waste Of Time?
Believe it or not, young people are an advertiser's best investment.
Yet they are ignored and pushed aside by most salesmen. These
salesmen seem to think that selling to teenagers is a complete
waste of time. Apparently these salesmen do not want these
young people to start using their product at age 16, and continue
to use it for the rest of their lives. I'm also sure they
do not realize that teenagers and young children influence
over $160 Billion worth of their parents buying decisions
every year. This article will tell you what type of ads children
and teenagers respond to the most.
Are Ads That Appeal To Youths A Waste Of Time?
Researched By: Alex Schiller, IOPS Pty Ltd, Perth Western
Australia
Believe it or not, young people are an advertiser's best investment.
Yet they are ignored and pushed aside by most salesmen. These
salesmen seem to think that selling to teenagers is a complete
waste of time. Apparently these salesmen do not want these
young people to start using their product at age 16, and continue
to use it for the rest of their lives. I'm also sure they
do not realize that teenagers and young children influence
over $160 Billion worth of their parents buying decisions
every year.
Children (Age 0-12)
Some people think that they should not waste their time and
money advertising to a six-year old child. However, these
people could not be more wrong. Young children spend an average
of $11 billion each year on items of their choice. Six-year
olds today own and purchase toys, clothes, food, computer
games, DVD movies, pagers, CD's, four-wheelers, and even stereo
systems.
Youths & Media
Young children respond most to television and internet ads
because these ads are interesting to them. These youths view
an average of three and a half hours of television every single
day. The majority of this television time is weekday afternoons
and Saturday mornings.
Youths click on internet ads more than any other age group.
Perhaps this is because they do not ignore advertising as
much as older people do, or they enjoy the colorful moving
graphics.
Ad Designs for Children
Young children are attracted to fun, humorous, exciting ads.
They care more about the neat features of toys, and how good
a snickers bar tastes than the price of a certain product.
Perfection is another appealing quality for children. Most
youngsters try to please their parents and teachers by doing
exactly what they are told exactly when they are told. They
try to be perfect or more commonly known as "Daddy's
Little Angel." So it's no wonder why children are going
to want the products that have the perfect models, perfect
toys, and perfect food. (Of course we all want our products
to be "perfect," but we soon realize that nothing
is perfect.)
Children tend to believe what they see in advertisements.
The reason for this is that children in this age group are
honest and expect everyone else to be the same. The Children's
Advertising Review Unit (CARU) is dedicated to making sure
all ads are true and not misleading for children.
Teenagers
Teens spend enormous amounts of cash each year ($94 billion
in 1998) because they have high disposal incomes. This means
that teenagers spend their allowances or income from part
time jobs on items they want, not things they actually need.
Being a teenager is all about fitting in with the crowd. Even
though most teens like to think of themselves as individuals,
they still dress exactly like their peers and, or idols.
Brand names are very, very important to teens. Teenagers don't
just buy a pair of shoes; they buy a pair of Adidas or Nikes.
Most teens tend to feel unimportant, unpopular, and unhappy
if they don't wear top of the line clothing, shoes, and accessories.
However, teens are always looking for discounts, contests,
sales, and any way to save money so they can buy more stuff.
They are not ready for responsibilities like paying bills
(exception: cell phones & pagers which most parents pay).
Instead, they prefer to pay at the time the purchase is made.
Teens & Media Types
According to a recent survey by Teenage Research Unlimited
(TRU), radio is the most effective way to reach teenagers.
Television ranked second, and magazines came in third place.
Newspapers rated at the bottom of this survey. This makes
perfect sense because most teenagers stay in their bedrooms
to listen to music, study, watch television, surf the web,
and drive places to meet friends. The radio is usually turned
on during four out of the five listed favorite teenage pass-times.
Since radio is so popular with teens it only makes sense to
design music oriented ads for teens. Of course you can place
ads on the radio to reach these teen, but by you can also
get a popular rock group or singer to endorse your product.
If a popular musician starts using your product, the teenage
fans would definitely notice and start using the same exact
product.
Over 48% of teens read at least one magazine per month. Boys
tend to read more gaming magazines, and girls are interested
in magazines about young celebrities.
Ad Designs for Teens
The best way to design ads for teens is to go back to your
teenage years. What kind of things were you interested in?
What did you like to do in you spare time? What caught you
attention?
Now update your answers. Instead of listening to A-Tracks,
young people today listen to CD's, instead of having a picnic
in the woods teens today "cruise" malls, and instead
of reading a book, teens today go see the movie or watch it
on a DVD. Some of these things will still be the same, like
wanting to dress like the most popular boy or girl at school
so you'll fit in.
Next take all of these positive emotions that have resurfaced
and design your ads in a way that will make today's teenagers
feel the same emotions.
Finally, make your product relate to these emotions. Show
teenagers how using your cell phone will make them feel hip
and up-to-date. Emotions sell products.
Don't forget to try humorous ads. They rank number 1 for people
of all ages.
Last but not least, remember that what's popular with teens
today may not be popular tomorrow. As an advertiser, we must
stay up to date with the latest trends in order to have effective
ads.
Conclusion:
Television advertising is the best way to catch the attention
of younger children. As these children grow up, they spend
less time watching TV and more time on-line, listening to
the radio, and reading magazines.
Always remember that young people do not earn a lot of money,
but most of them do not save money at all. The few youths
that do save their money save it in order to buy the latest
pair of shoes, cell phone, or comic book. For these reasons
you should now see why young people truly are a gold mine
for advertisers.
Should your ads appeal to the elderly?
People today are living longer than ever. For example, in
the United States, 12.4% of the population is over age 65.
However, most advertisements do not appeal to people over
age 65. Did you know that people over age 50 eat out more
than any other population group? Yet a majority of ads today
are designed to appeal to people between the ages of 35 and
55. People ages 35 to 55 usually have mortgages, children,
credit card debit, work-related expenses, college tuition
and so on.
Should your ads appeal to the elderly?
People today are living longer than ever. In the United States,
12.4% of the population is over age 65. However, most advertisements
do not appeal to people over age 65.
Did you know that people over age 50 eat out more than any
other population group? Yet a majority of ads today are designed
to appeal to people between the ages of 35 and 55. People
ages 35 to 55 usually have mortgages, children, credit card
debt, work-related expenses, and college tuition.
Guess what, the grandparents have few if any of these expenses.
We all know how helpful our parents and / or grandparents
can be when we have a lot of expenses. Elderly people may
not purchase a lot of products for themselves, but they love
to buy things for their grandchildren.
Designing ads for people over age 65 Colors
Bright colors get more attention than dark dreary colors.
Yellow and red get more attention than any other color. I
do not recommend using neon or fluorescent colors on ads because
these colors are usually associated with bars and casinos.
Be sure to use a dark background with light copy or a light
background with dark copy. For billboard ads, do not use a
medium to dark color (red) on a medium to dark color (black,
green, blue) because it will be very difficult to determine
where the copy starts and ends. Elderly people will have the
most trouble trying to read ads with similar colors.
Try to use three colors or less. Too many colors make advertisements
look busy and can be confusing. You can read more about colors
and their meanings by clicking here.
Simplicity
Unfortunately our vision declines with age. As we age, we
are not able to see things as clearly as we used to. For this
reason, ads that are designed for people over age 65 should
have bigger copy and graphics. They should not have a lot
of words because the more words used on a sign, the harder
is will be to read. Instead these advertisements should be
very clear with few graphics and words. The more simple and
ad is the more effective it will be. Read more about the importance
of simplicity by clicking here.
Copy
The general rule of billboard advertising is to use a total
of 8 words or less on every sign. This rule must strictly
be enforced when designing ads for elderly people. In fact
your ad will be more effective if you use less than 8 words.
The size of copy is also important. Normally we recommend
that all copy be at least 1 ½ feet tall. However for
people that don't see very well, all copy should be at least
2 feet tall.
The font of your ads should be plain, bold and easy to read.
Yes these fonts can be boring, but they are very successful
on billboard advertisements. A few good fonts to use are listed
below.
• Arial Black
• Folio Bold
• Eras Bold
Fancy scripts can be difficult for young people to read, and
almost impossible for older people to read. Remember that
you only have about 3 seconds to get a consumers attention.
Every billboard is only viewed for an average of 7 seconds
so if a word is a little hard to read chances are it won't
be read at all!
Graphics
Of course we've all heard the old saying "A picture is
worth a thousand words." With this in mind, it is easy
to see why pictures are so effective.
Use big pictures instead of words as much as possible because
pictures are viewed quicker and easier than words. It also
takes less time and effort to determine your message with
a huge picture than it does to read three words. For example,
instead of saying "Turn Left," put a picture of
an arrow pointing to the left.
Characteristics and Buying Habits of the Elderly
By the time people reach age 65, they either have enough money
to maintain a comfortable lifestyle, or they are watching
every dime. The people that are very careful with their expenses
are attracted to things (ads) that will help them save money.
However, the people with large retirement funds, stocks, bonds,
etc. are more concerned about the quality of the product than
the product's price.
The majority of people over age 65 are not into technology
like the younger generations. Most elderly people are uncomfortable
ordering things online. They prefer to order by mail or telephone.
So always be sure to include a phone number on all of your
ads.
Older people do not like changes and sometimes get confused
with all the new options we have today. A good example of
this is computerized phone systems that make you push several
buttons before you get to speak to an actual person. The older
generation tends to get confused and frustrated with all these
options. This will cause them to get irritated and hang up
the phone without ordering anything.
Unfortunately in today's society, people are very cautious
because of all the scams and con-artists in the world. For
this reason, we only buy products or services from people
we think we can trust. Elderly people have been scammed more
than any other group of people, so they are even more cautious,
and rightfully so.
Putting it all together
Remember that people over age 65 can not spend a lot of time
looking at billboards, so it is our job to make the designs
simple, quick to read, and pleasing to the eye. You can do
this by using a combination of large words and pictures.
Don't forget the importance of advertising for the elderly.
Be among the few advertisers that design ads for the elderly
and your sales will increase.
Sources:
Oliver, Anthony "Shopping Through the Ages" August
19, 2002
"Eating Out - Transforming Meals from Waist Expanders
to Health Enhancers"
U.S. Census Bureau
What Do Men and Women Want in Advertising?
We all know that men and women were created equal in the beginning.
However, when it comes to buying habits, are men and women
really from two different planets? This article will show
you what type of ads appeal to men and women. This is a powerful
article that you can't afford to miss.
What Do Men and Women Want in Advertising?
We all know that men and women were created equal in the beginning.
However, when it comes to buying habits, are men and women
really from two different planets? This article will show
you what type of ads appeal to men and women.
Women
Women purchase over 85% of all products. They also influence
the buying decisions of 95% of all goods and services. Surprisingly,
women purchase over 50% of all products classified as "male
products."
Females pay more attention to details than males do. They
always seem to notice when something is out of place or missing.
Women tend to remember the exact arrangement of the furniture
used in an ad, and they even notice the small vase behind
the actors or models.
Women do not compete as much as men. Instead they are usually
more understanding and sympathetic. Females also like objects
of sentimental value. They like to feel special and unique.
Since women are able to use both sides of their brain more
equally than men, they are able to communicate with others
better. This will increase their emotional response, which
will then cause females to purchase certain products.
Most women are very concerned about their appearance. They
like to have a wide selection of products to choose from.
An example of this is shampoo. It comes in varieties for dry
or damaged hair, blonde hair, fine or oily hair, colored or
permed hair, straight hair, curl enhancing, voluminzing, etc.
Women respond more positively to advertisements than men do.
They also tend to believe ads more than men. For these reasons,
research has shown strong evidence that advertising is most
effective when it targets women.
Men
Males tend to see the big picture of things, and they do not
notice details. Males love shortcuts and anything that can
make their life easier. Men like objects that signal leisure
and financial gains.
Competition is a common thing with men. They hate to lose,
and always want to be the best.
Men do not want to seem concerned about their appearance or
fashion. They are very concerned about their images. Males
do not want to appear weak or to self-involved. For this reason,
they like simple thing with few options.
More males are colorblind than females. They usually can not
see red and green as two separate colors. For this reason,
you should separate red and green items or text in your ads.
Men tend to recognize the Sponsor of ads more than women do.
However, men also have a greater resistance to advertising.
Males think advertisements are dull and boring (unless an
attractive person is in the ad).
Colors
The colors you use for your advertisements are very, very
important. This is because the colors and graphics in your
ads capture the attention of your consumers. In order to produce
an effective ad, you must make it appeal to your target market.
Studies have shown that men prefer bright colors and women
like softer colors. Remember that men like simple things.
The same is true with colors. For example, men prefer red
to burgundy, or blue to turquoise. Most men only know the
basic colors like red, blue and green. They do not know (or
care) what color flax or salmon is. Advertisements with yellow
and blue are more effective with men than women. However,
men like orange better than yellow. Females like yellow better
than orange and red better than blue. Orange is the least
favorite color for women. Yellow and red is a proven effective
color combination.
Blue is the most popular color for both men and women. Green
is also a
good color for advertisements that that target both men and
women.
How can you apply this information to your ads?
When you create advertisements that target women, you can
put a few more details in them. Be careful, don't go overboard.
Too much information can be confusing and hard to read.
Advertisements that are designed for women are more effective
at catching the attention of men.
Remember to make women feel special and important. Men like
simplicity, so give them fewer options and more action.
Learn more about designing great ads, and find out what colors
mean to your customers.
Products and Services
INDOOR OUTDOOR PROMOTIONS & SERVICES aims at having a
few Electronic Mobile Sign Billboards on roads, in Perth,
Western Australia, then to further expand to other states
and territories, in Australia.
Indoor Outdoor Promotions & Services [I.O.P.S. Pty Ltd]
provides mobile digital electronic media practically for any
event you could imagine!
You can use our services effectively any time you want to
increase your visibility and directly hit your target audience!
These are just a few suggestions:
• Conventions
• Grand Openings
• Special Event Marketing
• Product Introduction
• E- Commerce
• Movie Releases
• Airport & traveling
• Industrial, Health & safety Campaigns
• Casino & Clubs Adverts
• Spring Break
• Sporting Events (in & around
stadiums)
• Political Functions and Pre-elections
• Freeways, highways & road
side (depending on license requirements & approvals)
How are going to carry the message for our clients? We would custom design and build small vehicles (light
trucks approx. 2-3.5Ton, 3.5-5m long) that will be designed
and fitted with Plasma screens on three sides of the truck,
specifically for displaying what our clients want to communicate
and advertise to a larger community. The size of the Plasma
screens will vary from time to time, as this will depend on
the periodical updates and technological changes that will
occur. Also in consideration will be taken the technological
changes, price, and environmental changes - such as outdoor
brightness & daytime screenings.
These mobile digital display trucks won't haul freight and
they won't carry passengers. In short they're traveling billboards,
that bring your message anywhere you choose in any city or
state.
In addition, to further entice consumers, we could provide
- free of charge- distribution of articles (brochures, posters
etc) that you make available to our drivers.
How do we price out our electronic digital media - mobile
vehicles?
Proposals and pricing are done on an individual basis. The
following factors are taken into account when planning an
electronic digital mobile outdoor project:
• Month of the Year
• Number of vehicles in each market
• Market area (South side, North
side Perth and Metropolitan areas), Country area
• Length of time in each market
• Number of Displays in a 0-60
seconds timeframe
• Length of prolonged (constant)
exposure in a 0-60 seconds timeframe
To cover the cost of fuel, there will be a mileage fee applicable
for outer suburban areas and country areas and also an initial
posting fees for both CBD/Metro and country areas.
Vehicle Features
• Strictly dedicated to advertising
• Guaranteed to Accommodates at
least 2 x Plasma or LCD screens, with minimum 1m x 1m wide
(screen size subject to change according to our affordability)
but we are aiming to have three electronic screens fitted
on each mobile truck. Due to natural and bright lighting (sun
glare) we are constantly trying to improve and adapt a better
viewing of the outdoor electronic advertising, mobile billboards.
Some trucks will be equipped with lighting for a nicer visual
effect and better exposure.
Staffed with drivers familiar with the areas and suburbs
contracted to cover.
For design specifications please see Artwork Specs document.
Digital Retailing Content Encoding
The 21st Century is going to be a banner year for all those
involved in digital retailing, digital merchandising, interactive
kiosks, dynamic digital signage, narrowcasting, captive audience
networks, electronic billboards and signs, and all of the
related product and service industries. I'm especially excited
by some of the new products and features that WireSpring will
be rolling out with new versions of our FireCast software
for kiosks and digital signs in the coming months.
Today, though, I thought I'd try to shed a bit of light on
something crucial to both the tech and business sides of digital
retailing, namely content encoding. Whether running big-screen
digital signs or attract content on kiosk touchscreens, your
digital media needs to look great to attract attention and
please your customers. And while many digital media network
owners still consider the realm of video codecs, compression
rates, quantizers and artifacting to be something of a black
art, there are a plethora of new tools and guides on the Internet
that try to demystify the process and help you produce great
looking output right from a standard PC. And while the subject
of encoding video could fill several volumes, I thought I'd
provide just a bit of background information here, and then
point out some useful links.
First and foremost, adhere to the principle of GIGO - that
is - garbage in, garbage out. If you start with poor quality
source content, you will end up with poor quality output.
You could be using ultra-high bit rate DV (digital video)
coming from state of the art equipment, but if it doesn't
look crisp and clear, all the tech in the world isn't going
to help you.
Second, some kinds of content compress, transmit, and display
better than others. While you should be adhering to a few
basic principles to make sure your content has the maximum
impact, there are a few other things to keep in mind as well:
If your screens have text, always make it as big as possible.
Text on a moving background is not only hard to read, it also
doesn't compress well. Large blocks of color do compress well,
while gradients and fades do not. Don't rely on subtle detail
to carry your message, be bold and direct. Finally, use contrast
to your advantage. It can make text more readable and animated
content more eye-catching.
Third, for all practical purposes (and still keeping in mind
point #1 above), the format of your source video content will
probably make a difference. Unless you're dealing with raw
video (and unless you have terabyte upon terabyte of disk
space and an amazingly fast computer, you probably aren't),
all digital video files will have some kind of compression
applied to keep file size down. On the high end of the scale
is DV, which can take between 3 and 4 megabytes per second
(25-36 Mbps) and offers the highest output quality. Consequently,
it's the best stuff to start from when encoding your own content
for kiosks or digital signs. Next on the list is MPEG-2, the
video format used for HD-TV and DVDs. MPEG-2 files are frequently
between 20-30 megabytes per minute and also offer excellent
output quality. Finally, there's MPEG-4, the newcomer on the
block, which offers output quality that can approach MPEG-2,
with file sizes only 1/3 to 1/2 as big.
As I said, DV makes great source material, but is far too
big to effectively transmit to dozens, hundreds or thousands
of computers over the Net. MPEG-2 is also a good choice for
source material (especially in higher quality, higher bit
rate variants), and can also be small enough to send over
to your devices (with a fast connection). Many graphics shops
and service bureaus are comfortable with these formats; they've
used them for years, and they are familiar with the idiosyncrasies
of each... then there's MPEG-4.
MPEG-4 was supposed to be the holy grail of video codecs,
one that would produce consistently high quality video at
a fraction of the file size of MPEG-2. While MPEG-4 files
can look amazing, and they certainly tend to be smaller than
their MPEG-2 counterparts, there are some caveats. First,
they can be harder to encode than MPEG-2 files, and can take
some trial-and-error to get set up correctly. Second, they
take a lot of CPU horsepower to encode, and the general lack
of encoding hardware means that the aforementioned trials
and errors might take over your PC for a long time. And finally,
there are a lot of different MPEG-4 codecs to choose from,
each having a different pros and cons. This last part has
been the subject of many a web review, but the best and most
comprehensive review that I've come across is found over at
Doom9.net, a resource for all things video codec-related.
These days, I recommend that everybody try out MPEG-4 to
see if it fits their application. Most of the time it produces
excellent-looking video that can be quickly transmitted over
the Internet, making for more responsive kiosk and digital
signage networks.
Brought to you by: Indoor Outdoor Promotions & Services,
PO BOX 82 Mirrabooka, 6941, Perth Western Australia
