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Are Billboards More Effective Than Print Media Advertising?

By Jenna Bruce on Tue, Aug 05, 2014 @ 10:53 AM |

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I won’t keep you in suspense; the answer to the question posed in the title of this post is no, billboard advertising is not better or more effective than print media advertising. If you’re Nike and you have an in-exhaustive advertising budget, and you’re trying to launch your latest and greatest sneaker, then billboards may be a good addition to your overall marketing strategy.  But if you’re a local business owner with limited funds, you need a media channel that will reach your target demographic and deliver a return on your investment.

Here’s why you should trust your budget to print media advertising instead of billboard advertising:

Billboard messages have little staying power

According to Marketing Scoop, the average person will see a billboard ad for about two or three seconds. This means the message has to be incredibly short and to the point. People scan billboards as they drive Are Billboards More Effective Than Print Media Advertising?by (normally at rapid speeds) so the text has to be large enough to scan while in motion. This means your entire ad may be an image with two or three words, max. Hopefully your marketing department is creative enough to come up with a campaign that’s short and sweet and memorable.

Print, on the other hand, allows for various ad sizes to suit any budget. You may have a lot of text or little text, add an image or keep it copy only; the choice is entirely up to you. Print ads also have more staying power. People see the ad, cut it out and keep it on hand. The paper or magazine may even be passed on to a friend or family member who sees the ad and cuts it out to keep it on hand.

Billboards are an expensive commitment

You can imagine the time, energy and money it takes to change out a billboard ad, which is why most billboard companies charge so much and require advertisers to enter into long-term contracts. If your campaign strategy requires multiple messages delivered at specific times, billboards simply cannot deliver.

But you know what can? Print. You can request an important change be made to your ad on a Friday and that new and improved ad appears in Sunday’s paper generating sales.

Billboard ads have less impact

Sure they’re big, but that doesn’t mean billboard ads have much impact. Many commuters are subjected to dozens of billboards each day, and after awhile, it becomes all too easy for drivers to ignore them. Even if their eyes notice the ad, it doesn’t mean the person has internalized the message. In advertising, Are Billboards More Effective Than Print Media Advertising?that's a fail.

It is far easier to connect with readers through print media ads because they choose when to view your ad; they are in charge of the communication and when they read your message, it lands.

No niche marketing

There are times being visible to everyone has its advantages, like when you’re the sun. But for most advertisers, a successful campaign means having the ability to target your message to your ideal prospects, something billboard advertising simply can’t do.

But targeted messaging is something print does extremely well. Ads can easily be placed and read in periodicals by people who are the most likely to buy those products or services. That’s niche marketing at its best.

Extensive regulations 

Outdoor advertising is subject to extensive governmental regulation at the federal, state and local levels. County and municipal governments typically have sign controls as part of their zoning laws. Depending on where you conduct business, you may find your local government prohibits the construction of new billboards. Some may allow new construction but only if it replaces existing structures. Generally speaking, advertising through billboards will put you face-to-face with some kind of restrictions whether those refer to zones, spacing or height.

Print media, not so much.

If you have a large budget and your campaign’s focus is on brand recognition, then by all means, sign the long-term contract, deal with the regulation headaches, and hand over your ad spend. If, on the other hand, you need to make every penny count and want your message to be read by only those prospects who are candidates for actual sales, stick with what always works: print media advertising.

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