A billboard
is the largest of the outdoor boards, measuring 14' x 48' and
are typically located alongside freeways and expressways, and
are nearly always illuminated. Posterboards/poster panels/30sheets
are smaller, measuring 12' x 14' and are typically found alongside
surface roads, on buildings, and within towns and cities, and
are not illuminated as often as billboards.
Illumination
is a priority, unless you are in a very rural area where the town
shuts down at dusk. Without illumination, your sign is working
from 7:00 am to 4:00 or 5:00 PM in the winter.
Whenever you
are considering an outdoor buy, make sure you do one very critical
thing-ride the boards! Ridding the boards is when you actually
get in your reps car, and have him drive you around, so that you
can personally inspect each and every available board. What you
are looking for is the length of read time when driving an average
speed for the road under average weather conditions. A billboard
averages a 2-5 second read time in non-commute traffic. Also look
for a good read angle that is easy and comfortable to read, and
minimal foreground or background clutter or distractions around
the board. Make notes about each location/number (each board has
a number). Look at traffic levels for each location, and the type
of traffic. In other words, certain areas will have more up-scale
cars, and others will have more blue-collar cars depending on
the neighborhood and local businesses. Look at the overall condition
of the structure itself, and the quality of the boards the company
can produce.
Next, ride
the boards at night, about one hour after sunset. If the boards
are not illuminated within one hour after sunset, the company
is not on their toes. Make sure the illumination is bright enough,
and that it evenly illuminates the entire board. Check for flickering
or partially burned out lights. Make sure the read is still sufficient
at night. Some boards get better at night, and some get worse.
Now that you
know which locations look best by day, which by night, and which
by day and night, based on read time, angle, lack of clutter,
closeness to the road, etc, you are ready to look at the DEC Counts
for all the ones you like. DEC Counts are the daily effective
circulation, or the average number of adults 18+ exposed per day
to a particular board. The Traffic Audit Bureau (TAB) is an independent
audit company that certifies each boards circulation numbers.
Outdoor companies
also rate their boards in GRP's (Gross Rating Points), but this
is a very odd thing, when you consider that outdoor is a printed
medium, and GRP's is a rating system for electronic media. Be
that as it may, when you see a board with a GRP rating, cut that
number in half, which will give you a more realistic basis for
comparison and value against electronic GRP's.
You will also
hear the term "showing." A package of boards with a
#50 showing for example, will generate duplicated exposure opportunities
equal to 50% of the market population on a daily basis. When bought
as a package, you will see typical showing sizes of #25, #50,
#75 and #100.
Showings are
measured by GRP's, and a #50 showing is the same as 50 GRP's.
When you buy a showing package, you typically pay less per board
than if you spot buy or cherry pick particular boards. What is
best depends entirely on your objectives.
The price for each board will be based primarily on three criteria:
size (billboard or posterboard), DEC or GRP rating, and illumination.
Some may have a premium or discount price for exceptionally good,
or below average read times, clutter factor, etc.
Your price
will also depend on how many boards you buy, how long of a contract
you commit to, and wether they will be painted, paper, or vinyl
boards. Paper lasts for 30 days, but is very cheap to produce.
Vinyl lasts for 6-12 months, but is fairly costly. Vinyl is always
cheaper than paper if you will have the board for 12 months. You
can expect to pay $800-$1,200 per vinyl billboard for the vinyl
production alone.
Who does the
artwork? Most outdoor companies do fairly poor artwork. And most
graphic designers make boards way too busy and confusing to be
understood in 3 seconds. Good graphic design for outdoor, believe
it or not, is difficult to find. It seems so simple, yet it can
be done improperly so easily. So here are some design tips.
Keep it simple.
10-12 words max. Use large, simple, thick fonts with 100% ink
coverage. No shadows, no screens, no gradations, no outlines.
Use the very largest font you can for the space and design. Don't
use a typeface that is too bold either. The simpler the typeface
or type style the better. Make sure there is ample spacing between
each letter. Do not use all caps. Do not use all lower case. Use
upper and lower case, like a normal person. Always put the copy
before the design in terms or priorities. A pretty design is worthless
if you can't read the copy.
Use black
on yellow, yellow on black, red on yellow, yellow on red, black
on white, or red on white. Never use pastels, mauves, grays, or
soft colors. Use bold, sharply contrasting colors that accentuate
the other. Keep it simple, but bold, and striking. How many times
have you seen one of those cutesy boards with a clever design
or picture, and tiny little writing that nobody can read at 60
MPH. And people wonder why their advertising doesn't work.
Who said outdoor
was a boring subject.
