A study done by Outdoor Advertising Association of America in 1999 determined that people look at seventy percent (70%) of the billboards they pass. Of these billboards, sixty three percent (63%) are actually read. Automatic changing message signs catch ninety five (95%) of the people that pass them. Eighty Seven percent (87%) of these people actually read the signs. Knowing these percentages and the daily effective circulation, you can determine approximately how many people will see your advertisement each day. The resulting exposure is greater than all other out of the home advertising which makes billboards a more effective means of outdoor communication.
A newspaper is only good for a day and a television commercial only lasts about thirty seconds. However, a billboard ad is working for you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The cost of billboard advertising ranges from about $700 to $2,500 a month. At that rate, ten billboards could run as much as $25,000 per month. That sounds like a lot of money, until you realize that a full-page ad running for one day in a major newspaper costs about the same.
Advances in technology have also contributed to billboard advertising’s cost efficiency. In the past, billboards had to be hand-painted a time-consuming and costly venture. But with today’s computer technology, billboards are designed on a computer screen, printed to vinyl or poster paper, and glued to the billboard structure. The result: Higher quality ads in less time for less money.
Bill board advertising has the ability to enhance the overall effectiveness of reaching more people cheaply by broadening the reach and frequency of a given message. Consequently, bridging the gap between