Marketing Communications

Chapter 11 : Outdoor Advertising

Outdoor Advertising

History of Outdoor Advertising

Types of Outdoor Media

Signs
Posters
Hoardings and Billboards
In-store Media
Balloons
Inflatables
Advertising at Airports
Mass-transit Advertising
Mobile Billboards

Benefits of Outdoor Advertising

Reaches More Viewers
Cost Efficiency
Proximity to Purchase Locations
Scope for Creativity
Reach Specific Target Customers
Captive Audience
Constant Exposure
Longevity
Enhances the Effectiveness of Other Media

Chapter Summary

Outdoor advertising refers to advertising activities carried on by a firm using public display media. Outdoor advertising includes signs, billboards, posters, aerial and transit displays. A sign can be any outdoor display of lettering, parts of letters, figures, numerals, phrases, sentences, emblems, devices, designs, trade names or marks or a combination of them.

They are made visible to the public and are intended to advertise a firm, commodity, or a product. An advertiser can choose from a myriad of signs depending on his communication objectives and the target audience. Some of the signs that he can consider are – projecting signs, roof signs, wall signs, free standing signs, marquee signs and backlit awnings.

A poster is a bill or placard containing a message that is displayed in a public place. Posters are often decorated with various designs to attract the attention of customers towards the message. Hoarding is a large board used for displaying advertisement posters. Hoardings are usually erected on roadsides or in locations that attract huge crowds.

Their large size and the colorful images that appear on them make hoardings popular with customers. Firms also use mobile billboards for advertising. A billboard is placed on the back of a mobile truck and driven along the city routes, through which prospective customers are expected to travel.

Outdoor advertising entered a new phase when firms took to advertising on media like balloons, inflatables, transit vehicles, and public places like bus shelters, railway stations and airports. These modes of outdoor advertising have increased the effectiveness of advertisers’ messages and have also facilitated target advertising.

At present, more and more marketers from varied industries are turning to outdoor advertising to increase the effectiveness of their promotional campaigns. Telecom service providers like Tata Indicom, Bharathi Mobile Ltd., Reliance Infocomm and Hutchison have already allotted a major portion of their advertising budgets for outdoor advertising.

The benefits of outdoor advertising are: better reach, cost efficiency, ability to reach specific target audience, scope for creativity, longevity and constant exposure. Apart from these benefits, outdoor advertising also helps in enhancing the effectiveness of advertisements run in other traditional media like radio, television, newspapers and magazines.

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