Taking it to the Streets

A few years ago, an outdoor advertising company came up with the promotional slogan, "Outdoor. It's not a medium. It's a large." Today, with fewer outdoor boards available relative to demand, the line could be rephrased as; "It's not a medium. It's a rare."

The decreasing frequency of outdoor boards, however, has been a blessing for advertisers according to Ric Pritchett, vice president of Carter-Pritchett Advertising. Pritchett's firm is one of Southwest Florida's primary outdoor board companies, with headquarters in North Fort Myers. "Federal regulations require 1,500 linear feet between signs on Interstate Highways, while Lee County requires 2,000 linear feet on county roads and streets. The result is more separation between advertising messages. It's kind of like extra "white space" that lets each message stand out more prominently," Pritchett explained.

That's one of the more recent changes in a medium that dates back to the rise of automotive travel and had its genesis in the venerable Burma-Shave signs. It has only grown in importance as the volume of cars and drivers has increased each year.

What makes outdoor such a powerful medium? According to Greg Weichert, Media Director at Spiro & Waites, it is a combination of the following characteristics:

Persistence. An outdoor board doesn't disappear after the commercial ends or the publication is thrown away. It stays for the full term of its contract.

Frequency. Depending on its location, an outdoor board tends to be seen by the same people each day as they complete their routines of going to and from work or shopping.

Reach. At the same time, Outdoor Advertising Association of America statistics indicate that outdoor boards reach 93 percent of the target market each week, second only to TV and only by one percentage point.

Cost Efficiency. The average Cost Per Thousand (CPM) to reach adults aged18 and older in the top 100 markets ranges from 85 percent to 93 percent less than other mass media.

Locality. Each message can be tailored to the precise place in which it is located, such as "Turn right at the next exit" directional copy or messages that relate to specific neighborhoods.

Interactivity. With the market penetration of cellular telephones, an outdoor message can include a telephone number with some expectation that it will be responded to by a driver or passenger while still on the road.

Creative Opportunity. Outdoor is unique in the size of the canvas upon which you may express your message. It also offers extensions and projections. In some markets, electronic displays are possible. One advertiser in New York's Time Square put up a cut-away of an actual airplane, complete with seats and "live" passengers.

Outdoor can be used for immediacy of message, long-term awareness and brand building. For quick and local results, Pritchett tells about a motel owner who called to ask if his board was down for repainting because the number of his walk-ins fell off. It was.

For brand building, think of "Altoids. The Curiously Strong Mint," which realized market share five times higher in markets where outdoor was used vs. those without outdoor. That's one reason why the Bradenton Herald is using extensive outdoor to introduce its new East Manatee Herald. Jim Lamm, Director of Marketing and Circulation, says, "I'm so happy with the way outdoor lets us flesh out our media mix that it is receiving a major portion of our budget. With outdoor, we can tailor each message to the location in which it appears, while building overall awareness of The Herald as the newspaper "Where Your World Comes Home."

While this article has focused on conventional painted bulletins and 8-sheet and 30-sheet posters, there are other forms of "out-of-home advertising," as it is known. These include telephone kiosks, painted walls, painted busses, transit cards and bus shelters. Teresa Trumble, General Manager of Lamar Advertising in Fort Myers, whose company offers illuminated bus shelters as well as large posters, points out, "With the decrease in available outdoor boards, bus shelters have become another way to reach your market. Because they are at street level and illuminated, they reach the occupants of every car driving by, day and night. Because they are on bus routes, you are assured of heavy traffic flows."

Of course, no medium is perfect, and outdoor has its limitations. Chief among them is that your message must be communicated in 7 to 10 seconds. This requires a creative approach that is crisp, succinct and to the point, couched in graphics that are attention getting and relevant. Come to think of it, these are good standards for any advertising to meet. In fact, it was the late David Ogilvy who said, "If you want to know how good your advertising idea is, try to execute it as a billboard."

So what does it take to make an effective outdoor message?

** Start with an idea. Sure, you can throw some words and a directional arrow up there. But if you really want your message to be noticed and remembered, and to stimulate action, give people something to chew on. That's what Chik-fil-a is doing with its cows that tell us to "Eat More Chikin." That's putting meat in your message.

** Keep your copy down to seven words or less. At intersections, where traffic may have to wait for a light, a few more words may be okay. But come up with words that capture the imagination of your market. Some good current examples are the "messages from God" advertisements seen throughout Lee County. Even though they are white type on black, expressions like "Don't make me come down there..." communicate memorably and effectively.

** Use graphics that give synergy to your message. It's not enough simply to support the message. The combination of the words and pictures should result in an impression that is stronger and more compelling than either does alone. A classic example is the old Volkswagen board that showed a group of nuns exiting a VW bus with the words, "Mass Transit."

** Use colors that are eye-catching and typefaces that are easy to read at 50 miles per hour. But always be relevant to your message and your market in your selection of type and graphics. Attention for attention's sake is quick to fade. It can even stimulate resentment.

** Think outside the box. Look to extensions and projections to break through the frame of the board. You add interest and visibility. An example is the Tarpon Cove board on I-75 that uses a large, three-dimensional fishing lure to make its point.

Follow these guidelines, and your outdoor advertising won't be just a medium. It will be well done.

William Ernest Waites is chairman and co-creative director of Spiro & Waites Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations. His experience includes extensive work at Proctor & Gamble, Young & Rubicam and Ogilvy & Mather advertising agencies.