The Eight Commandments of Outdoor Advertising
The commandments within assure a firm foundation when designing a billboard. It’s up to you to
decide what your message is and the concept that will deliver it, but if you follow these
guidelines, you’ll be a lot better off than 70% of outdoor advertisers.
1
Thou shalt not use more than 7 words.
This is hard, I know. But not a single driver in the world will be able
to read much more. Even if the billboard is at a stop light, people
won’t even want to read it if you have more copy than this.
2
Thou shalt not use irrelevant images.
Your dog doesn’t belong on a billboard just because you think he’s
cute. Only use images that help set a tone or illustrate your
concept. And unless there’s a really good reason, you don’t need
to be on a billboard. I’m not going to choose you as my real estate
agent just because I saw your face 14ʹ tall.
3
Thou shalt not use bright crazy colors inappropriately.
These colors have their place in some ads, but more often than
not, they’re misused. As if pure yellow backgrounds are really
going to make people look. Ads get attention because they’re
Article
based on a solid strategy and well-designed, not because you use
bright colors. In fact, relying on obnoxious colors can damage
your image and make you look like a sleazy used car salesman.
4
Thou shalt not use more than one point of contact.
If your ad includes a phone number, street address, directions to
your location and a website, you have three too many points of
contact. Some might even say four too many. If you make a great
ad, people will seek out your business.
5
6
Thou shalt not use starbursts.
They make you look cheap. If what you put in this starburst is that
important, it should be the main message on your billboard.
Thou shalt not use system fonts.
Stop using Arial, Impact and Times. There are much better fonts
that are far more readable. The
general public probably can’t
articulate this, but using these fonts
makes your ad look generic and hurts
your credibility. Just try something
with a little personality. Making any
font ultra-bold condensed and italic
does not qualify as personality. If it
came with your computer when you
bought it, it’s probably a good idea to
not use it.
7
Thou shalt not always include
a call to action.
'OOH is advancing at a faster
pace than most people might
have thought'
Glen Wilson
is the
managing director
at
Posterscope UK
Not every ad needs this. It’s just a
buzzword that some marketers made
up so they could sound like they knew
what they were talking about. Your
entire billboard is a call to action
whether that action is to buy
something, turn at the next light, find
more information, join a group , get
excited, generate buzz or simply be
aware that the brand exists. None of
these actions are taken simply
because you told people to do so. As
long as your billboard creates some
sort of emotional response, viewers
will decide what action they want to
take. If you don’t create an emotional
response, they won’t take any action
at all. Adding “call now” just tells
viewers that you think they’re stupid
and have no idea what to do.
8
Thou shalt not ignore thy
audience.
Take care to know who you’re
speaking to, and speak to them in the
right tone. Your target audience is not
everybody. Narrow your focus and
you’ll make more sales. The best
analogy is a shotgun versus a sniper
rifle. With a shotgun you spread your
chances of making a kill. But the
sniper rifle guarantees it.
This article was first published on
campaignlive.co.uk
Signage vol.1 No2
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