Billboards2Go.com - Blog

Now available on Smartphone, iPad or Tablet

2011-08-13T13:11:00.001-04:00

They asked for it, now they got it. Billboards-2Go mobile billboard advertising company has launched a new mobile version of its “Client Web” customer service website. Advertising clients may open the B2GclientWeb on their smartphone, iPad or tablet to access their mobile billboard campaign data, live 24/7 GPS satellite tracking along with timely comments and photographs of their campaign.

In addition, the site includes a calendar of their campaign, maps and printable proof-of-performance information including the ability to print out their entire GPS tracking schedule.

"Our mission is to continue to be the No.1 mobile billboard advertising solution provider in the USA. We accomplish this through timely and accurate resolution of ad client requests and through user-friendly client service and support options. This new version of our website enables a Billboards-2Go advertising client anywhere in the world to quickly and easily access the full range of Client Support services through a mobile Internet device”, said Andrew Miller, Billboards-2Go senior vice president and national sales manager.

Drive and Thrive

2011-02-16T15:51:00.010-05:00

Today, I’m taking you on an expedition through a jungle…the Business Jungle. Deep in this jungle, past the water cooler waterfalls and through the mountains of advertising expense and sales reports, lives a hunter named John Smith. During the past several years, John realized that the tough business environment was making it extreemly difficult to find the basic resources he needed to survive and prosper. One day, as John was wading through a river of emails he came across a subject header with the bold words “Drive and Thrive” emblazoned on it. It was information about the upcoming 2011 Business Survival Guide being created by Billboards-2Go. Inside the email were a few impressive photos and this note:

Drive and Thrive Tip #1:
Your closest audience could be your best customer.

Any seasoned survivalist will tell you that you must always be prepared. Whether it’s being ready to take on the ever-changing landscape of the economy or making the trek through the unpredictable marketing conditions of 2011, a little foresight and preparation goes a long way.

Why waist valuable resources on non-performing media? When your ad budget is lean and every dollar needs to count, you can’t throw it away on ineffective advertising. In this tough fiscal environment you need to act like a pack leader and go for the kill. Prancing around with unsuccessful advertising methods will cost you dearly. Radio and TV ads that air during off hours are basically throwing your hard earned money off the proverbial cliff. Newspapers may be more affordable but they lack the credibility of a media that is relevant. Online ads could work, but who really knows who seeing them.
There is one media that is proven to be a valuable tool in your supply of marketing weapons. That weapon is mobile billboard trucks. For grand opening, special events, brand awareness and store closings, there is no better advertising media tool than mobile billboards.

A large Mobile billboard driving around locally will reach your most desired audience… the people that are nearby your store or event. The ones that could make the direct decision to purchase your products or services. It is well documented that most retail businesses draw a high proportion of their customers from a limited geographic area. With the ability of mobile billboards to provide high-reach and frequency in a geographically confined area, dollar for dollar, you’ll spend less for more customers.

Don’t miss the adventure. Stay tuned for upcoming Drive and Thrive advertising tips!
For More Information Please Vist Billboards2Go.com

Brief Video Showing Us In Action!

2011-02-04T20:39:00.002-05:00

2011-02-01T18:54:00.008-05:00

Design Tips for Effective Mobile Billboard Ads

Where the "tires hit the pavement" or what is considered the “make or break” component of a mobile billboard ad campaign is the graphic design on the side of the billboard truck. Since I’ve been in the outdoor media business for about twenty years, I’ve a good sense of what will work and what will be a flop. I’ve run many a campaign where my clients' submitted creative could have been a lot better.

Articulating what it takes to make a great mobile billboard design is a little tougher. In this case I relied on my graphics and production manager, Russell Arthur to lend a hand with this blog post. He has put together the following information. Below, please find a brief summary on what it takes to create an effective ad design:

Creating Effective Ad Design

While there is no exact science when designing for the outdoor medium of mobile billboards, there are a few basic guidelines that should be considered to ensure better success. Mobile billboard advertising presents limitless options and approaches for creative design. There are boundless opportunities for designing effective mobile billboard advertising, but you should follow some basic rules.

The Creative Challenge

Designing mobile billboard advertising is visual storytelling. The appearance of an ad can astonish viewers with words or motivate them with pictures. Through the use of humor or drama, the designs can sway consumer judgment to sell products or services. However, designing for the mobile billboard medium is a challenging communication task that requires the expression of a concept with clarity and sober focus. When a mobile billboard is well designed, it will entertain consumers with eye-catching impact.

Basic Rules for Design

Mobile billboards are often working in traffic. The viewing audience is mostly mobile. People travel swiftly in vehicles or walk at a brisk pace while they perform the activities of daily life. Mobility limits the potential viewing time of a mobile billboard message to only a few seconds. Because of limited exposure time, mobile billboard designs require a short and snappy creative approach. However, high frequency is a fundamental strength of this medium and repeated exposures will ensure that a message is absorbed and retained over time.

Color

Designs bursting with color can evoke emotional responses that will inspire lasting impressions. Contrasting colors work best to create a sense of strength in a design.

Like sound waves, light rays have varying wave lengths of frequencies. The lighter the color, the higher the frequency. These wave lengths determine perception of color. Some pigments absorb certain light frequencies and reflect others. We see the reflected frequencies as color.

Complimentary colors as red and green together are not readily legible. They have similar value, so their wave lengths set up vibrations. Any color of similar value will have a lower visibility. However, although yellow and purple are complimentary colors, they have strong contrast in value and little vibration and provide maximum visibility. Bright, contrasting colors are the key to an effective design.

Lettering/Copy

Fonts (typeface) selected for mobile billboard designs must be easy to read from variable distances and angles. Ample spacing between letters, words and lines will enhance visibility. The relative size of letter characters is also an important consideration. The general rule is the larger the letter the easier to read.

Crowding too many letters into the design defeats the purpose. Often an advertiser (particularly many of our clients) feel they want to get their “money’s worth” by filling every square inch with sales copy. As Martha Stewart says… “Not a good thing.” With mobile billboard design, less is certainly more! A bold headline and a few lines of supportive copy should do the trick. Anything more and it will not be read, period.

Location Considerations

Mobile Billboard advertising could convey the right message, to the right audience, at the right time, in the right place. Understanding the dynamics of the marketplace is essential for designing effective mobile billboard campaigns. If possible, your design should convey a message that is relevant to the area and consumer.

Keeping it Fresh

Mobile Billboard advertising is a frequency medium that provides multiple exposures to a message throughout the full duration of a campaign period. Keeping the design fresh in terms of varying the ad creative throughout the life of the campaign is another important factor. New ads remind people who are already in the marketplace that a brand, store or service is good choice. Consistent and repeated exposure to a mobile billboard message over an extended period of time will maintain high levels of advertising awareness and recall. To avoid memory decline, multiple design executions for a campaign can be implemented simultaneously or introduced at appropriate intervals during the campaign period.

Lastly, Eight Easy To Remember Design Tips!

1. Stress product identification.
2. Use few words.
3. Choose legible typefaces.
4. All elements should work together.
5. Use big illustrations or photos.
6. Keep the background simple.
7. Use bold and vibrant colors.
8. If you’re not sure it’s needed… get rid of it!
__________________________________

Billboards2go.com has an award winning graphic design team that can help you with your creative efforts. Most simple design assistance is offered complimentary. Never hesitate to speak with us about our design services. Call, 800-772-7539 and ask to be connected with our Graphics & Production Manager, Russell Arthur.

How to survive the economic meltdown and come out a winner!

2010-02-12T13:28:00.004-05:00

A crash course in smart ad dollar spending for local retailers.
By Andrew Miller, VP, Billboards2Go.com

Like a crime victim who has been assaulted and battered, the advertiser is not sure if it’s safe to go back outside yet. They are convinced that the assailant is still out there. In this case the assailant is poorly performing media.

In today’s tough economy, it’s imperative for an advertiser to make intelligent decisions with their advertising budget. How to spend it? How to stretch it? How to get the biggest bang for the buck? The competition for consumer dollars is becoming increasingly cutthroat. The knives are really chopping when the pie shrinks to half its size. Now, more than ever it “pays to advertise” but many companies are obviously cutting back their ad budgets to save costs when in fact they should be thinking about pumping up the ad budget volume with a more effective plan.

This is where I come in… I’ve been in the outdoor media industry for decades. I’ve worked with some of the largest brands in retail, consumer goods and entertainment. I’ve been through the “boom and bust” …a few times. We all made it through then, and I know we can make it through now.

“Media Waste” is one of the biggest issues facing the smaller local retailer. Basically, they just can’t afford to have their hard earned dollars thrown away on ineffective media outlets.

Mobile Billboards have been around for more than twenty years as a recognized media category. Back in 2005, Media Life Magazine called it “the workhorse of the media industry.” I’ve always believed the “non-traditional” moniker we heard so often was slightly demeaning to the mobile billboard media segment. Mobile Billboards are justifiably one of the best venues for a local retailer, special event, or political campaign.

A traditional mobile billboard is a dedicated truck with an integral billboard component, typically a “skinny sign truck” as many call them. There are a variety of configurations from do-it-yourselfers made from an old truck and a few sheets of plywood to $100,000 dollar purpose-designed units with specialty features. For now, I’m going to speak in general terms about the media. They are trucks with “big signs” on them.

Many consumers have become immune to the numbing barrage of common advertising. I assert the fundamental value of mobile billboard advertising lies in the quality of exposures that they generate in comparison to other media. The large display of a mobile billboard means it can’t go unnoticed. You can’t click it off with a remote control. You can’t skip the page or tune to a different station. The frequency of exposure, time and place of message, etc. should be factored in also, as well as the measure of impact based on the creative. The targeting advantages of a mobile billboard is simply so profound that there is simply no other available substitute. Mobile billboards frequently provide directions to a place of business, and it’s well documented that most retail businesses draw 80% of their customers from a limited geographic area. It’s the only medium that is able to achieve complete saturation of a local market. Mobile billboards also lend a “personal touch” to a campaign. When a billboard truck arrives in your town, it seems like the advertiser is speaking more directly to the consumer.

Mobile Billboard exposures can serve multiple goals. They’re perfect for short term special event promotions or sales events. They’re indispensible for a political candidate running for local office. They also offer a very quick turnaround with short lead-time. And most importantly (for a local business) they can act as a hedge against the affront of national discount brands competing for market share.

Most advertisers need to take a closer look at how they are spending their ad dollars. It’s a fearful climate in the current economy. With Billboards 2Go, it’s safe to go back outside.

2010-02-08T18:24:00.000-05:00

In today's tough economy when it comes to spending ad dollars it's imperative to get the "best bang for your buck". I will address this and many other important out-door advertising media issues over my next blog entries. ......................................................................................

For now, thanks for stopping in and I hope you'll come back soon. ...............................................................................