Have you noticed? Trinidad is being overtaken by what some see as a scar to the landscape; the ubiquitous billboard. Long a part of a brand’s marketing communications artillery, it was once dominated by fast moving consumer goods like beer, soft drinks, cigarettes and the like. Now you are just as likely to see your mobile telephone, investment bank, insurance or optical company pedalling their wares. What has caused this?
Well not too long ago Trinidad had 2 dailies, 2 TV stations and a couple radio stations. Now there are 3 dailies, 8 local TV stations, 30 plus radio stations. Today we also have cable and the internet. All of this media proliferation means that it has become harder to find consumers via media advertising only.
So marketers have turned to billboards. Only thing that some of them think the billboard is a press ad. So they take their press ad and sized it 40 by 20. Wrong! The adage less is more applies here. More important however, is that the billboard’s design must be approached so as to maximize its unique properties. One main advantage is its size . How do you use the billboard’s size and almost limitlessness (compared to a tabloid) to interpret your brand’s core essence. Once you see your billboard it should be easy for a 6 year old to figure out what your brand stands for. Full stop. A billboard is not the place to list all the selling points of your campaign. There is probably a greater responsibility for this medium to be interesting, informative or entertaining given that it cannot be avoided and you can’t choose not to come into contact with it as is the case with media ads.
So resist the temptation to make your billboard a blown up press ad. Have fun with it. And make sure it’s a daily reminder of what your brand stands for. And one more thing. Don’t leave it up after it has faded or your brand will fade with it.
