Do you live in a high traffic area? Chances are that you share your home with these silent giants. Designed to catch a person's attention and create a memorable impression in an instant, a billboard executed well can be extremely valuable in getting a chosen message across. Due to the short timeframe in which these ads need to get through to their audience, billboards typically show large slogans, a distinctive or humorous image, and few words. These days billboards have been taken far beyond their seemingly small boundaries – literally.
Coops Paints – Paint drips off three custom banners in downtown Columbus, Ohio.
Once upon a time billboards were hand-painted, but this method was quickly replaced with the advent of digital technology. These days it's not uncommon to see billboard designs spill outside their designated space or even incorporate 3D elements.
Bloom – The world's first scented billboard emitted the scent of black pepper and charcoal.
The first scented billboard was erected in North Carolina, USA for the Bloom grocery chain, which depicted a piece of beef on a large fork. The scent of black pepper and charcoal was emitted between 7–10am and 4–7pm for nearly a month in 2010.
Thorntons – The world's first edible billboard was consumed within 3 hours of going up.
The world's first edible chocolate billboard was unvieled in London, England a few years ago. The 860lb billboard for the British chocolate company Thorntons was made with 10 chocolate bunnies, 72 giant chocolate eggs and 128 chocolate panels. Needless to say it didn't last long – the entire thing was consumed by shoppers within three hours of going up.
Billboards remain a strong and favorable form of advertising. BPS Outdoor Advertising wrote of their popularity, concluding that "perhaps it's because they reach more people for cheaper prices than any other type of media. Or perhaps it's because people are spending much more time in their vehicles now than ever before."
The Green Room Verdict: So it looks like billboards are here to stay, but what's in store for the future? Digital billboards are becoming increasingly popular due to their versatility. Whether they have a movable display from one company, or provide several companies with a different slots for certain times of day, this kind of billboard is likely to become the standard in future. Digital billboards can also incorporate an interactive element, such as this smartphone activated billboard by McDonalds where participants could win free food.
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