Mobile
billboards are picking up steam in the US with more and more corporations
turning
to mobile advertising to carry their
message forward. This includes launch of new products and promotion
of tradeshows, fairs, events and retail sales.
The
success of mobile advertising stems from its higher reach and
frequency. It is also more cost efficient and allows for greater
coverage when compared to other advertising media. The
other advantages of mobile advertising are visibility, impact
and high exposure. The billboards can be displayed anywhere and
at any time.
What’s more the mobile vans can return
to the spots frequently to reinforce the advertising message.
The audience exposure is longer; there is also the advantage of
focused advertising as the vans can be stationed at strategic
points to catch the attention of the target audience.
Many clients take the assistance of global
positioning technology to station the vans in specific areas.
This also allows them to measure the return on investment in terms
of locality and the number of hours a message was displayed. The
GPS also enables the clients to track the routes taken by the
billboard vans.
It is not that there is no criticism of mobile
advertising. Several consumer groups dislike the billboard vans
crowding already busy roads and junctions. To them, mobile billboards
constitute another form of eye pollution, and driver distraction.
However, these criticisms are ignored by the industry which continues
to gallop forward on account of its unique advantages.
It normally takes two to five days to get a
campaign ready for the road, and most billboard companies seek
an advance notice of two weeks to have a campaign up and running.
The companies charge $500 to $800 to run a mobile billboard campaign
for an eight-hour day. The costs depend upon the size of billboards
and the areas through which the vans are run.
The companies also charge $1,200 to $1,600
towards the cost of building a pair of billboards. The costs come
down with the second campaign, largely because there are no production
costs. Besides vans, some companies have also started providing
mobile neon signs. These are lashed to the backs of sign carriers
who mingle with the crowds on busy streets, and cannot avoid getting
noticed.
The industry hopes to hit double digit growth
figures given the way mobile billboard advertising is growing
in the US.
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