Making the Most of Mobile Billboards

Eight Tips for Creating a Successful Transit Advertising Program

One of my favorite ways to market vended laundries is via the mobile billboard. Mobile billboards – on buses, trucks, delivery vans, taxis and light rail trains – can advertise in places where stationary billboards can’t. But, like stationary billboards, transit ads can extend for a few days, weeks or months, and target a specific geographic area.

Typically, the vehicles that carry these mobile ads tend to follow specific routes and offer strategic placement either outside and/or inside the vehicles to capture the attention of passengers, other drivers and pedestrians along the street. They can also deliver your message in the same neighborhood or proximity as other competing laundries, in and around busy city centers or shopping malls, and at special events.

Transit billboard exposures can serve multiple goals. At Continental Creative Services, we employ them for short-term, special-event promotions and long-term brand awareness. Broad market coverage results in relatively low-cost ad repetition and a lot of daily impressions.

Remember that good negotiation can bring extra value. Often, new advertisers can procure special deals, rates or packages – and with them – more bang for their advertising buck.

Here are some tips on mobile advertising:

1. Location: There are different placements for ads, depending on who you want to target. Do you want to target the people getting on a bus, driving in traffic by the bus, or pedestrians on the street? For example, if you want to target traffic, advertise on the driver’s side or tail of the vehicle. If you wish to target passengers, advertise near the exterior passenger door or inside.
2. Quick Read: Moving ads are a quick read, so keep the message short, short, short! Six words at most.
3. Colors That Stand Out: The ad should pop off of the vehicle. Don’t design an ad that’s the same color as the vehicle itself. Know the colors of the vehicles on which you’re advertising – and design your graphic and message accordingly.
4. More Visuals: Use graphics more and words less. But never forget the web address!
5. Size: Remember, if your sign is not easily visible by your target audience, even the best ad won’t make an impact.
6. Type of Ad: Wrap advertising differs from mobile billboards because wrap advertisements typically envelope the entire vehicle, or at least a large portion of it. Many laundries with pickup-and-delivery services will use a full van wrap to advertise those services. Mobile billboards are large flat surfaces, like traditional billboards, that adhere to vehicles and can be changed out as necessary.
7. Quality Designer: Don’t go price shopping on the internet for some random person or company to design your laundry’s mobile billboard. And don’t do it yourself. Choose a qualified local vendor that can design and install the ad on your behalf.
8. Frequency: Determine the length of time your ad is to run, based on your goals. If you’re advertising a promotion or grand opening, it might run only a few weeks or months. However, if you’re advertising your laundry’s drop-off wash-dry-fold service, it may run for months or even years. Just be sure to freshen it up now and then so that it doesn’t get stagnant.

At CCS, we’ve found transit advertising can create interest, reinforce a brand and bring customers through the door to take advantage of specific services – such as wash-dry-fold or special promotions.