Due to the habits of the American consumer, (see “Reason for Outdoor Ads” and “Viewing Habits”), outdoor advertising has become more important for businesses and services, who need to get their message to a large segment of the adult population. The need, and demand for outdoor advertising has created new alternative forms of outdoor advertising that have been noted by the news, and trade journals.

In the past outdoor advertising was dominated by the large outdoor displays known as billboards. Due to the demand of businesses and services that have come to rely on outdoor advertising the industry has grown and changed. There now exists a large array of outdoor advertising products that can be used in combination or individually, so that every business, large or small can benefit from the impact of outdoor advertising. Of course, not every form of outdoor advertising is available in every market.

PERMANENT DISPLAY

Fixed to a particular site for either, three, six or a twelve-month period. The shorter the duration the more expensive, since the cost of production and installation have to be either recovered by the vendor or paid in advance by the advertiser. These locations are used as either directional or awareness signs, in order to target a select audience, who are driving past the location daily.

ELECTRONIC DISPLAY

The latest innovation in outdoor advertising brings to billboards the performance of computer monitors. These units are composed of Light Emitting Diodes (LED) that are capable of either full motion video (a television commercial without sound) or static motion video (the advertisement changes every six seconds). The benefit of these units is that the advertiser can change their message at a moments notice, and usually without charge. As an example, a football team can advertise who they are playing three days before the game, the results of the game on game day, and then who they are playing next.

TRIVISION DISPLAYS

Due to the demand and demographics of certain billboard locations, many advertisers request the same location. The company may equip the billboard with a unit that mechanically changes every two to six seconds, so that at any given time, one of three advertisers on the same billboard unit will be visible from the roadway. This concept is most prevalent in Orlando, Florida, and other metropolitan areas where demand exceeds the supply for billboard signs.

ROTARY DISPLAY

This program is considered the premiere use of outdoor due to the customers opportunity to move to a new location every 60 days. This gives the advertiser the “reach and frequency” to different roadways and hence different audiences. The cost of this program is usually two to three times that of that of the Permanent Display, since the vendor must incur the expense of moving the advertiser’s message every two months, and must leave certain inventory open, in order to rotate the messages.

WALLSCAPES

These are signs that vary in their dimension, and are usually mounted on the side of buildings in the inner cities, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc. They are usually much larger than billboards, and can occupy the entire side of a windowless wall of a building. Lately, there has been an advance in the materials, upon which the signs are printed. Walls with windows can be covered with signs, and not obstruct the view of those windows.

Wallscapes have existed prior to the billboard. These signs have been prohibited by sign ordinances from new cities, such as Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Florida; and Atlanta, Georgia.

8 SHEET POSTER PANELS

These signs measure 6 x 12 or 72 square feet, and are usually mounted on a single pole, ten to fifteen feet off the ground. They are frequently placed in dense inner city areas or urban neighborhoods that do not permit the construction of billboards or 30 sheet displays. They are usually used to advertise to a narrow market of viewers for brand awareness, or local business that service the area in which these signs are located.

MOBILE ADVERTISING

Necessity the mother of creativity, 30 sheet and 8 sheet-sized signs are being mounted on flatbed trucks that are constantly driven along major roadways, in order to get that advertiser’s message to a target audience. This concept is in use in New York, New York, Los Angeles, and other major cities with restrictive sign ordinances.