Billboard Advertising
Billboard advertising can be very effective if the layout, design, and location of the billboard are chosen carefully. A billboard that is close to the interstate must capture the drivers attention and communicate the message within about 3 seconds. The drivers need to pay attention to the road, and will not spend too much time looking at the billboard if it is hard to read or contains TOO much information. Most billboards try and communicate too much info and turn out to be very ineffective billboards. Below are a few examples of good billboards, then some mediocre billboards, and then some that are just wasting advertising dollars.
The IHOP billboard above is a very good billboard and it is highly effective. I would suggest they put the distance to the exit, like Exit Vance Jackson 1 Mile.
The above “For Sale Or Lease” billboard is also a very good billboard. The website should be a little larger, and If the background was yellow, and the letters were black on yellow, it would stand out much more.
The above “Pregnant? Scared?” billboard is is a very effective. I would make the “Free, confidential counseling” a little larger, but I am certain that this generates a tremendous amount of calls. They should also put a web address on the billboard.
The above Vitamin Water Billboard is actually a pretty good billboard.
The above Texas Lottery Billoard tells you what you need to know in order to play the lottery. I don’t play, but if I did, this would be a very informative sign.
The above Dos XX Billboard is billboard is pretty good. that markets the brand, has a big logo on the right side, and a slogan that is clear. 
The above Career Point College billboard is located at an intersection in the medical center and is very straight forward and is probably very effective.
Below are some decent billboards that could use some help to increase their effectiveness. With some design changes, these billboards would be much, much more effective.
This above McDonalds billboard is a pretty good billboard, but it should indicate the next exit for a McDonald’s on the freeway, and also indicate if the drive thru is open 24 hours. Notice the small disclaimer under the Golden Arches and the empty red space below. They should increase the size of the Angus Burger and the Golden Arches and move the disclaimer further down.
The above Terramont Billboard is located on a street and the traffic is usually traveling around 35mph. When billboards are located in the city,as opposed to Freeway or interstate billboards, a little more information can be on the billboard and still be effective. They should emphasize and enlarge the “Estate Acreage Home-sites Near La Cantera”, while reducing the size of their logo. The attractive girl in the pool is taking up selling space. A larger phone number and a website address would also increase the effectiveness of the billboard.
The billboards below are innefective and are wasting a lot of money for the companies who are paying for them. With a little redisign, all of the billboards below could easily be 4-20 times more effective, all for the same amount they are currently paying for them.
I have absolutely NO idea on earth on what the above “Recession 101″ billboard is supposed to be doing! I really want to call Clear Channel and ask them who is paying for this billboard. The 1st thing taught in Recession 101 should be, Make Sure your Advertising is Effective, and this billboard should be used in the class as one of worst wastes of advertising!
The above billboard is located next to the Interstate and has WAY too much stuff in this billboard to be effective. Look how small the logo is. This is wasted money…
The above CPS billboard is one of the newer electronic billboards that changes messages every 8 seconds or so. Sign up for what? Is this to save money? Help the environment? Put an electricity generating windmill on my land? What are they trying to accomplish with this? I have no clue…I actually went to their website to sign up, but could find nothing to sign up for!
I took this picture while driving earlier today and had NO idea on earth what the billboard was for! Maybe an oil change shop? A car wash? An axle repair shop? It was not until I uploaded the picture that I noticed the SAWS logo (as it was way too small on the billboard to notice it). This billboard is a waste of money.
I have seen about 10 of these billboards around San Antonio in the last few months. My father was in the National Guard, and I have some friends that have been in the National Guard as well. Most people that I know joined the National Guard to make extra money and help out their State in the event of an emergency. This billboard is way to busy and the shows fire and lighting that would turn some people off. To me this billboard emphasizes that your life could be in danger in the near future. Although that is certainly true, the billboard should not graphically depict that. The main issue with the billboard is how small the National Guard logo is and how small the website and phone number are. These are very large billboards and the text is way to small.
The above “The Palace” billboard is ineffective on many different levels. This billboard is located downtown, which is NOT close to 410. Out of town travelers would have NO clue if this place is 1 mile away or 15 miles away. There is NO phone number or website that would allow potential patrons to find out more information. The last thing a business traveler wants to do is walk up to the front desk and ask a female clerk where The Palace Men’s Club is! The words “Men’s Club” are the most important words that depict that the club is for adult men, yet it is much smaller than the name of the club.
I have no clue what the above Pa’ Que billboard is for, and I speak some decent Spanish. I have asked a couple of friends from Mexico if they know what it is for, and they all said NO. The color stands out, but what is it for? I presume a radio or a TV show. If so, letting people know where they can listen to or see the show would be just a tad helpful.