Sit back. Close your eyes. And, let’s take a minute to imagine a better billboard. Is there alternative marketing that could make the best billboards more effective?
We could make them even bigger, though that would be a bit distracting and further mar the landscape. We could make them flash, move or change images? That’s being done, but again that might add to the distraction and be perceived as “intrusive” or trashy. We could make highway billboards more accessible and affordable to small businesses and organizations with a big message, but a small alternative marketing budget.
The purpose of a billboard is to catch the eye of all passersby, and make thousands of impressions for a brand or message to a “captive audience”. But, the very nature of an advertising billboard is to function as an uninvited distraction that is delivered (forced) on viewers. Drivers can’t opt out of seeing these advertisements and there is no way to target the people that specifically might care enough to take further action. Billboards are a spray and pray advertising technique. Impressions (good or bad) are the name of the game.
There are a number of problems with this force-fed advertising technique, most notably the high costs, with little data to monitor effectiveness. Effective alternative marketing has been moving away from this technique for years now, giving way to permission based marketing and word of mouth as the most effective marketing techniques
Here’s my vision of best alternative marketing and best billboards for business…
Don’t use traditional billboards at all, use alternative marketing tools like promotional stickers (mini-mobile-billboards) instead.
Yes, I’m a sticker guy so of course I’m going to say that, but bear with me for a minute. Let’s look at six benefits of custom bumper stickers.
1) Like best billboards car stickers catch the eye of most passersby and make thousands of impressions.
2) They are an accessible and powerful alternative marketing technique for any size business or organization.
3) They are mobile – Not rooted in one place but subtly marketing in many locations.
4) Stickers on cars are perceived (by viewers) as an endorsement (a personal “like”) not an obviously paid advertisment.
5) Custom stickers are more likely to trigger conversations – word of mouth marketing, because they are a form of social media.
6) Unlike advertising on billboards, there are no monthly payments, placement costs, or expiration dates – as long as individuals choose to push, wear or promote the message or brand, impressions continue to pile on. There is no cost to rent or hold on to the real estate on a car other than maintaining a positive relationship with your customers/fans. Now that’s the best alternative marketing.
“But wait a minute,” I hear many of you pondering at this point, “not many people are going to choose to put a bumper sticker on their car.” This is a valid concern and absolutely true. This is why effective sticker design, messages, and distribution plans for the stickers are so essential. The goal is to maximize the connection with your “fans”, get the sticker displayed, and then once displayed, maximize the impressions for viewers.
Despite a low percentage of stickers that might actually be displayed on cars, the connection with customers, the value, and number of impressions can still very much work out in favor of the marketer. Remember stickers can be a gift, a badge and a form of social media, they are not a paid ad they are the ultimate alternative marketing.
Think about what you could do with 300,000 powerfully designed vibrant long-term stickers… then think about one month on a large stationary billboard outside a major city. For the same price, which marketing would you choose?
I think the best billboards are the smaller, mobile, endorsements on cars.
Jeff Nicholson is the founder and Creative Director at 
