Billboard Advertising 101

Having an education is great and reading lots of books and articles is great too. However, sometimes just being sensible is enough to get the job done.

My thoughts for this post come after the thousands of miles I’ve driven on freeways going past billboards that are, at best half thought out. Billboards should be the epitome of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).

Ever driven by a billboard at 65 mph (or here in Utah, 85 mph) and seen a billboard that was intriguing but didn’t leave you knowing what it was for? How about a billboard that insisted that graphic content was key and consequently used what appears to be a bold 72 point font for the contact info? How about a billboard that was so full of text you couldn’t make sense of it? If you’ve answered “Yes” to any of these questions, you’ve seen a poor example of a billboard.

So with that in mind, here are my top 6 keys to good, successful billboard design:

• Remember that your audience is traveling at 65 mph or faster — their attention span is limited.
• Get to the point, think sound byte-sized copy.
• Billboards can be works of art, however, that’s not their end purpose, use design to enhance readability and ensure the message is delivered successfully.
• Never forget contact info. Your billboard does you no good if I don’t know whose it is, or how I take action. Using an appropriate or custom Web URL or phone number can be very effective. (This also provides a way to track the effectiveness of the billboard.)
• Don’t play “Where’s Waldo” with your billboard. I shouldn’t have to search for the gist or message of your billboard (remember rule #1).
• Don’t be afraid to hire a professional. It may cost you $$ to do so, but imagine what it will cost to design an ineffective billboard (it’ll be like flushing money down the toilet).

Of the billboards I drive by on I-15 here are a few that are good examples:

• AT&T (or is it Cingular?)
• University of Utah medical services
• Blue Boutique
• Cream O Weber

I would list the billboards that don’t do it right but they just don’t stick in my mind nearly as well, imagine that!

Seen any good or bad billboards lately? Share pictures or sponsors in the comments.

Perserverance, Laser-sharp Focus and a Good Idea = A Winning Combination for Jason Alba, Creator of JibberJobber.com

I love a good story, and to me a good story can become great when it

*  Involves a real person,

*  Who overcomes adversity and/or long odds, and

*  Achieves success.

Jason Alba fits into the great story category.

Without going into all the details, Jason’s a tech guy with an MBA under his belt who found himself out of work in January 2006. After several months of unsuccessfully looking for ajob to meet his skill-sets and needs, he decided to branch out onto his own by launching JibberJobber.com — a Web-based solution to help others out of work manage their job-seeking efforts.

Picking up on repeated questions he heard about the benefits (if any) of LinkedIn, the social networking site, Jason wrote a book entitled simply enough, I’m on LinkedIn. Now What? Recently he published a second book: I’m On Facebook. Now What?

By themselves, these are positive steps in what sounds like a decent personal turnaround story. But Jason’s taken his entrepreneurial efforts beyond the basic “woe is me” story to the “I’m doing pretty okay now” with his fairly tireless self-promotional efforts.

His most recent hit? A very nice 3-25-08 write-up in U.S. News & World Report entitled: “Boosting Your Sales with Social Networking.”

As proven by the USNWR story (as well as by inclusion in stories from The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and others), Jason has now transformed himself into a sought-after expert — in essence, a brand unto himself.

Congrats, Jason. That’s good news for you, and for those seeking your advice/assistance as well.

ZDNet’s Krigsman is Correct: I.T. DOES Lose Credibility by Speaking in Technical Jargon

Michael Krigsman, driving force behind ZDNet’s IT Project Failures blog, nailed it yesterday when he wrote, “Is IT becoming extinct?”

In one of seven points he makes as to why he believes that the average Information Technology department is headed for death’s door, he writes,

“IT loses credibility by speaking in technical jargon . . .”

Michael Krigsman, “Is IT becoming extinct?” ZDNet, 3-23-08

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Blogging Can Work for Any Company, Not Just Small Firms

In Monday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal (3-17-08), Shelly Banjo wrote a powerful piece on the benefits of blogging for small businesses entitled “Attention, Bloggers.”

It’s a good read, one that I recommend to anyone connected (even remotely) to any aspect of marketing. I particularly liked this paragraph from her story:

“Businesses of all types and sizes are focusing on the power of bloggers as opinion shapers. But harnessing that power is particularly important for small-business owners who don’t have the money to create name recognition with big marketing campaigns. By connecting with the right blogs, small businesses can generate buzz around their products and services and increase sales dramatically.”

“Attention, Bloggers,” Shelly Banjo, WSJ, March 17, 2008

My one point of contention with Banjo’s article, if any, is that readers might leave her piece and incorrectly believe that blogs are only designed for small businesses.

This is NOT the case, and for the record, I don’t believe this is what she was communicating in the first place.

Rather, I believe it’s becoming quite clear that the ongoing explosive growth of the Internet and the tools/services tied to the World Wide Web have empowered consumers, corporations and organizations in ways never before imagined. One of the most crucial ways that this rising tide of advancing technology has changed our lives forever is the ability it gives individuals to connect directly with corporations and organizations in one-to-one digital dialogues.If such dialogues are conducted in the transparent light of the blogosphere, they can (and in fact, often do) invite expansion into Web-based conversations that can experience exponential viral growth, either the benefit or detriment of the original participants.

Heard It Through the Grapevine: Word-of-Mouth Marketing

The 1960’s motown hit says it all.

I recently read an interesting article about word of mouth marketing in AdvertisingAge. The coverage piqued my interest as a marketing professional but also because WOM marketing is testimony of how badly our industry needs The Betty Factor!

WOM marketing is creating discussions and enabling information to spread from one person to the next and the next. It’s the word on the street, the energy around a product — it’s about creating and sharing ideas that people will talk about.

Basically, WOM marketing is powerful because consumers cut the “industry jargon” and “marketing clutter” and tell their friends and acquaintances what they really want and need to know about new products and services.

12.07.07

New study results on WOM marketing and here

Book Review: “MADE to STICK”

I had a seatmate on a recent airline flight tell me how much she loved “MADE to STICK” (subhead: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die) by Chip Heath & Dan Heath. Her recommendation reminded me that I had seen the book and prompted me to pick up a copy.

Chances are you’ve seen a copy as you’ve walked past an airport shop that sells books or if you frequent bookstores. It’s the book with the florescent orange cover with a strip of gray duct tape stuck on the front cover. At least that’s what the cover looks like from a distance.

Pick up the book and you discover that the duct tape is actually a photographic image of a strip of duct tape, which in and of itself was a great idea.

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An Overview on Book Reviews

Those of you who know me know that I’m a voracious reader, thanks primarily to my mom who shared her love of reading with me, as well as to my loving wife who was kind enough to share tips from her college speed-reading class with me.

Hence, it only makes sense that I would include here my thoughts, opinions and feelings about the various books I read on marketing, advertising, public relations, strategic communications, business and related topics.

Hence, starting today, we are adding book reviews to TheBettyFactor.com Website.

Books will be judged on the 1 to 10 Betty Factor Scale, with a 10 being high. We’ll also suggest whether or not we think the book is worth buying.

For the record, we welcome suggestions on books to read/review. Please remember the focus we’re taking here, however. In other words, please ensure that at least part of the book has something to do with strategic marketing communications, publicity, direct mail, advertising, interactive communications, etc., etc., etc.

Send book review suggestions to dpolitis@politis.com. Thanks.