Beyond Billboards: 7 Other Outdoor Advertising Ideas To Help You Shine

In 2007, consumers were said to see nearly 5,000 ads a day. These days, with the digital era in full swing and technology quickly advancing, we’re likely to see even more ads. This means grabbing the attention of your audience is now more difficult than ever – particularly if it’s outdoors. Billboards and posters aren’t the only approaches you can take. Here are seven outdoor advertising ideas to inspire you.

Construction Site Hoarding

Intended to hide an unsightly construction site and protect the public from its hazards by preventing unauthorised access, a hoarding is also a great way to grab attention and boost brand awareness at the same time.

Museum Construction Site Hoarding

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For example, the above hoarding doesn’t just hide construction works. Its bright colour stands out and also helps people find the entrance to the museum so interested passersby aren’t put off by the entrance being a little harder to find than usual.

Building Wraps

Building wraps are big, bold and great at attracting attention. Because they’re placed so high up, they have a unique advantage in comparison to other outdoor advertising options.

Spotify Holiday2017 Exclusive Niall Bilboard

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For example, in 2017, Spotify rolled out a series of engaging outdoor ads that turned their users’ listening trends and habits into playful, eye-catching building wraps with witty sayings. As well as capturing their audience’s attention and making them chuckle, it also encouraged them to listen to the songs on their app.

Projection Mapping

Outdoor projection mapping is extremely eye-catching and engaging, even in a world where we’re so easily distracted by our phones. There are many benefits to 3D projection mapping, including its portable nature (requiring a capable projector and a theme designed by the appropriate software) and the immersive experience it can provide.

 

In 2011, LG Electronics showcased a spectacular 3D projection display in Berlin. Featuring a series of graphics projected onto the front of a building, it seemed as though the original structure wasn’t even there. This is a great example that shows how engaging and immersive projection mapping can be.

Fluorescent Installations

When ordinary posters aren’t enough, fluorescent installations such as light boxes can help your messages stand out. When illuminated with a flattering backlight, your branding, product or service can look much more attractive and eye-catching.

free standing fluorescent advert

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For example, in the above retail display, the backlight helps to make the ad stand out more than an ordinary poster would. In addition, the light box is also solar powered, meaning that it’s environmentally friendly, and even doubles up as a bin, which makes it even more handy for outdoor use. What more could you ask for?

Banners and Flags

Outdoor signage is a traditional advertising idea but that doesn’t mean they have to be ordinary and forgettable.

university flag image

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Like all types of advertisement, particularly visual solutions, your signage should reflect your company’s image and branding. For example, the University of Bristol banner featured interesting facts about the university to catch the public’s eye and matched with the establishment’s academic nature.

Museum banner image

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In contrast, the Milwaukee museum banners used brighter, more vivid colours and abstract art to reflect the fact that it’s a museum. However, both banners are attention-grabbing due to their use of brightly coloured text and graphics that stand out against the plainer backgrounds.

Floor Graphics

It’s been said that humans are biologically programmed to pay attention to the ground, which makes floor graphics a super-useful place to advertise on. From wayfinding graphics to logos, you can use floor graphics to shout about your brand from the ground up.  

floor graphic

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First, ensure that you own the land or have permission from local councils. Then, you can place floor graphics to inform or remind your audience of your brand. The above example features a simple message in a bright, eye-catching yellow which shows how your graphic doesn’t have to be extravagant to make an impact.

Guerilla Marketing Tactics

To give your outdoor advertising a unique edge and ensure that it’ll be more memorable than the competition, consider thinking outside of the (light)box.

For example, street art can be a great way to attract attention and be talked about. It’ll encourage passersby to stop and look or take photos of your advertising. In addition, teaming up with local street artists can help you reach a wider audience and help you form relationships with members in your community that might be of use to you in the future.

Street Art

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Another example of a guerilla marketing tactic is using ambient advertising. Instead of having an image or some text on a huge screen, you could embed your brand onto an existing piece of street furniture – like KitKat did in 2015 with their bench campaign.

 

KitKat Bench Graphic

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KitKat transformed public benches to look like their chocolate bars. This form of ambient advertising is not only creative and eye-catching, but also encourages the audience to take part in the campaign as they can take photos of themselves interacting with the benches and share them on social media.

Plus, it’s very effective at boosting brand awareness because simply seeing the chocolate-resembling bench makes onlookers start craving a KitKat.

Want More Help With Outdoor Signage and Planning?

Outdoor advertising is a fantastic way to get your brand and message noticed. But there’s a lot more to it, from choosing a visual solution that keeps everyone happy to getting planning permission.

Our latest outdoor signage guide is packed with all the information you need to plan, design and install outdoor signage. Click on the button below.

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