by Killeen Gonzalez

Created on: July 10, 2009   Last Updated: July 14, 2009

If used correctly billboards can be highly effective as either an informational or directional tool to spur immediate action on the behalf of the viewer. An example would be a restaurant owner employing a billboard as a means of beckoning hungry motorists to get off at the next exit so that they can enjoy a good meal. But before a billboard can be effective there are several key variables that should be considered. They are; the type of boards available, the board's associated costs, and issues surrounding both the style and design of the board.

The two most common types of billboards are posters and painted displays. Posters are made up of vinyl panels that are pasted onto the board's frame. These panels are referred to as showings and the number of showings needed depends in part on the size of your target market.

There are three basic types of posters; 24-sheet, 30-sheet and bleed. 24-sheet posters measure 12x15 feet and provide 25% more copy area than its 24-sheet counterpart. Bleed posters are generally 30-sheets whose print area extends all the way down to the board's frame thus providing maximum copy area.

Painted displays are larger than posters and come in two forms. They are walls and bulletins. Painted wall displays tend to be expensive because the ad is hand painted directly onto the wall of a building. Bulletins on the other hand can either be hand painted on-site or painted offsite, and then transported in sections to the desired location. Once at the desired location the bulletins are re-assembled and affixed onto the board's wooden frame. Bulletins measure14x48 feet whereas wall displays vary depending on the wall's available surface area.

The costs associated with billboard advertising vary based on the type of board used, design elements, the length of the contract, and the location of the board itself.

Painted displays are more expensive to create and maintain than poster displays due to their handcrafted nature. Whereas posters can increase in price depending on the number of showings needed to achieve market penetration. Furthermore there is another cost associated with posters that one must be mindful of in terms of maintenance related issues. Unlike bulletins which can be purchased individually, poster showings must be purchased as a group. Therefore even though one showing in the display may need to be repairs, you must purchase the entire display all over again in order to replace that one panel. In addition, boards in higher

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