5 Notable Advantages of Mobile Billboards

Have you ever been stuck in traffic behind a bus? Do you remember the advertisement you spent 20 minutes staring at as you drove 15 miles per hour down the freeway? Whether it was a ski resort promising powder or a local orthodontist with a flashy smile, you probably had it front and center in your mind for a while.

Whether it's a single car or a squad of vehicles with fleet graphics, experiential marketing is an example of why mobile billboards are worth adding to the top of your list of marketing strategies. Mobile billboards encompass a range of advertisements, from banners flown behind small airplanes to signs on the outside of public transportation. These moving graphics have several advantages worth considering.

1. Location Independent

Unlike most physical advertisements and certainly standard billboards, mobile billboards aren't stuck in one place. This mobility delivers a certain novelty to the impressions made by the advertisement. The billboards on the side of the highway have become so familiar to regular commuters they hardly see them as they drive past.

On the side of a bus, trailer, or van, a mobile billboard catches your attention every time since it isn't in the same context and surroundings as the last time you saw it.

2. Long Exposure Time

Stationary billboards along a highway are only viewed for five seconds. There's only so much impact it can deliver in five seconds, even with the simplest designs. On the other hand, mobile billboards can move along with commuters and deliver longer exposure times.

Billboards off the road often feel like a distraction to drivers. Graphics on other vehicles, however, are where drivers should be paying close attention to in order to navigate safely.

Truck fleet graphics are another example of increased exposure time delivered by mobile billboards. A fleet of trucks, like Amazon Prime, all have the same design printed across their flanks. This repetition means a person might pass more than one truck in a day and be exposed to the brand twice or more.

3. Large Outreach Population

In different areas of a city, different populations tend to aggregate. For example, in a city mall, you might find more young people, whereas older people will be in greater density near a retirement village. Families flock to public parks while the adventure-seekers park in the canyon or a local climbing crag parking lot.

Mobile billboards on buses and cars allow you to spread your brand to all of these areas. Rather than having to choose one location that might only be seen by a fragment of the area's population, you can reach everyone.

Mobile marketing vehicles offer a bonus to this benefit by specifically driving to where your brand's target audience is most likely to be located. A mobile marketing vehicle has billboards on the outside and often an exhibition on the inside about recent innovations, sales, or new products. You can track the vehicle and change its location as you wish.

4. Low Cost

Advertising needs to be cost-effective, with a positive return on investment. If any advertisement costs more than the revenue it brings to the brand, you're wasting money. Mobile advertisement billboards come at a minimal cost, with most of the expense usually incurred from the bus, train, or truck on which the billboard is placed. Other minor costs to be aware of are:

• Designing and Printing - Minimal time required when working with a company like Craftsmen Industries.
• Installation - A very efficient process compared to some outdoor graphics.
• Maintenance - Regular cleaning and replacing the graphic if it becomes outdated or damaged.

The cost of mobile billboard is often less than a stationary billboard. Custom promotional vehicles and mobile marketing vehicles are more expensive. Still, because they can be fully customizable and located in the areas of most impact, the added expense could be worth it, to create more impressions and generate sales. 

5. Little Maintenance

Mobile graphics are quite easy to keep in good condition. Normally the vehicle they are attached to will get cleaned regularly, helping keep your advertisement fresh and shiny. Being constantly exposed to rough road conditions can limit the lifespan of mobile billboards. However, good quality vinyl will easily last for three to five years, which is longer than most ad campaigns run.

Signing Off

Mobile billboards meet all the deliverables for effective advertising. They reach an incredibly large portion of the population and make impactful impressions, all while being affordable and hassle-free. Whether it's a simple sign on the back of a bus or investing in custom promotional vehicle graphics are a good fit for all kinds of companies. Most brands have the goal of greater brand awareness and familiarity. Mobile billboards are a perfect way to achieve it.