Outdoor Advertising Alabama

More than 6 billion dollars was spent on outdoor advertising in 2005, according to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA). That’s taking into account all four of the outdoor advertising formats that comprise this form of advertising. According to the OAAA, billboards, street furniture, transit and alternative media together comprise outdoor advertising.

Outdoor advertising has many purposes as does any other advertising medium. Sales, of course is the primary purpose however there are other important reasons to turn to this advertising medium. Fighting crime is one of the ways in which the outdoor advertising industry has made a difference in Alabama. Public service messages, like those for teenage runaways around Alabama are important ways to use billboards and other forms of this medium.

Technology has played a big part in the success and advancement of outdoor advertising. Depending on the format used, content can actually be changed from another location using a computer.

Sports stadiums in Alabama are famous for using outdoor advertising. As technology has advanced, they’re able to feature more and more advertisers.

Buses, bus shelters and bus benches are huge venues for outdoor advertising in Alabama. So are subways, airports and terminals.

Ordinary people sometimes use billboards and other forms of outdoor advertising to search for a mate, a criminal or as was the case with one woman, a job. She actually listed her credentials, picture and phone number on a huge billboard. She got 20 serious inquiries out of the deal.

For the advertiser, outdoor advertising is a powerful medium in which to reach your target audience in Alabama because if people just leave their homes, they’re likely to see some form of outdoor advertising regardless of where they go. For the consumer, it brings us phone numbers, food and services or danger ahead.

A few have advertised for a wife or a husband using outdoor advertising, mostly billboards. One woman advertised for information leading to her husband’s killer. Missing persons are often advertised on billboards.

Anyone driving along the interstate may have seen the Amber Alert being advertised.

Those who are traveling some distance often look to outdoor advertising to alert them of upcoming food and gas establishments. How many of us have stopped to get the exact food being profiled on the giant billboard?

Advertising is powerful and it is powerful in many forms. Anyone who has ever stood in a taxi line outside a Las Vegas casino has no doubt seen a myriad of outdoor advertising atop the taxis advertising shows, food, casinos and the like.

Public service messages are advertised on more than one outdoor advertising format in Alabama. Have you noticed the advertising panels on city wide metro buses? These are often public service messages however food and almost anything is advertised in this manner as well. Buses that run strictly college campus routes often have advertising affixed to them directed specifically to college-age consumers.

Even with the Internet and the instant everything attitude of our society, outdoor advertising has managed to grow in revenue and usefulness. It’s because we live in a mobile society and we are always on the go. We can’t help but notice this advertising medium. We can’t crumple it up and throw it away or turn it down or screen which ones we’re going to look at. In fact, more and more of us intentionally look at outdoor advertising when we’re looking for specific information.

Though billboards are by far not the only outdoor advertising format in Alabama, they do rake in about 64% of the outdoor advertising dollars.

One thing about it: there’s not much time to convey a message to people moving at speeds of 60, 70 or more miles an hour. Fixed billboards have to be quick and to the point.

Billboards advertise everything from God to gum and they are the most popular form of outdoor advertising in Alabama. They direct us to eating establishments, fuel stops and let the weary traveler know where he can lay down his head and how far away it is.

Commercial billboards usually let us know what is up ahead. They also advertise products from perfumes to printers. Services too, are advertised on billboards.

Billboards in Alabama are also used in political campaigns.

Billboards have become a powerful crime-fighting tool. Arizona recently advertised a serial killer’s crimes on a billboard and the FBI profiled one of the 10 most wanted on another billboard.

Vinyl sheeting is used on most billboards. Most companies in Alabama that advertise on billboards rent them. Many billboards are lit up today and some of them have continuous moving parts.

Public service messages have become big campaigns for billboards in Alabama. AIDS prevention, runaways, teenage pregnancy and drugs are just some of the public service messages that billboards convey.

Some billboards are downright entertaining. In fact, there is tremendous competition among Alabama advertising companies to create the best billboards. By bringing their client company recognition, the advertising companies often get recognized too because people want to know who came up with such and such idea. Advertisers also vie for awards each year that comprise all formats of outdoor advertising, including billboards.

Billboards have come a long way over the years. There are various forms of billboards, the most popular being the kind you see along the highway, but billboards are also painted onto buildings, especially in densely populated metropolitan areas.