Digital Graphics
November 2003
Hearken back to days past, to a simpler time, when advertising
options included radio, newspapers or magazines. Alas, those
days are no more. Aside from radio and print, you now can choose
from network or cable TV, direct mail, park benches, telemarketing
email blasts – heck, you can even buy advertising on ski
lifts. And you’d better not overlook truckside advertising,
because if the pundits are right, this new kid on the block
has earned some credibility and real teeth. Truckside advertising,
it appears, has grown up to become a mature player in the modern
advertising mix.
For a little affirmation, just visit the Outdoor Advertising
Association of America website (www.oaaa.org) The OAAA, which
is nearly 1,100 member companies strong, has this to say: “Over
the past few years, the outdoor advertising industry has evolved
into a rejuvenated media force… that’s poised to
compete aggressively in the 21st century media fray.
According to Sam Kaplan, VP of sales and marketing for Mobile
Ad Group of New York City (and a member of the OAAA’s
Marketing Committee), “Today my phone rings with new business
inquiries because we planted the seed and now it’s growing.
And the reason is that truckside works. The media buyers themselves
know. This is something that has been five or six years in the
making.”
But what Kaplan makes clear is that he doesn’t want to
talk about the past. The story, he claims, is what is happening
today.
“Now we’re talking about Arbitron (radio ratings)
and the guys at Nielson (TV ratings). These are the companies
that provide the accepted price quotients for broadcast advertising.
They have seen growth in truckside (advertising) while others
mediums have stagnated, and they’re doing something
about it. As soon as the fourth quarter of next year, a ratings
system will be in place that will rank test markets in the
U.S. for mobile outdoor advertising.”
FACT OR FANTASY.
Does truckside and mobile billboard advertising really work?
Kaplan, who, after all, sells these mediums, is convinced.
But take a gander at a tick list of current truckside advertisers:
AT&T, American Express, IBM, McDonald’s, Procter
and Gamble, Delta Air Lines, Skyy Blue, Cadbury Shweppes…
Now, a skeptic might argue that at an approximate CPM (cost
per thousand impressions) of 80 cents, these heavyweights
have so much money padding their coffers that the prevailing
sentiment within the inner sanctum of each may be a derivation
of don’t sweat the small stuff. But Kaplan provides
examples that reveal a more complex story,
“Delta Air Lines,” says Kaplan, “wanted
to impact the business traveler, who typically is difficilt
to reach with traditional advertising. This person is a very
important part of Delta’s business, and is really the
backbone of the travel industry, especially in the post-9/11
environment.
“With mobile advertising we can reach travelers at terminals
and also at fractional leased jet parks (where corporations
spend lots of money to transport busy executives). So, versus
going into Barron’s or other business publications,
Delta decided to reach this audience directly where they are
traveling and doing business. Here is a pinpoint targeting
method that is very cost effective when measured against broadcast
mediums, because we are able to impact specific demographics
exactly where they are.”
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