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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Billboards have been used as an advertising medium for more than a century, and are still used today. Ever since Jared Bell presented large circus posters to the public in the mid-1800s, billboard advertising remains as a top medium for brand outreach (History of OOH, 2015). According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, Inc. (2015), “billboards are the largest and among the most impactful standard-size out of home advertisement media format.” Looking at how advertising has progressed, roadside advertising has remained relevant since land transportation’s existence. Companies like Coca-Cola and Palmolive started using roadside publicity nationwide in 1900 after the use of billboards became widely recognized (History of OOH, 2015). Over the course of time, billboards remain as a top medium in the advertising world because of their power compared to other popular marketing practices, their complex strategies considered prior to creation, and the successful design and execution elements.

Unlike television and radio advertisements, billboards cannot be turned off or skipped. Iveson (2011) pointed out how, “It has become the only mass medium capable of reaching consumers as they go about their everyday lives”. Consumers spend a great amount of time each week in the car, and billboards are there to catch their attention whether they are on the freeway or alongside the main road. Williams (2009) noted in his study how billboards are ultimately the last method of communication consumers’ fathom before taking-action. It is likely for consumers to see the same billboard more than once a day in various locations.

Brands with national campaigns often have multiple billboards in the same city because it is within their target market. In comparison with other print advertisements like newspapers and magazines, billboards can be geographically targeted to a precise location. For example, if Unilever company is advertising a refreshing brand, the billboard may display the picture of the chilled product on the highway and hawkers/retailers can easily sell these products on the highway for drivers and passengers.

To have the ultimate turnover rate, it is best to couple billboard advertising with other form(s) of media. Using out of home billboards in combination with other media improves the decay rate, or time it takes for a person to forget a campaign’s advertising message,” (Iveson, 2011). Imagine a consumer watched TV while eating breakfast the other morning and a Unilever commercial came on featuring their new Five Alive Orange. When they drove to work that day a billboard for the same Five Alive Orange displayed along the

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