By Kathy Prentice Apr 23, 2007 MediaLife
The giant mobile billboards that displayed advertisers’ messages at European events like the Torino Olympics and the Football World Championship in Hinterzarten, Germany, are now available in the U.S.
To find out how to get your client’s message on a six-story billboard, read on.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts What Ads placed on a 4,000-square-foot Mobile Billboard.
Who National Transit Media in Dallas.
How it works Ads are displayed on a 60-foot-tall billboard, which can be folded up on a truck bed and moved to different locations.
National Transit Media is launching the giant signage in the U.S. It calls the unit its K2 billboard.
The size of the ad space, at 4,000 square feet, is the unique characteristic of this medium. Each side measures 60 feet high by 40 feet wide.
The two-sided billboard can be used to display traditional out-of-home messages. Illumination, projection and 3D are also available.
“Like the European advertisers have, we can take three-dimensional foam models and attach them to the banner,” says president Brandon Snyder. “You could have something like half of a beer shooting out of the billboard.”
Interaction with the audience at an event is also possible, says vice president of sales Shane Edmonson. "Let’s say a company wants to promote a give-away. You can put customer testimonials up in real time.”
Sound is available as an add-on. Creative can be different on each side of the K2 unit, and messages can be changed during the course of an event or a campaign.
“We can switch out messages easily so a print board can be switched to a branded projected message board for the same campaign,” Edmonson says.
Advertisers provide creative, and simple messages are recommended.
“People notice images over text. We recommend the less-than-seven-word rule, with a logo and one great image,” Snyder says.
The signage is used for both branding and promotions. It is well suited for use at trade shows, concerts, sporting events, opening ceremonies and product launches, Edmonson says.
The K2 can be used as a stand-alone or as part of a media mix. Additional programs can also tie into a campaign, including product sampling and street teams.
The most likely K2 advertisers will be national brands, though a regional brand like a car dealership or retail chain is also a likely user, Snyder says.
Use is subject to seasonal factors. “We will try to stay south during the winter,” Snyder says.
Markets The K2 can be set up anywhere in the continental U.S.