I used to think that billboards marred the beautiful scenery.  However, once I had a small child, I changed my opinion completely.  It was very helpful to play the alphabet game using the letters on billboards and signs.  My version of the game was where we would start with the letter A and look for something in nature or a word on a sign that started with that letter, then we’d continue our way through the alphabet.  If it weren’t for billboards, we never would be able to make it all of the way through the alphabet, since there weren’t too many natural things along the road that started with the letter X!    This game kept my daughter engaged for hours at a time (before portable DVD players became available.)

I like digital billboards even more.  It’s convenient that they can be changed frequently and quickly and with minimal effort. When I’m stuck in traffic, I appreciate that I do not have to read the same words over and over again, and can see messages from different companies.  It helps the time pass more quickly, and helps me stay engaged.  And I am quite sure it’s helping those companies gain business.

Sometimes it’s helpful to think of yourself and your company as a billboard.  Are you sending the same message in the same manner over and over again?  While that can be effective as a form of branding, be careful that your message has not become stale.  My suggestion is that you change things up on a regular basis, aligned with your brand image.

You know the old story about the frog – if you put a frog in boiling water, he will immediately jump out.  But if you put a frog in lukewarm water and gradually increase the heat, he will remain in the water until he cooks.  Marketing messages can have the same impact on humans.  If you make them too similar, too boring, and too much the same, no one will pay attention any more.  However if you make the messages pop, look different and grab their attention, people will notice and jump into action.

Photo by:  ucumari / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND