Billboards....are they worth it?

Anyone here do billboards. I am yet to advertise…i know, i know…should have done it by now. I have the comunity that im in somewhat captured but want the downtown area’s market. They have a Hut, Cici’s, Mazzio’s, and 1 upstart indy. That area is the major corridor (cuts the town in half) for east/west traffic in this part of my state. I want to get a board down there as i am on the outskirts of this corridor in the newly anexed area of the city. Just wondering if anyone has had any good returns yet by using one. Thanks all.

What’s your cost going to be for producing the material and monthly? How many months committed?

I’ll bet bodhegawy has some insight given those numbers.

Just want to let people know im here. Looks like 685 a month for the sign. I don’t want to call a salesperson yet till i get some real perspective from real owners.

I had a client that had a billboard for a year…I think it was something like C$350.00 per month plus production for each change…In talking to her, she said she could hardly see any effect from the billboard…I suggested she “wrap” her car…She did at a cost of just over C$2,000 and the effect she noticed was immediate…Customers were coming in each day telling her they saw her car…If you are in a small market I think billboards are expensive based on the number of views they get…As far as a wrapped car, I think a unique vehicle works best…

PS…On my last trip to Spokane WA I saw a lot of Scions…They really stood out…

I just had a discussion with the local PH owner about this very topic. His answer to the question was “It is cheaper than radio”. The rate he is paying is $275 per week and he has booked into 2010 for his spots. I think royce is right when it comes to being noticed a wrapped vehicle has got to be more noticed and you can park in any public space. I have had customers call and tell me they saw my car and decided they would have pizza for lunch/supper.

I read a few years ago (I think in Pizza Today) about a guy down in Phoenix that did that using a Plymouth Prowler - would actually be cost effective over billboards in my area, which run around 1000 per month or more. Plus you have something that everyone would want to have in their parades or whatever. Have always wanted to do that, but can’t convince my brother (partner) that it’s not just so that I can have it do drive around in (not without good reason, I admit). :roll:

Guess I’ll just have to do it with my own money …

I just bought a pt cruiser, going to do a semi wrap
will let you know how it goes

Picked up my Smartcar today and plan to do a full wrap. I am getting heads turning at every intersection without the wrap, I can’t wait to see how much response I get with it. Right now I just have a window sign on it. Is $2000 about what I should expect to pay for the wrap?

thats about what my quote was for my PT

forgot to ask you about the car at expo will call you in a couple of days

Who do you go to for a wrap?

Advertising Statistics*:
Prime time TV spot $20.54
Newspaper (1/4 page BW) 11.66
Prime time network TV 11.31
Radio (: 60 morning drive slot) 5.92
Rotary bulletins (posters) 3.90
Rotary bulletins (billboards) 1.78
Truckside ad 0.70

*Cost per Thousand (CPM) Source: Trucking Association & Outdoor Advertising Association of America

I came across this on this site http://www.adsonwheels.com/truck_trailer_wraps/while looking into wraps. I was quoted $3000 to wrap a full sized step van (like a ups truck) from a sign company.

This is some really good info guys.

I’ll do some research and hopefully get some useful info to add to the discussion.

Thanks !

$685 a month for the sign sounds pretty cheap to me. Cheap is all relative to your area and traffic count however. Maybe try putting a 10% discount or free breadsticks on the billboard to all who mentions it. You could always change it later but at least it would give you some kind of indication of the effectiveness.

Last wrap we did on a scion (excluding the roof) was about $2000 plus design costs. Once they start to peel a bit people like to pull pieces off, however. We then went the decal route (covering the whole car except the roof) which costs us $650 plus design costs. Decals, as opposed to a full wrap, can be very effective if done right.

Was considering getting one of those cars a little while back but thought the extra $5k over a scion just was not a wise use of money. How do you like it? You’ve sparked my interest again.

Toyota Yaris has our interest.

Was considering getting one of those cars a little while back but thought the extra $5k over a scion just was not a wise use of money. How do you like it? You’ve sparked my interest again.

I paid $13K for mine, I can’t fathom a scion being much cheaper. They only really get expensive if you get the convertible. I’ve only had mine since Friday and really enjoy it. It turns heads like no other car I’ve ever seen. I’ll post pictures if someone will tell me how.

I read up more after I posted last night. I was going by Ebay prices where they go for around $20k. From what I understand, there’s a year waiting period if you sign up now. How long did you have to wait? I saw they start at $11,500. The transmission can work as auto or stick?

A Yaris might make an economical delivery car, however, I do not think it would stand out as much as a Smart Car and/or Scion…I think if you want to make an impact in your market, you also need to consider the visual impact of your delivery vehicle…

I also thought about taking our existing Scions and putting six inch lifts on them with mud tires. Its more my style anyway . . .