Oct 05 2007
What Can You Learn About Advertising From a Giant Billboard for Pimples?
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A Billboard like this doesn’t come cheap, They cost big bucks to create and even more to rent the site and provide enough lighting to for a small city. They obviously, are totally out of the financial reach of most businesses.
However, we mere mortals can learn some very powerful lessons about the art of Advertising that we can then apply to our more meager budgets.
So, what is it that makes this particular sign so good, what are the communication lessons we can use to give our Advertising the same type of attention grabbing impact.
This sign uses five very powerful, visual techniques…
1. THE PROBLEM IS DRAMATIZED
Instead of bragging and boasting with inflated promises, that nobody believes, this sign dramatically presents the problem experienced by it’s target market. Nobody suffering from acne could pass this sign and fail to identify with the problem of “clogged pores”.
2. THE SIGN HAS MOVEMENT
The little guy cleaning out the inside of the pore, is an animated figure, he rolls his mop or whatever, along the inside of the huge cavity.
Anything that moves will instantly grab attention, we are programed to respond to movement, especially if is unexpected.
3. THE COLORS WORK
They contrast with the background, the message and the graphic of the product. Plus, the white, is a color that supports the message of CLEANING.
4. THE SIGN IS DIFFERENT
Instead of the normal bland rectangle, this sign has cleverly used the cutout to dramatize the effect.
5. THE MESSAGE IS SIMPLE
When you are driving down a busy highway, you have very little time to read line after line of copy, here, you only have to absorb four simple words, words that are a direct copy of the very powerful, very dramatic, overall effect!
This is a brilliant billboard, it did sell bucket loads of product, and it generated a whole lot of FREE publicity.
If you follow these simple 5 principles next time you design a sign, a poster, or even a chalk board message, it too will work.
If anyone knows who created this gem please let me know, I was sent this pic and don’t know its origin, and believe the creators deserve full credit for their creativity.
[…] AffableJewel wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptA Billboard like this doesn’t come cheap, They cost big bucks to create and even more to rent the site and provide enough lighting to for a small city. They obviously, are totally out of the financial reach of most businesses. … […]