Advertising with posters presents a number of problems and opportunities that
don't exist with other media. The single major obstacle is best phrased by
the real estate adage, location, location, location. The property, or
product in this case, is not as important as the location. The second
problem is creating a poster that attracts attention and quickly delivers the
message. If you correctly address these issues, the opportunity can not be
replaced by any other form of advertising. Why? Posters not only command you to act
now, but create a memory peg that you will use to act on at a later time.
The most obvious example of the application of poster advertising is at the
movie theater, especially since the evolution of the multiplex. You are
greeted in the lobby, if not in front of the building, by dozens of posters
vying for your attention. Have you ever attended a movie based on the
impression the poster gave you? I have, and I believe that you have also.
Financial marketing with posters is big business. Posters are quite
effective when located in the bank with a good message about your money.
You are waiting on line "captive audience" and see a picture of an attractive
beach scene with the words "vacation loan" written across it. Effective?
You ask for a loan application when you get to the teller.
Prominently placed posters on the outside of a business in a high traffic
area make a lot of sense. It can take the place of a display window for
products or services offered inside. A luxury that many modern buildings
don't offer today.
As you see in the previous examples, location and message are integrally tied
together. It wouldn't make much sense to put a movie poster in a bank or a
loan offer in a theater.
How do I get started?
- Market research
-
Design a poster
- Location
Market Research
Market research is the single most important step in any advertising campaign. With the high cost of advertising today, few companies can afford the shotgun approach for the
production of posters or for purchasing ad time or space. Your research should bring focus to who your customers are and the three W's. What do they buy? Where do they buy? When do they buy?
Obviously, the purpose of this research is to get these customers to buy from you. Knowing their buying habits makes selling them much easier. Good market research should show you the reasons that consumers buy a particular product or service. Consumers are people, and people purchase goods and services for the perceived benefits. Using this information takes you to the next step
Designing a Poster
If your market research is adequate, this process will fall into place fairly quickly. Based on the information you have, design your
poster to appeal to the motivating factors behind the purchase. Good
poster design is very different from brochures and other print media.
Although an effective advertising campaign should be consistent and uniformly
identifiable, posters convey their message in a unique way. The image or
pictorial should create a mental picture of the desired results by the viewer.
The printed message, informing the viewer of the action necessary to get to the
desired result, should be minimal. No one looks at a poster and takes
notes, OK, almost no one. Travel posters should show destinations. Attraction
posters should show people having fun. Candle posters should show candles in relaxing decor. Whether you are selling lawn mowers or landscaping services, lawn mowing
posters should show manicured lawns.
Nothing
runs like a Deere, on a manicured lawn of course.
I must admit that I
use this paragraph in all my advertising articles. It is important and
worth repeating over and over and.... Avoid the big mistake. Don't be so enamored by your product or service that you emphasize it rather than the benefit the consumer receives. People buy what they perceive as good for them. When you buy an airline ticket, you are actually purchasing the destination, not the trip. When you purchase a cruise, you are purchasing the trip, not the destination.
The make it or break it decision in poster design is the graphic. Yes, the
font, style, logo, color of the message is important, but if no one looks at the
poster, what difference does it make? I personally like simple,
uncomplicated pictures that make impressions that don't confuse people.
Show me a portrait of a starving child and I'll send you money. Show me a
tropical island and I'll buy a ticket, lotto or airline. Show me a poster
with 30 products and a lot of information on it and I'll look at something more pleasant. Pick a
pictorial that attracts attention. Be creative, the subject has only to be
subliminally related to the product or service you are selling.
The combination of pictorial and message is what makes poster advertising
unique. If properly executed, the graphic creates a mnemonic or memory peg
for the written message. Some pictures can be so compelling that they need
only a phone number or address to complete the message.
On to the mechanical part. Posters are available in an amazing variety
of formats and sizes. Some can be inexpensive and effective. Most
posters sell from $10.00 to $30.00 depending on the quality and quantity.
Sizes run from 8" by 10" to 27" by 41" or 24" by 48" in standard sizes and
almost any dimensions in custom wide format printing.
Consider how you will display your posters before committing to a size that
you can not find a way to display. It's one thing to tack a poster on a
wall and totally different to display a poster in a professional businesslike
manner.
Pick a printer with experience in the poster industry. I believe that you will find this link very useful. Americasprintshop is one of my favorite resources for information on publishing. You can find some additional resources for printers at www.displaytime.com/printing.htm.
If you are or if you know of a great poster printer, please contact me at
info@displaytime.com so I can include
your link in this article.
Distribution
OK, you did due diligence on the market research, designed your
poster and found a great printer. Now it's time to get the information out. Part of your market research told you where to find your prospective customers. That is exactly where you want them to find your
posters. If you are promoting a local business of general interest,
display your posters in that market. Locally owned small businesses and government agencies will give you space if you provide them with attractive non-obtrusive
poster holders. We have some top quality poster holders and outdoor
cabinets at DisplayTime.
If you are promoting your product or service on a regional or national platform, you will need to reach out to other sources. Among these may be,
All Products
