Static Billboard or Digital Billboard: What to choose?

The out-of-home advertising industry is buzzing about digital out-of-home. Last year, DOOH accounted for 37.3% of the total global OOH ad spend, according to estimates from WARC. The same report predicts that DOOH will grow 10.1% each year between 2018 and 2021. But which is better, static or digital billboard advertising? Perhaps the word “better” doesn’t really fit. What we can say is that each offers its own unique benefits and one may be better for your particular situation over the other.

In this post, we’ll compare the two options so you can determine which one is right for your business. Let’s look at some of the biggest considerations.

Cost

Static billboard can cost between $250-$550/month in rural areas and between $1,500 – $4,000/month in small to mid-size cities. Digital billboards generally start at around $3000/month in smaller cities and can go all the way up to $10,000/month in major metropolitan areas.

As you can see, digital is going to cost you more, and when you take into consideration the restrictions in terms of air time and brand exposure, you have to ask yourself whether you will achieve an acceptable ROI.

Static billboard will almost always be more cost-effective over a longer period of time, but they also have their limits. For instance, if you are testing ads, you cannot make changes to your traditional billboard ad but can make quick and easy changes to your digital billboard ads.

Wow effect

Static billboards have been an effective marketing tool for decades. It became a whole science to track customer behavior and thus create a methodology. Color philosophy, persuasive communication is what creates attractive Billboard ads, Banner, etc.

Digital screens are ideal for attracting customer’s attention and influencing their purchasing decisions. With the bright and motion features, it warrants instant attention. Creates a one-on-one interaction environment for the consumers with its relevant aimed content it creates an engaging experience for the target audience. It is highly effective for point of purchase sales.

Locations

For any billboard campaign to be successful, your ads will need to be placed in high-traffic areas that optimize your reach. Of course, the denser the traffic the higher the cost.

If your campaign’s goal is to build brand awareness among a mass market, then digital billboards are your best bet, because these are usually placed on areas around towns and cities that get the highest levels of footfall and so deliver the highest number of impressions.

But you may have a completely different goal for your campaign. For instance, you may need to advertise a brand-new product line or want to try your message on a new demographic. When you need to really target those impressions, static billboards in specific locations is often a better way to go.

Conclusion

Ok, whatever you choose both static and Digital billboard ads are both effective channels for businesses. 

How about managing your both static and digital billboards campaign, planning the billboards that meet your client reach and audience objectives, and even managing finances all on one platform?

Need some help making a decision? Get in touch with us. Sign up for your free Edge1 demonstration session now.