Billboard Research Evaluation

My research mainly focused on the history and how billboards are used in different ways, this enables me to see the progression and the effects that different billboards have on selected target audiences opinions.

By researching the history I was able to see how billboards have progressed from the very first Obelisk to the 1900’s all the way up to modern day Piccadilly Circus. By seeing the history it reinforced the idea of the effectiveness of billboard advertising have lasted so long, they would still be a good and effective way of advertising my product.

The analysis of billboards showed me what is best to include in my billboard and the layout and where it is situated gave me ideas of my design. The research into QR codes showed me that as my target audience are teenage girls, they are more likely to have smartphones, therefore with the option of a QR code they are able to access more out of my final product.

Therefore my research has enabled me to find out the best way to target my target audience, how to set out my billboard, and the best way for it to attract attention.

Questionnaire Findings

The results of my billboard questionnaire findings are that my billboard has got to target my target audience directly but can also have an appeal to others for example to parents who would buy it for their daughters. My billboard will consist of a plain and very simple design so it is not too overcrowded but is still eye catching. My billboard will be positioned in all town centres near the shops and also in busy public transport areas such as bus stations, this is because the majority of teenage girls rely on public transport as they are too young to drive. The textual content on my billboard will be a small amount as the questionnaire showed most people don’t pay that much attention to the text part of it.

By conducting this questionnaire it has ensured that I have taken the general publics opinion into account, by doing this I can understand what it is they want to see and expect from a billboard, consequently ensuring that my billboard reaches full potential and fulfilling its purpose to advertise my teenage fashion and beauty magazine to the specified target audience.

Questionnaire

To decide on features and layouts for my billboard I have decided to conduct a questionnaire. I have asked 10 people varying in ages from 16-30, to make the results easier to understand I have converted the numbers into percentages and put them onto a pie chart totalling up to 100%, I created the pie charts on PowerPoint along with the comments beneath them, then converted them into images to put onto my blog. The results of my findings are as followed

QR Codes on Billboards

QR codes are a great way for people with smart phones to get directly to a website they are looking for. With the increasing number of people with smart phones QR codes are becoming more and more popular with companies advertising their products; some companies are even using this QR code as the only thing on their billboard.

This billboard advertisement for Calvin Klein has replaced a few of their more “racier” billboards that are unsuitable for younger members of the public, so for those who still wish to view it they simply just have to scan the QR code on their smart phone.

QR scanning is an excellent form of modern day billboard advertising, however it is not completely effective, as even through there is a growing number of people with smart phones, not everyone who views the billboard has one or can even be bothered to scan it, therefore the billboard is not meeting its full potential or its entire target audience. Therefore if there was to be a billboard like the image below it would be almost pointless as it wouldn’t be fulfilling its full potential, and can be seen to some people as a waste of advertising space.

For my billboard I will be using a QR code however it will not be the centre point of my billboard but it will mean that the link is still available for those members of the public who wish to access it and as my target audience is teenage girls, the majority of teenage girls have a smart phone so they will be able to use the QR code and the enticement of having that little something extra that they can accesses independently will add to the excitement of the product however for those who don’t have a smart phone access they will still have the billboard to view the advertisement.   

Targeting the Audience

Targeting the right target audience is vital to the success of a billboard and the product it is advertising. Companies target their audiences by showing them things that appeal to them, that are eye catching and that demonstrate the product in the best possible way. By ensuring that my billboard targets the right target audience will create more business for my magazine.

My target audience is teenage girls; by advertising something that appeals to them it is the right way to generate their interest. For example my magazine is about fashion and beauty so my billboard will not be an image of something like a racing car which is completely off topic and un-relatable to the stereotypical teenage girl and to my magazine.

This billboard advertisement of vogue.com is simple and effective; it has a black background with white writing, the larger writing is the main aspect of the billboard the address of vogue.com, underneath is smaller writing "Fashion as it happens" describing what the purpose of the website is, and then right at the bottom is the small print which the advertisers don’t really mind if the audience do not see nor remember, so the size of the text on this billboard has been structured through its importance. The usual vogue logo so it generates instant recognition, and an image of a model wearing the latest trend in clothes.

The billboards structure follows the rule of third technique, where the layout can be easily separated by 3 lines situated equally apart going both vertically and horizontally, this is so that the billboard has a good balance and the content is not too over crowed in a certain place and creates more interest in the composition.

This billboard links directly to the theme of the magazine and is appealing to the vogue target audience. For my billboard it will stick to the theme of my magazine and will most likely follow a design similar to the example of vogue.com above.