| number | percent | |
| Total billboards | 202 | 100.0% |
| Land for sale | 23 | 11.4% |
| Home/office for sale/rent | 21 | 10.4% |
| Motels | 20 | 9.9% |
| Outlet malls | 20 | 9.9% |
| Blank billboards | 15 | 7.4% |
| Restaurants | 12 | 5.9% |
| Radio/Internet/television | 8 | 4.0% |
| Vehicles | 8 | 4.0% |
| Alcoholic beverages | 5 | 2.5% |
| Gas or gas/restaurant combos | 5 | 2.5% |
The remaining billboards, with one to four in each category, were a hodgepodge that included medical services, churches, events, household furnishings, home improvement, camping/RV, community promotions, exit promotions, antiques, flea markets, military recruitment, public health, service organizations, department stores, clothing, lawn and garden supplies, insurance, banks, boats, docks, food products, and museums.
Observations:
1) Most billboards looked faded and yellowed. Did the business still exist?
2) Most billboards were difficult to read. Few communicated their brand.
3) Of the 20 billboards for outlet malls, 19 were for a single mall.
4) Among the 202 billboards, only 6 were digital.
Questions:
1) Are GPS devices and smart phones undermining the billboard industry?
2) Why are so many billboards selling things that nobody wants? Is this an advertising medium of last resort? One in five billboards was selling real estate in one form or another. A large proportion of billboards were blanks or advertising their own space.
3) Is the sorry state of billboards an indicator of a crippled economy, the slow descent of portions of America into third-world status? Are rural stretches of the United States hollowing out, leaving the lamest businesses behind as creativity and gumption move to urban centers?
Just asking.
3) Of the 20 billboards for outlet malls, 19 were for a single mall.
4) Among the 202 billboards, only 6 were digital.
Questions:
1) Are GPS devices and smart phones undermining the billboard industry?
2) Why are so many billboards selling things that nobody wants? Is this an advertising medium of last resort? One in five billboards was selling real estate in one form or another. A large proportion of billboards were blanks or advertising their own space.
3) Is the sorry state of billboards an indicator of a crippled economy, the slow descent of portions of America into third-world status? Are rural stretches of the United States hollowing out, leaving the lamest businesses behind as creativity and gumption move to urban centers?
Just asking.
No comments:
Post a Comment