How to Make Billboards Go Viral
Making billboards go viral isn’t as hard as it seems. There are phones everywhere, and the people who will spread the word over a viral-worthy billboard—what you need to do is be creative.
Creativity in a billboard ad isn’t that hard to come by, either, if you pick the right location. We see countless billboard advertisements on a daily basis, and they’re either simple or trying to sell you something.
So now we understand the two main elements required to have your billboard go viral: creativity and location. Let me show you how to blend and apply these elements so that your billboard is fending off paparazzi rather than attracting pigeons looking to have a rest.
Creativity
Trends cycle and change; society shifts, and interests transform. Everything is always changing, which is why proper research on the state of the world and understanding the nuances of popular culture are important.
Use material that stands out, goes against the grain, and engages your target audiences, especially younger ones who practically live, breathe, and eat social media. This audience is the one that will spark your next viral billboard.
Many billboards out in the world are quite simple or visually unappealing and serve the main purpose of selling their product, directing you to a nearby onsite location, or informing you of something. This means your billboard ad already has the leverage to stand out and harness creativity.
All you have to do is create something relevant to your audience and the current world and employ it through an artistic and artistically expressive lens so that it’s nothing that’s ever seen before. This leads us now to location. You should have the look down by now, so the next step is to determine where to put your fame-inducing message.
Location
Think “star power.” Where is the place where you’ll reach the right audience and in a spot that is easily destined for fame? New York’s Times Square has millions of people passing through, all of whom are recording the bright lights and billboards all around. The perfect place to go viral is in a large urban area or along a roadway that receives an immense amount of traffic.
Virality likely won’t take place on the corner of a suburban gas station but rather in a busy and popular city center that reaches drivers and pedestrians, and even a large number of tourists who often enjoy documenting their experiences and posting them online.
Tourist attractions, college campuses, and busy cities offer the most ample opportunities and exposure for a billboard attempting to become famous. Big city lights = your billboard in the limelight. Capture ingenious advertising design and thought and place it exactly where the action is at.
Go Claim Your Hollywood Star
Going viral with a billboard requires more than just a clever tagline—it’s about creating a moment that captures an ingenious moment of nuance between the intersection of culture, society, and creativity. In a world where attention is worth more than money, the right billboard can spark a global phenomenon that can be remembered forever.
Photo via Reddit.
