MEDIA GLOSSARY

Mobile Billboard Advertising – Class 101

Our mission is simple; to provide our clients with the best returns for their media dollar investment, user-friendly support for their marketing projects, along with the finest mobile billboard service and equipment possible. Please review the following information for a quick primer on basic mobile billboard media references along with other valuable information. Feel free to contact us anytime with questions or comments. “Well-informed clients are our best customers!”


Mobile Billboards

A mobile billboard is the marketing practice of advertising on the side of a truck, custom vehicle, or pulled trailer that is typically mobile. Mobile billboards are a form of Out-Of-Home (OOH) Advertising. Radio, stationary billboards, and mall/airport advertising fall into the same category. Using a mobile billboard for advertising is an advertising niche called mobile outdoor advertising. The trucks can be parked at specific locations or travel on predetermined routes.

Most mobile billboards are dedicated, customized trucks with large, but narrow bodies for posting advertisements. The ad size for the larger trucks is approximately a “30-sheet” poster size affixed directly to an aerodynamically-designed vehicle. Some of these dedicated units offer features such as external sound systems, FM Radio transmission, illumination, and elevating sign frames. This type of mobile billboard is the most popular among vendors, and the most capable in terms of gaining exposure and quick deployment.

Mobile Billboards are often referred to as; billboard trucks, truck side ads, mobile ads, rolling billboards, sign trucks, skinny trucks, ad trucks, street blimps, billboards on wheels, pick-up truck signs, and mobile billboard units.


Mobile Billboard Effectiveness

The effectiveness of mobile billboards has been studied by industry analysts, researchers, and trade representatives. Outdoor Mobile Media Billboards have a 97% recall rate, according to Outdoor Advertising Magazine, and 96% of survey respondents believe mobile advertising is more effective than traditional outdoor advertising. The type of vehicle, creative ad design, and written copy can all have an impact on effectiveness.

Mobile Billboard exposures can serve multiple goals. They’re perfect for short-term special event promotions or sales events. They’re indispensable for a political candidate running for local office. They also offer a very quick turnaround with a short lead time. And most importantly (for a local business) they can act as a hedge against the affront of national discount brands competing for market share.


Other Forms of Mobile Billboards

There are many other forms of outdoor mobile advertising, which are considered mobile billboards by OOH advertising professionals.

Vinyl Wrap Advertising is one such form. It differs from mobile billboards in that wrap advertisements typically envelop an entire vehicle, typically a car or small truck, whereas mobile billboards are large flat surfaces like traditional billboards. Bicycles, pick-up truck signs, billboards on water towed by boats, and small trailers pulled by scooters are some other mobile advertising formats.

LED Mobile Billboards – Digital Truck Competitors:  The idea of a digital mobile billboard (TV on wheels) may seem appealing on its surface, but when analyzed further, it falls short on delivering a quality experience for its audience and ad clients. They look appealing at night but in the day they’re often difficult to see. On the other hand, a printed banner is bold and the colors are vibrant during the day, and Billboards2Go uses Xenon flood lighting at night to create a illuminating experience!


Target Audience

The profile of the most desired consumer prospects for a product or service, listed by characteristics such as demography, lifestyle, brand or media consumption, or purchase behavior. With outdoor advertising it may be targeted to specific zip codes, market area, recreational area, etc.


Printed Vinyl Banners

As technology advances in the outdoor advertising industry, so does the mobile billboard industry. For many years, mobile billboard companies pasted paper posters to the sides of trucks. Billboards2Go.com was one of the first companies to use flexible vinyl banners on their trucks over 20 years ago. Vinyl banners are now the industry standard because they are long-lasting, reusable, and recyclable, and the printed colors can be extremely vibrant.


Banner Installation

Many mobile billboard companies implement a surcharge for banner installation. This is the physical placement (posting) of the banners on the billboard vehicle. Billboards2Go.com never charges their clients for banner installs regardless of how many changes the client needs. Billboards2Go.com implements a “NO Nickel & Dime Policy.”


Banner Warehousing

Billboards2Go.com offers their clients Free Storage of their large printed advertising banners after a mobile billboard campaign is completed. If the banner design warrants it, this complimentary service helps to make it easier for future campaigns to get up and running quickly. This is a great value to our clients by saving them money on future production costs.


Campaign / Project / Program / Showing

Typically mobile billboards are hired for a specific event such as promoting a brand, retail sale, grand opening or the like. The time that the vehicle is out on the road in the target market is referred to as the “campaign.” A campaign may also be referred to as a “project”, “program”, or “showing.” A campaign may last from a few days to a few months, depending on the objectives of the client. Usually the longer the campaign there is a sliding scale in rates.


Exclusively-Built Fleet

Mobile billboards come in all shapes and sizes from do-it-yourselfers that slap up a couple of sheets of plywood on a flatbed truck to custom built vehicle costing over $100,000 and everything else in between. Billboards2Go.com utilizes expensive exclusively-built mobile billboards. All of their vehicles implement “elevating billboard technology.” Only Billboards2Go.com mobile billboards can elevate the sign frame above the truck deck, up to 18 feet high with a simple push of a button ( controlled by the driver in the truck’s cab). Our vehicles were designed by engineers in both the automotive and outdoor signage industries to be the ultimate in mobile advertising machines.

NOTE: Although Billboards2Go.com uses the biggest and best equipment in this category, our rates are still nationally competitive. By using professional equipment that’s well maintained we offer a smooth running media business with a competitive edge.


Proof-of-Performance (P.O.P.) A certification issued by a media company that the contracted advertising has been rendered.

Billboards2Go.com P.O.P. with real-time 24/7 GPS Satellite Technology

Mobile billboards are often used for branding purposes and may not be in direct view of the client when a campaign is implemented. For that reason it is imperative that there is a way for program verification. Many mobile billboard companies still shy away from this technology, but Billboards2Go.com has been utilizing a prominent third-party GPS satellite tracking company since 2002.


GPS-Tracking-SystemBillboards2Go.com excels in “proof -of-performance.” Our clients are thoroughly satisfied that their campaigns have been performed to the highest media industry standards. For peace-of-mind, advanced GPS technology is just another way we help our clients to fully appreciate their media buy. This enables our clients to achieve complete insight and gain confidence that their media investments are performing as intended. All that is needed is a connection to the internet and our clients may view the progress of their campaign in real time and print out full daily driving logs if they wish to do so.

From the convenience of an office or from a sandy warm beach on the other-side of the world, Billboards2Go.com’s clients have access to their campaign data along with real-time GPS tracking 24/7. As long as the client has an internet connection, a smart phone or tablet, they will be able to view their mobile billboard truck campaign. Plus, Billboards2Go.com Proudly Offers. . .

A 100% Proof-of-Performance Guarantee!


Media Insertion Order

Used in the advertising industry to buy media time. The Media Insertion Order spells out the details of the media buy. With mobile billboards it would include rate, number of vehicles, dates of campaign, ad copy description, and other specific terms.


Lead Time

The period of time required between initiating the process of producing an ad design through client approval of our design (or client art submission) to printing the final banners to be posted on the mobile billboard units, as per the contracted date.


FTP Up Load

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used to exchange and manipulate files over a TCP/IP-based network, such as the Internet. Billboards2Go.com has an in-house graphics and production facility to create the mobile billboard banners. Often clients may want to send large files and to do so they use our dedicated FTP site to easily upload their images. Contact the graphics department for details.


Mock Up Sample

Commonly used as part of the creative concept development process for an advertisement. Typically to see how the design or elements relate to the rest of the space on the mobile billboard and proportionally relative to the size of an average person standing along side.


PMS Color Number

Pantone Matching System (PMS), a proprietary standardized color reproduction system used as a guideline to match specific ink colors used to produce artwork for final banner production. Typically used to match a specific logo color.


Design Element Extensions

The portion of an advertisement that extends beyond the physical boundaries of the mobile billboard’s sign edge. The materials used for an extension may vary by the objectives of the advertiser and physical limitations the billboard unit. Each billboard side may accommodate a load of approximately 150 lbs. 2D and 3D extensions may be built by our art production team for relatively affordable rates.


Snipe Over

Refers to a small piece of advertising copy added to an already posted display to modify or append the original message. Typically an adhesive vinyl material is used to cover ad copy or to add an additional timely message.


Volume Discount

A discount given to advertisers based on a number of factors including number of weeks, units and total dollar volume. We offer several discounts including Charitable and Public Service Message (PSM) discounts. Please ask what discounts you may be eligible for when speaking with our sales department.


Co-Op Advertising / Billing

A Co-op Advertising Enables Advertisers To Get More Promotion With Fewer Dollars. Co-op advertising is a standard advertising practice utilized by manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, franchisors or distributors to get their products highlighted in regional and local advertising. For those who participate in co-op advertising, the process offers a powerful win for both parties.

If you have never participated in a co-op advertising campaign before, you at least owe it to your business to explore the possibility. Some of the most successful businesses on the planet have a co-op advertising budget in place, and that available money could help accelerate the growth of your business as well.

Billboards2Go.com is familiar with the billing practices with co-op advertising and can create multiple invoices to help facilitate the process.


Brand Ambassador 

A  Brand Ambassador is a person who is hired by a company to represent their brand in a positive light and by doing so help to increase brand awareness and sales. Billboards2Go drivers can also act as brand ambassadors and interact with your target audience by providing information, answering questions, and by handing out flyers or product samples.  



Key factors that are a benefit of mobile billboard advertising are as follows:

1) In addition to the large reach potential that is possible through mobile billboard advertising, one of the fundamental strengths of the medium is high frequency. There is considerable evidence available that the cumulative effect of repeated exposures is higher than the effect of a series of individual, isolated exposures associated with other media.

2) Mobile Billboard advertising is typically viewed in a less cluttered environment than most other media. As a result, an individual outdoor ad is more likely to be seen by the viewer unlike what may be the case with other media formats.

3) The locational advantage of mobile billboard advertising is so profound that many local businesses that use mobile billboard advertising do not have alternative media that can provide exposures to their target market.

4) The flexibility of mobile allows for quick response to an advertiser’s media needs when other media may not be available or affordable.

In an era where other media are facing issues relating to clutter and the pressures of getting the message through to consumers, the exposures provided by mobile billboard advertising are more valuable than ever. Because of the ability to deliver a message at the right time and place, recent trends in media favor mobile billboard ads. Media planners should place heavy weight on the value of these exposures in industry valuation and take advantage of this medium if the budget and copy flexibility permit.


Key factors to Billboards2Go’s business sustainability are as follows:

1) Since its origination, Billboards2Go.com has witnessed many other mobile billboard companies come and go, but Billboards2Go.com is still going strong. The primary reason for our success is our dedication to supplying a quality product and excellent service to our clients.

2) We own and operate an exclusively built fleet of state-of-the-art mobile billboard trucks that are maintained with the highest of professional standards.

3) We run our own in-house graphics and production facility guaranteeing high quality banner printing, fast turn-around, and creative flexibility.

4) Lastly, our professional streamlined approach to mobile billboard advertising allows us to pass along our savings to our clients by offering very competitive rates. We bring a lot to the table!