I have to say most of the time I ride in the back seat of someone’s car (I love to bum rides), I find myself looking for billboards why …. because I like to admire graphics, artwork, sly messaging, and all that jazz. You know how you have bird watchers, well call me a billboard watcher. This week I’m going to weigh in on five billboards (outdoor) advertisements and break them down so let me talk to you.
I loooooove Oreo’s, so this will be a very biased advertisement analysis. When I look at this billboard advertisement, I feel like I am reliving my childhood and teens when I’d dip my Oreo’s in chocolate milk (yes, I will dip chocolate in chocolate, don’t judge me). This advertisement is targeting snack eaters and current Oreo customers, which may include teens, young adults, and senior citizens, shoot anyone under the sun who may have a sweet tooth. The value proposition is having an Oreo will make customers feel like they’re in a dream, which I can imagine is guaranteeing eaters will indulge in this comfort food. The way the black and white cookie looks against the blue background really brings out the detail in each cookie. This advertisement is making me hungry for a snack now.
Back in the mid-2000s, the world was introduced to Criss Angel, a magician and illusionist, when he had his own television show. I could appreciate Criss’s blend of hard rocker looks mixed with a bad a&& attitude as he’d try to freak out audiences with his “illusions” and “tricks.” This billboard which shows five coffins with one-half open is an attention grabber. The objective here is to clearly encourage people to watch A&E’s “Mind Freak” and drive viewership up. The value in watching the show is that viewers will be amazed and freak out as they watch Criss pull off mind-bending acts. I remember meeting Criss once in Times Square, years ago and he’s an intense performer so this ad fits his image perfectly.
The major three sports I watch are Basketball, Mixed Martial Arts, and American Football, but this advertisement for Major League Soccer may cause me to check out a game or two. This advertisement does a great job of utilizing pop-up/out art as the soccer ball looks like it’s coming at you. This ad is for the MLS Nashville SC team and cites how season tickets are available. The objective here is to gain more season ticket holders and increase overall ticket sales within the Nashville area. The value proposition is to entice soccer (football) lovers to come to check out a game and see where the action is. I can get behind that and I appreciate the usage of Black and Gold which give off Wu-Tang vibes.
I am not a big fan of hot sauce unless I’m using it for certain food such as fried chicken, fish, or fried rice (you have to mix it in with soy sauce). This advertisement for Capsico Hot Sauce is very clever as it shows an open bottle with “burn” marks littering the billboard. The creative nature of the ad almost invokes a feeling of apprehensiveness for those who like a little heat on their food. The objective here is to increase sales for the product within the local area and the value proposition for customers is ensuring they’re getting one of the best hot sauces out on the market. If I saw this ad, I would definitely be sucked in and would be subconsciously aware of how hot this sauce could be.
I can appreciate it when an advertisement combines different elements of messaging and variety. This Mcdonald’s billboard incorporates the usage of a clock, imagery of different breakfast items, and simple placement of the company logo so I’m taking all kinds of subliminal hits here. The objective here is to drive up breakfast item sales and increase foot traffic to nearby Mcdonald’s locations. The value proposition shows customers the different breakfast options and hints that Mcdonald’s has an item for any time of the morning. Personally, I would’ve liked to have seen the hashbrown, but this advertisement will make you hungry, one way or another.
I loved reading your analysis of these five billboard advertisements! Your enthusiasm for each of them is infectious, and I especially enjoyed your breakdown of the Oreo and Capsico Hot Sauce ads. It’s interesting how these ads can appeal to such a wide range of people, from sweet tooths to soccer fans to hot sauce aficionados. Your writing style is engaging and your commentary is insightful, making for a great read.
Also, as a person that gets bummed off of for rides… I’m a little jealous of being able to look at the window at stuff for longer than a few seconds.
Hello Greg,
Thank you for sharing your story that centers around nostalgia and brand adoption. Maintaining a connection to a brand in addition to awareness appears to be the prevailing theme for billboard advertising.