If you’ve travelled for an extended period of time, whether it’s an excursion or daily commute, you’ve probably seen printed and digital Foamex all along the sides of highways and roads, particularly close to urban areas.
Foamex site board can be used in many different industries from dining and entertainment to local stores to construction site hoarding. It could be a successful strategy for your company but prior to signing to a plan which makes use of this method be aware of the advantages and disadvantages for Foamex advertising.
We’ve developed this series to help you thoroughly understand the strengths and shortcomings of each platform to design successful campaigns for advertising. This post is the second in a series of posts that examine the pros and negatives of the various platforms: TV, Radio, Newspaper, Direct Mail as well as Yellow Page Advertising. To read our first article about the pros and negatives of radio click here.
Foamex Advertising Pros
Credibility And Trust
A survey conducted in 2016 by Marketing Sherpa revealed that Foamex and other OOH (OOH) advertisements are among the fifth most trust-worthy by consumers looking to make a purchasing decision and this method of advertising can bring credibility to your marketing campaign.
This is undoubtedly the reason why Foamex are the main reason 65 percent of OOH advertising revenues, which reached $7.3 billion for 2015 with a global ROI of $2.80 per $1. This is particularly effective for retail, telecom and travel companies, who have an average ROI of $4.72, $3.79, and $3.55 for every dollar spent according to.
Visibility And Reach
A majority Of Americans have exposure to OOH when they travel each week, with a quarter of it occurring in the late afternoon journey (between the hours of 4 p.m. between 4 p.m. and seven p.m.).
This isn’t just passing the scenery for them: 71 percent of Americans pay attention to the messages displayed on Foamex that they pass, and a similar percentage remember the messages they notice. If you take into account that the majority of people pass the same sign repeatedly and often, this gives an impressive amount of frequency.
Amazing Conversion Rates
Considering the fact that 72% of motorists exposed to building site hoarding are planning to go shopping on the way to home, and that a majority (68 percent) will make major buying decisions while in the car, it’s not a surprising that 38 percent will visit a store which is on Foamex sometime on their journey back home.
A further 32% will stop by the business that is featured in this manner in the week following and 56% recommend a Foamex advertisement if they find it funny. The same percentage (58 percent) said they were informe about events they would like to attend or places they’d like to visit. Foamex are also a useful reminder of radio (44 percent) and TV programs (33 percent).
Directional Tool
Because there are limitations on messages in this format, it’s an amazing way to guide motorists to your location. Nearly half of those who respond to a poll conduct by Arbitron stated that they were given directions to a business through the Foamex advertisement.
Additionally, printed Foamex placed near your company (e.g. just one or two miles away) are more likely to be successful in convincing people to go to your location In fact 24% of motorists could visit your location within minutes. In the same way, if you’re innovative and creative, the Foamex close to your competitor could draw customers to your store instead.
Foamex Advertising Cons
Cost
Purchase of Foamex space typically requires you work with multiple locations for a certain period of time (e.g. five Foamex that last at least four weeks) So the price is likely to add up. In the cheapest case, small signs can cost between $300 and $750 for each site (thus an average of $1,500 per four-week period).
However digital Foamex is often more costly (between $3,500 to $25,000 for each space, and upwards of $125,000). That’s not even including high-priced space; for instance, the Clear Channel 8-story sign in Times Square cost $2.5 million for four weeks in the year 2015.
It’s true that there are many times that a Foamex advertisement is around less than a TV commercial (even when you take into account digital Foamex that offer 8 seconds of 64 seconds of loop time on average).
Distractions
The most frequently cited distractor from 3mm Foamex is most likely driving itself (both when you’re watching traffic and using the navigational tools). However, your ad might have to compete for the attention with advertising and radio programming streaming audio, calls or even other motorists.
Of course, Foamex may be seen by more than people driving, but this doesn’t diminish the amount of distractions. In particular, a large amount of people see Foamex advertisements while walking within Times Square, but those advertisements have to compete with the noise of advertising from every other Foamex and the bustle of city streets, and the stores and carts around them.
The Main Publicity Is Moving
Distractions aren’t just the one issue for an audience that is mostly exposed to ads when driving. Particularly at speeds that are high, the viewers have a limited time to absorb the message (just 7-10 seconds) and can’t afford to read a long number of words.
This restricts what information that you can give and, if you rely in large part on pictures, could even confuse the message. If the driver doesn’t regularly pass through the Foamex (e.g. commuters) It could become difficult to recall when they’ve arrived at their destination, and they may make decisions such as looking for your website.
The Most Important Takeaways
Foamex are extremely powerful, despite their disadvantages. Customers trust them at crucial moments in their decision-making process. Since they see them in the streets they could even lead to an immediate decision to drive right to your local shop.
But the limitations have to be consider in the beginning to create an adequate budget and the best type of creativity. While the cost is less than other formats, it’s not insignificant. Moreover, it’s not suit to extremely complex concepts or CTAs because of limited space and the short duration of exposure. Remember these suggestions:
This will not only allow you the time to secure the ads you’re looking for, but will also ensure that you have the budget and time to print the advertisement if you do not buy the digital sign. It is an investment which means you’ll need to locate the ideal place and the right format that will give your company the greatest performance. Do not undermine your campaign by trying to find the most affordable option.
The saying “keep simple, stupid” is definitely applicable in the case of Foamex advertising. Your customers are likely to be driving, and they’ll need to pay more attention to the road surrounding them than your advertisement. Anything that draws attention quickly and is simple to remember and consume is the most effective.
Foamex advertising can enhance a marketing campaign if you know the advantages and disadvantages of the format. You should also decide when is the ideal moment to use it. We hope that our suggestions have provided you with the information needed to make that clear. Make sure to return soon for the final instalment of our Advertising Format Pros and Cons series, which focuses on newspaper ads.
