Billboard advertising is a fast-paced business—literally. It competes for the fleeting attention of passersby who are distracted by traffic, buildings, fellow commuters, and more.

It has been found that stripping down designs to their bare minimum is an effective way to grab attention. But how does this translate into boosts for brand credibility? Let us take a closer look at the use of minimalistic design for mobile LED billboards and how it pays off.

Quick Glances That Make Lasting Impressions

Potential customers may only have seconds to register the message on a passing mobile billboard. A clean, uncluttered design showing a powerful image and a short, sharp tagline is more likely to stick in their minds than a complicated layout with too much text.

The visual is stripped down to its core message, making it easier for the observer to see, recognise, and store the message in their mind. Then comes the important part—the recall. When this logo, image, or tagline is next encountered, there is recognition. It feels familiar, and this is precisely what helps build brand credibility.

Minimalistic Designs Are Timeless

The beauty of minimalist designs lies in their simplicity. The curve of a line (think Nike) or the bold simplicity of a single colour (think Apple) can communicate volumes without overwhelming the viewer.

Minimalism has increasingly been associated with premium products, clean lines, and a focus on quality. However, even less-exclusive products can benefit from a shift to minimalistic designs to focus attention on one core feature that defines the product. This is particularly effective for highly functional products.

The good news is that this association translates perfectly to the mobile billboard format. This digital platform’s clean, minimalistic message is powerful and says that your brand is focused on quality. This perception significantly contributes to building brand credibility.

The Power Of Less

In conclusion, mobile LED billboards offer a unique advertising opportunity, but the short-lived nature of the view means that a clear and concise message is vital. The minimalistic design stands out in this environment. The simple design leaves a lasting impression and hints at the brand’s focus on quality—a key factor in building brand credibility.

Contact Face First Media today to find out how we can boost your brand credibility with minimalist designs for your mobile LED billboards.

LED billboards continue to rise in popularity as more and more marketers realise the immense value of this advertising medium. Our outdoor advertising company will tell you that while this form of advertising has vast potential, it also comes with some challenges that must be overcome.

In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the hidden hurdles of outdoor LED billboard permits and how best to navigate this process in South Africa.

Guidelines And Regulations

In South Africa, municipal bylaws generally govern the size, placement and maintenance of billboards. These laws can differ from region to region. In general, however, a billboard is defined as an advertising sign larger than 4.5m square and supported by a freestanding structure. 

Before any billboard can be erected, the local municipality must be consulted. Permission can be refused if the billboard will negatively impact the surrounding area. The application process includes completing the required documentation and paying the stipulated fee.

The Advertising Standards Authority also ensures that the content complies with South African advertising standards and ethics. 

Challenges In Obtaining Permits

The major challenge is often the length of the process. The application has to circulate through various departments and authorities, which can result in delays. Zoning restrictions are also a frequent stumbling block if your application area has limitations on the size and placement of billboards. 

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) 

The South African Manual for Outdoor Advertising Control (SAMOAC) stipulates that an EIA must be undertaken for all outdoor advertising larger than 36 square meters in size. This is to determine the potential visual impact of the billboard on the surrounding area, the impact on traffic safety, and its possible impact on local wildlife. Environmental experts must carry out this assessment, and it can be a costly and time-consuming process. 

Two Tips For Stress-Free Permit Approval

• Start the process early. It can take time, and delays can derail your advertising campaign. 
• Call in the experts. Working with an outdoor advertising company familiar with the process can prevent headaches. 

If you are worried about obtaining permits for your next digital LED billboard, it is time to contact Face First Media. We are a top outdoor advertising company with the knowledge and skills to guide you through the process.

The medium remains constant, while innovating with technology.

One thing for sure is that out of home advertising has remained constant over previous years and the future looks bright, certainly in South Africa.

This is testament to the year-on-year OOH growth witnessed across multiple brands. Not only has OOH remained strong as a media touch point but we have seen media owners innovate new and bespoke campaigns that effectively target the consumer while they are outside their homes.

OOH stands the test of time and continues to prove its reach through round-the-clock visibility. Post Covid-19 marketers have had to revisit their marketing strategies and how best to target audiences.

Revisiting strategies shows an advancement of integration of OOH with other media types. Static billboards remain relevant and are the foundation of most OOH campaigns.

Digital sites skyrocket

Digital out of home (DOOH) has grown over the past years, resulting in a number of media owners investing in DOOH inventory. According to Outdoor Auditors, the number of digital sites continues to skyrocket, with 115 new screens added over the six month period between August 2023 and February 2024. As of February 2024, South Africa has 655 digital screens.

Improved data collection is key, as seen in how DOOH leverages technology and creativity to gather more accurate and insightful information about audience behaviour, preference, and demographics. This data allows for more comprehensive and effective outdoor advertising campaigns, leading to better-targeted ads and improved ROI.

Advanced data collection enables more robust performance measurement and analytics. Advertisers can track metrics such as impressions, views, dwell time and conversions with greater accuracy, providing valuable insights into campaign effectiveness, which is a big victory for OOH.

The social integration

The advancement of digital OOH and how digital integrates with social media and the spinoff this has with regards to driving traffic to websites is a win in media integration.

Programmatic advertising has also grown in South Africa, delivering highly targeted ads to audiences at  perfect moments as they move through their days. Advertisers are seeing the benefits of programmatic placement as the creative is served in contextually relevant locations, delivering more targeted messaging and engagement with consumers in a natural setting as they move throughout their day.

Programmatic has indeed given advertisers the power to reach mass audiences. It’s transforming the outdoor advertising industry by making it more data-driven, flexible and accountable.

OOH has worked well in isolation, and we have seen some bold brands run their campaigns solely on OOH placement. But OOH works well with other media types too, and increases the reach of campaigns.

Recently we have witnessed how OOH works and drives social campaigns. The beauty of DOOH has been the agility, speed, and flexibility.

Key in the media mix

OOH is still a key element within the media mix and remains trusted by most marketers.

Our conversation would be incomplete if we do not address the challenges of load shedding on digital. There are both positive and negatives this has brought.

The obvious positive, is the high dwell time in traffic when the traffic lights are not working.

The negative is the number media owners are still trying to navigate is the downtime during load shedding, with most sites not having back up power.

Having said that, OOH wields considerable power in reaching audiences, driving brand visibility, and shaping consumer behaviour, so if you are a marketing manager/strategist/brand manager you cannot afford to leave OOH out of the media marketing mix.

Ellah Ndlovu is a seasoned OOH specialist with over 15 years of experience.

The concept of the Rule of 7 was devised almost 100 years ago and is just as relevant today as it was then. The basic premise is that in order to engage with and build the trust of your audience fully, they need repeated exposure to your brand message. In fact, it has been determined that a minimum of seven exposures are required before they will consider taking action. The Rule of 7 can also be effectively used in outdoor advertising. Let us take a look at how it works.​

Understanding The Rule Of 7

Now, more than ever, getting your audience’s attention is vital to your marketing campaign. Everyone is so busy and distracted that a single exposure is hardly likely to feature on their radar. Repeating the exposure eventually allows your message to sink in.

In the context of outdoor advertising, a single billboard or poster will not be enough to have the impact you are looking for. The trick is to place multiple instances of your message in strategic places to increase the chances of your message being seen and received before you can expect action from a potential customer.

A Multi-Channel Strategy Is Highly Effective

To fully utilise the power of the Rule of 7, setting up a marketing strategy that spans multiple channels will yield the best results. There are many channels to choose from, including:

• digital billboards
• digital advertising
• social media posts and advertising
• email campaigns
• radio and television advertising
• blog posts
• product endorsements

Maintain Consistent Messaging

Consistency is vital when implementing the Rule of 7. Your messages across all channels should be consistent in terms of content, look, tone, story and overall brand identity. Consistency is fundamental to building a trustworthy image that is highly recognisable, leading to a loyal following from your target audience.

Use all channels to tell the “story” of your brand, your values, and how your products or services will make a difference in your audience’s life. This approach will build strong connections and lead to the whole point of the exercise – drive action.

Increase the impact of your outdoor advertising campaign by incorporating the concepts in the tried-and-tested Rule of 7. As one of the largest site owners in South Africa, Face First Media can help provide you with maximum exposure. Contact us today to find out how we can help you boost your brand.

Having a strong marketing campaign is essential in the current economic climate, and there is one aspect of this that can really help – cohesive branding. This doesn’t just mean having your well-designed logo and catchy slogan on your social media pages and digital billboards. It is about presenting a unified brand experience across every channel and every point of contact with every customer and potential customer.

In this blog post, we will take a closer look at what cohesive branding says about your business and why it matters.

Maintaining Consistency Across All Channels

The beauty of cohesive branding is that your brand will stand out, be recognized, and be remembered. Therefore, you must present not only unified visuals but also messages and brand voice across all channels. From your website to social media, from print ads to packaging, from emails to staff uniforms, your brand must shine through consistently. This imprints and builds brand recognition and says to your audience: “Look at us; you can trust us”.

This, in turn, conveys professionalism and reliability. Customers who see a cohesive brand message are far more likely to perceive your business as trustworthy and credible. The outcome of this positive brand perception is increased customer loyalty.

Increased Brand Value

Presenting a cohesive front gives you the upper hand when communicating your brand’s value and identity. Consistently showing and telling your customers what your brand stands for and what they can expect from your products or services helps align your values with your brand. This helps attract like-minded customers who share your values and beliefs.

Top Tips For Cohesive Branding

• Consistent visuals: use the same colours, fonts, and design elements across all branding materials and channels.
• Consistent message: ensure your brand message is always clearly and consistently communicated.
• Integrated marketing strategy: coordinate all marketing efforts to reinforce this established brand identity.
• Audits and updates: Review and update your branding regularly to ensure consistency with your brand identity.

Cohesive branding is more than just a logo. Using this strategy is a way to tell your audience that you are trustworthy and reliable. It also aligns your brand with your values, which helps to build your brand and set you apart from your competition.

Contact Face First Media today to find out how to use digital billboards to enhance your marketing campaign and present a cohesive branding experience to your audience.

In today’s digital world, out-of-home (OOH) advertising offers a distinctively different way to reach audiences. This form of advertising reaches consumers outside their homes, such as through digital billboards, on the sides of buses and digital signage in shopping centres and airports. In advertising, a vital measure of success is consumer engagement. OOH advertising provides a unique opportunity to capture attention and initiate interaction.

The Role And Benefits Of OOH Advertising In Consumer Engagement

The fact that OOH has the potential to reach such a broad audience makes it one of the best advertising tools for increasing brand awareness. It has been proven that OOH ads are far more likely to be remembered than any other form of advertising. And, out of all forms of advertising, OOH are the most creative and adventurous, adding further to their memorability. 

Factors Influencing Consumer Engagement With OOH

The strategic placement of these adverts in high-traffic areas is one of the primary factors influencing their ability to engage the consumer effectively. Other factors to consider to ensure that they stand out in this area include making sure that the ad content is relevant to the target audience and the location where it is placed. For digital billboards and displays, consider the time of day and day of the week when placing ads to maximise exposure to the target audience.

You should also keep in mind that ads that blend seamlessly with their surroundings or take advantage of unique features in the environment are more engaging to consumers. Including a clear and persuasive call-to-action encourages consumers to take action, increasing engagement with the ad.

Challenges And Opportunities

Despite its effectiveness, OOH advertising faces challenges in engaging consumers that need to be overcome, including:

• The limited attention span of the audience.
• Message clutter in high-traffic areas dilutes effectiveness because of sensory overload.
• Environmental factors such as rain or fog make it difficult to see the OOH adverts.
• Finding the right balance between cost and visibility (high-traffic locations cost more).
• The limited size and format make designing something fresh and eye-catching tricky. 
• Measuring effectiveness is more difficult in digital advertising in terms of ROI and consumer engagement. 

Face First Media is the leading outdoor media owner in South Africa. Contact us today to find out how we can provide effective, custom-designed and strategically positioned out-of-home advertising solutions.

Reaching your target audience is one of the fundamentals of good advertising. The big buzz in recent times to maximise reach has been to target millennials. But as it turns out, this focus is too narrow, and you are missing a potential section of the market known as the “Connected Generation”. 

Let’s explore who this segment of the market really is and how to engage with and influence this tech-savvy demographic using billboard advertising. 

Defining The Connected Generation

The connected generation is not defined by age but by their behaviour. They are individuals who are connected to the world via their smart devices. You will find them using their phone for everything from socialising to shopping, from transport to dating, banking to doom scrolling, and everything in between. This includes millennials, but also extends to older generations who have embraced technology.

What Appeals To This Connected Generation

Advertisers must understand their wants and needs to engage the connected generation effectively. What appeals to them includes:

• Personalisation: include personalised data in billboard advertising, like location, time of day and even current weather conditions to optimise the connection.
• Engaging Content: Adverts need to be visually appealing and interactive. Use eye-catching graphics, QR codes, contests and giveaways, augmented reality, and gamification.
• Social Media Interaction: Encourages viewers to share their experience with your billboard on social media. Use hashtags and campaigns that encourage user-generated content.
• Authenticity: Be authentic in your message. The connected generation will see through traditional advertising tactics. Transparency and honesty will be more valued.
• Instant Gratification: Provide methods for instant responses that give instant pleasure or results to the user with a short attention span. 
• Excellent Customer Service: With easy access to so many services, adhere to your promises of exceptional customer service, or the connected generation will already be moving on to the next one.
• Mobile Integration: Include a call to action that directs the viewer to their cell phone, such as texting a keyword for more information or downloading a voucher.

At Face First Media, we understand the changing faces of today’s target audience. Contact us today for specific, relevant, and effective billboard advertising.

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is all around us, from billboards on the highways to adverts on buses and even digital screens in shopping centres. Before you jump in and join this advertising strategy, you will be sure to be wondering just how effective it is. 

In this blog post, we will take a look at some interesting stats that will give you some perspective on just how much impact this form of advertising has. 

OOH Advertising Is A Growing Trend

In South Africa, there continues to be significant growth in the OOH advertising market. It is predicted that this segment of the market will continue to grow steadily at an annual rate of 2.4% until 2025. The reason for this ongoing upward trend has a lot to do with this industry’s adaptability when faced with a changing market. 

Another factor that makes this advertising option so successful is its ability to reach so many different types of people simultaneously. Not only that, surveys show that over 80% of people can remember the contents of OOH adverts that they saw over four weeks ago.

There is also evidence that, in general, people have a favourable opinion of out-of-home ads and don’t mind seeing them as they are out and about. This is very positive when compared to the fact that over 40% of these same people find online adverts annoying. 

Lastly, it has also been found that OOH adverts are far more likely to be remembered than print ads, social media, and podcast ads, as well as TV and live streaming campaigns. 

It is not surprising, therefore, to note that OOH accounts for over 5% of global advertising spend, beating out both print and radio ads. 

Bang For Your Money With Billboards

Many companies have opted out of billboard advertising as they consider the cost to be too high. However, statistics show that money spent on this advertising medium has one of the best returns on investment. 

It is estimated that there are over 13,500 billboards dotted around the county (for obvious reasons, mostly in high-traffic urban areas). Companies are making use of this form of OOH advertising for the following reasons:

• Extensive reach
• Cost-effective way of reaching your target audience
• Flexible and updatable
• Best builder of brand awareness 
• Works 24/7 365

Contact Face First Media today to find out how we can put your brand on the map with effective out-of-home advertising.

Billboards are a powerful tool for reaching a broad audience, but to truly connect with viewers, your message needs to be clear, convincing, and suited to the medium. Here are two tips for creating content for digital billboards that speaks to every audience.

A Strong Call-To-Action

The Call-To-Action (CTA) is the prompt in your message that urges the viewer to take a specific action, for example, visiting your website, contacting you, or purchasing your product. A strong CTA is essential to promoting engagement and conversations with your potential customers, providing you with the opportunity to convert them into paying customers.

Without a clear CTA, the viewer will not know what to do next and will, therefore, most likely do nothing, as there is no motivation to take action.

Useful words to include in your CTA include:

• Buy
• Shop
• Learn
• Discover
• Join
• Subscribe
• Sign up
• Try
• Get
• Download
• Register
• Reserve
• Book
• Explore
• Save
• Watch
• Attend
• Request
• Start
• Connect
  

Always Apply The KISS Principle

“Keep it simple, stupid” is a universal design principle that states that all designs should be kept as simple as possible. This encourages the highest level of user interaction and acceptance. Seeing as the average viewer only has 6-8 seconds to view your billboard, this is a valuable concept to apply.

Do this by focusing on one core concept only. Pick out one area, service, feature or element that you would like to highlight. Use plain language and avoid jargon or unnecessary details. Then, use bold text, simple fonts, and contrasting colours to make your message stand out.

Here are some examples of South African companies that have embraced the KISS principle in their marketing campaigns:

• Pick n Pay – “Inspired by You”
• Sasol – “Inspiring Energy”
• Standard Bank – “Moving Forward”
• Shoprite – “Lower Prices You Can Trust”
• Spar – “My Spar, My Savings”
• Absa – “Today, Tomorrow, Together”
• FNB – “How Can We Help You?”
• Woolworths – “Quality, Style, Value”

Find those few short, sweet words that personify your business, your brand, and your goals.

For top advice on content for your digital billboards, contact Face First Media today. As one of the leading digital billboard providers in South Africa, we are renowned for our expert insights, tactical abilities, and personalised service. Call now to get started.

With so many businesses vying for attention, the power of billboard advertising in Johannesburg should not be underestimated. Face First Media stands at the forefront of transforming your business landscape through strategic and impactful advertising campaigns.

In this blog, we will show you four ways we can help boost your business with increased brand awareness to attract your target audience and leave a lasting impression. 

1. Impactful Creative Design

One of our greatest strengths is the ability of our design team to come up with eye-catching designs for billboards. We like to think of each one as a work of art that will grab people’s attention and leave a lasting impression amid the hustle and bustle of city life. Let us create a billboard that will shine through all the other visual noise out there.

2. Focusing On Brand Storytelling

Continuing on the artwork theme, you can think of the billboards we create as a dynamic canvas for storytelling. We are experts at using this canvas to tell your brand story and present your unique offerings clearly and effectively. Let us boost brand awareness with striking visuals and clever wording that will appeal to your target audience. 

3. Seasonal And Timely Campaigns

Staying relevant is critical to staying ahead. We have been in the business for over a decade now, so we understand the importance of generating seasonal and timely billboards that align with local events, holidays, and current trends. We have our finger on the city’s pulse, so we can guide you to ensure your message resonates with your audience when it matters most. 

4. Expertise In Billboard Placement

As you can well imagine, the placement of a billboard is vital to its success. Face First Media uses data and analytics to identify high-traffic areas to ensure the best visibility and engagement. By better understanding your customers’ behaviour, we can increase the effectiveness of your campaign. 

Are you ready to transform your business landscape? Contact Face First Media today to find out more about effective billboard advertising in Johannesburg. We can make your business more visible and accessible to your target audience, building brand awareness and loyalty.