5 Black Friday Billboard Advertising Strategies to Boost Retail Sales

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A 14' x 48' billboard against a blue sky. Advertising 1/2 carrot diamond earrings for Black Friday.

As one of the most high-stakes shopping periods of the year, Black Friday serves as a crucial advertising opportunity for any retail business. The yearly event has evolved from a single-day, print-ad-driven shopping event into a highly competitive, multi-channel retail campaign. As consumer engagement and shopping behaviors change out-of-home advertising offers another opportunity to connect with shoppers. But how should your business leverage Billboard advertising to support Holiday Sales?

For retailers looking to make the most of the holiday shopping season, Billboard advertising can play a valuable supporting role. From building awareness to promoting time-sensitive offers near shopping destinations, billboards can help businesses reach consumers beyond their screens. Here are five ways retailers can incorporate OOH into their Black Friday advertising strategy.

Build Anticipation Before Black Friday

Your Black Friday advertising shouldn’t begin when the sales start. You want your audience to start thinking about your offer long before it’s time for them to make any purchasing decisions. Building anticipation in the weeks leading up to the sale can increase brand recognition and influence consumer decision making before shopping plans are made. When coupled with other mediums, billboards can be great tools to tease exclusive offers, introduce upcoming promotions and announce sale dates.

Pro Tip: Utilize digital ad campaigns to update your messaging as the event approaches.

Reach Shoppers Where Decisions Happen

In OOH advertising, location can be just as important as the message. If you have the right message placed in the wrong location, your campaign is doomed. You need to meet your audience where they are every day. Target billboards placed along high traffic commuter routes near retail corridors and shopping centers for promotion specific messaging. Expand your reach to where your consumers live, work and play to increase brand recognition. If your physical location is near a billboard, utilize that face for directional messaging. Not sure where your campaign belongs? We can help! With years of experience, International Outdoor offers expertise in placement and campaign strategy to help your campaign succeed.

Pro Tip: Prioritize billboard locations that align with your target audience. Find out where they live, work and play so your message reaches them at any opportunity.

Adapt Messaging as the Promotion Changes

Creating a campaign strategy ahead of time means having the ability to adjust the message as the event draws closer. Utilizing digital billboards is a great way to take advantage of adaptive messaging. Unlike Static boards, digital campaigns offer no production cost and quick creative replacement. Digital campaigns are perfect for multi-messaging campaigns or limited-time promotions and can be updated in seconds. Keeping your message fresh eliminates ad fatigue and can even revitalize lost interest while also keeping your brand at the top of consumers’ minds.

Pro Tip: As the event approaches, shift your messaging from ads that tease promotions to quantifiable sales offers to generate anticipation and excitement.

Make Your Offer Impossible to Miss

There is no shortage of promotional advertising during Black Friday. Consumers are often overwhelmed by the onslaught of promotional ads across every media channel. In this market, it’s so easy to blend in with the rest of the businesses running the same promotional campaigns. If you want to have a successful campaign, you need to stand out. There’s no better way to do this than with thoughtful, effective creative. Good creative generates interest, brand recognition and trust within your prospective audience so when it’s time for them to make a purchasing decision, they remember, choose and trust you. But what makes good creative? Focus on utilizing high-quality imagery, strong copy, readable typography, contrast and a strong message. It’s also important to consider how the medium impacts the efficacy of a design. What works on your meta ad might not work at 60ft up while driving at 70 mph. Tailor your creative and its message to the medium its placed in.

Pro Tip: Remember the 7-word rule. Your audience only has a few seconds to read your message, so keeping it 7 words or less makes it easy to read and remember.

Connect OOH With the Rest of Your Marketing Campaign

Billboard advertising is a powerful tool to help maximize the reach of any retail campaign, but it shouldn’t replace other advertising mediums. Billboard advertising is most effect when used WITH other advertising channels. Utilizing an Omni-channel Marketing approach can help you reinforce a consistent brand appearance across all touch points and target your customers wherever they are. Your billboard campaign should be coupled with social media, search, email marketing and in store promotion strategies tailored to your specific brand goals.

Pro Tip: Make sure your customers run into the same offer across all channels. You don’t want contradictory messaging causing confusion or turning customers away from your brand.

These five strategies can help you maximize your Black Friday reach, but their benefits extend well beyond the holiday season. They are great strategies to utilize for any retail promotions throughout the year. Use this guide as a framework to build your next retail campaign.

Ready to put these strategies into action? International Outdoor can help you explore billboard locations, creative opportunities, and advertising solutions tailored to your business. Contact our team to learn more about making OOH part of your next campaign.

Driving Success

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In today’s competitive advertising landscape, businesses are constantly seeking innovative ways to capture consumer attention. One of the most effective strategies emerging in recent years is the use of digital billboards combined with location-based data analysis. A recent study conducted by MIRA, the attribution arm of Reveal Mobile, on behalf of a local automotive dealership, shows just how powerful this approach can be.

The Campaign at a Glance

In November 2023, a local automotive dealership launched a 4-week campaign using 13 digital billboards across southeast Michigan and Lansing. Each location displayed a single advertisement, and the campaign reached full market penetration, generating over 16.9 million impressions during its run. The billboards were strategically placed to cover major dealerships, including their sectors of Chevrolet, Kia, Hyundai, and Ford, ensuring the ads reached the right audience.

To gauge the effectiveness of the campaign, MIRA used a combination of location intelligence and detailed measurement techniques. The study measured the exact time and location that the digital ads were shown, allowed for precise tracking of people who were exposed to the ads.

Key Insights from the Study

One of the standout aspects of this study is the method used to assess the campaign’s effectiveness. A test group of individuals exposed to the digital ads was compared to a control group that likely encountered other forms of the dealership’s advertising but did not pass by the billboards. This control group was carefully matched to the test group in terms of demographics and geography, ensuring an accurate comparison.

The data was analyzed across three phases: pre-campaign, during the campaign, and post-campaign. Notably, the post-campaign phase only included visits recorded within 14 days of the campaign’s end, providing a clear snapshot of how quickly the campaign impacted consumer behavior.

Impressive Results: 36% Increase in Dealership Visits

The study found that individuals exposed to the digital billboards were 36% more likely to visit a Feldman dealership than those who did not see the ads. Furthermore, in-store conversions from the billboard test group increased by .66%—a 27% increase compared to the control group, which actually experienced a 9% decrease in visits.

These findings highlight the unique power of digital OOH (Out-of-Home) advertising in driving tangible consumer action. By targeting the right audience with real-time ad delivery, the dealership was able to generate a significant lift in dealership visits, proving that digital billboards are a high-impact advertising tool.

Why This Matters for Advertisers

The success of the dealership’s campaign underscores the growing importance of location-based advertising. Digital billboards offer an unparalleled level of flexibility, allowing businesses to adjust their messaging in real-time and track the exact moment and location that their ads are viewed. This precision enables advertisers to measure the direct impact of their campaigns with a high degree of accuracy, making it easier to demonstrate ROI.

For industries like automotive sales, where in-store visits are critical, digital billboards offer a powerful way to convert interest into action. By combining location intelligence with compelling creative content, businesses can increase foot traffic and engage potential customers at key moments in their daily routines.

Conclusion

This local automotive dealership’s case study is a clear example of how leveraging digital billboards and precise location data can drive measurable results. With a 36% increase in dealership visits among those exposed to the ads, this campaign demonstrates the potential of digital OOH advertising to engage consumers and boost sales. As more businesses adopt this approach, the future of advertising will undoubtedly involve even greater integration of location-based insights and real-time measurement.

For advertisers looking to maximize their impact, digital billboards represent a dynamic and data-driven solution that can deliver significant results.

Creative Genius: Why Creative Design is Your Campaign’s Secret Weapon

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In today’s fast-paced advertising world, creative design has become the cornerstone of effective billboard campaigns. While factors like targeting, reach, and brand awareness play important roles, it’s the power of a compelling creative that truly makes or breaks a campaign. Now, in an era where customization and precision are at the forefront, the quality of the creative especially stands out as a decisive element in driving success.

Nielson conducted a study in 2017 that looked closer at the various factors that contributed to sales. Remarkably, they found that a company’s creative accounted for 47% of what drove sales during their study. The closest element after creative was reach, which came in at 22%.

Elements of a Good Creative

Creating a standout billboard isn’t just about making something pretty—it’s about making something effective. While personal taste matters, some principles consistently enhance billboard advertising:

High Contrast: Helps your ad stand out and be readable from a distance.

Concise Messaging: Keeping the message to 5-7 words makes it quick to grasp.

Clear Imagery: One strong, clear image captures attention and conveys your message fast.

The Science Behind an Effective Creative

Understanding how people think and behave can boost your billboard’s impact. Research shows that our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text. Consequently, a billboard with a strong visual component will likely leave a more lasting impression than one loaded with text.

Where and when you place your ad also matters. Billboards on busy highways during rush hour can captivate a stuck-in-traffic audience, making your message more memorable. Using real-time data to tweak your message based on the time of day, weather, or current events can further increase engagement.

Case Studies: Success Stories

Consider Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign. By personalizing bottles with common names and encouraging people to find their names, Coca-Cola created a fun and engaging experience. This strategy, when applied to billboards, generated huge buzz and boosted sales.

Or think about Apple’s minimalist billboard designs. With high-contrast images and minimal text, Apple’s ads are instantly recognizable and convey a sense of elegance and innovation, strengthening the brand’s identity.

Conclusion

While many factors contribute to an advertising campaign’s success, creative design remains crucial. A well-designed billboard can significantly enhance a campaign’s effectiveness, driving better results and higher sales. By sticking to proven design principles, understanding consumer psychology, and leveraging advanced technologies, advertisers can create compelling billboard ads that truly stand out and resonate with their audience.

Celebrating 27 Years of International Outdoor

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For the past 27 years, International Outdoor has run as a family-owned and operated business that is deeply rooted in the communities we serve. In name and in spirit, we go above and beyond in our out-of-home advertising services. As a team, we are focused and committed to serving Michigan’s communities through impactful and innovative billboard advertising. And now, for 27 years, we have been lighting up the roadsides of Metro Detroit with vibrant, eye-catching billboards.

Humble Beginnings

Every journey starts somewhere. International Outdoor began as a modest operation with only a handful of static billboards in Metro Detroit. We were learning the intricacies of how to effectively advertise for companies along with exploring how we could expand our business services to strategically develop Michigan’s landscapes. Over time, we picked up several new billboards in prime locations like the Detroit Metropolitan Airport and iconic spots showcasing Detroit’s skyline. Along with introducing digital boards to our service line, we have developed 100 billboard faces in the area.

Business in Action

However, behind every successful business is a dedicated team. Over the years, we have assembled a devoted sales team, an innovative in-house creative department, and a friendly, efficient administrative staff. Each member of our team is committed to our shared goal of achieving success for our clients. With every client we have helped we keep these four principles in mind.

Location

We ensure our clients attain the most optimal boards suitable for their business.

Value

We ensure that each client gains valuable impressions through our partnership.

Service

We ensure that each client receives helpful, accommodating service.

Results

We go above and beyond to make sure every client receives effective results.

We have also maintained being a leading out-of-home advertising company in the Tri-County Detroit area specializing in designing, preparing, and presenting comprehensive advertising campaigns. As we stay true to serving our local Michigan businesses and are proud to say we are headquartered in Michigan, we are excited to share that we have introduced several national clients to our clientele. While we expand our coverage of the Michigan landscape, we also strive to expand our clientele to all businesses.

Giving Back

Community service is at the heart of our mission. We believe in the importance of giving back and supporting the communities we call home. From sponsoring local events to donating billboard space for important causes, we strive to make a positive impact. This commitment is deeply ingrained in our company’s foundation, recognizing the power of our medium to instantly convey messages to thousands and prioritizing its use for the greater good.

During COVID-19 times, we donated free board space to businesses that needed a boost.

Moving Forward

Our passion for helping businesses reach their audience and supporting our communities drives us every day. As we celebrate 27 years of success, we are incredibly grateful for everyone who has contributed to our growth. We eagerly look forward to what the future holds and remain dedicated to our mission of excellence in out-of-home advertising.