There’s no denying that we are surrounded by advertising and marketing via more venues than ever before. In the old days, we were limited to television, radio and billboard. The technology stream has opened up the worlds of the internet websites, social media and now even our smartphones. With the entire marketing buzz, it is often a conundrum when you are trying to design creative and imaginative advertising for your electronic scoreboards.
The general public is fairly savvy when judging the difference between a good ad and a bad one. One example of the demand for good ads is the incredible popularity of Super Bowl ads. There are people that may not be football fans, but they will go online just to view that year’s ingenuity in advertising.
Advertising has been slowly moving away from the old fashioned campy style to a more intelligent and creative genre. The genius of marketing companies realizes that a ‘good ad’ can often go viral as it is not only viewed on the choice of display but on social media and free video sites. There are many websites on the internet that will give you examples of the most popular advertising around the world. The best of the best seem to have two things in common: they have either used incredible special effects or the ad is based on a well crafted humorous situation.
When you are putting your electronic scoreboard advertising campaigns together, you will need an incredibly well-educated team. Your approach to your sponsors must show that you are prepared to show them what sells. Yes, you may have a retailer that wants a video on the electronic scoreboard of their daughter dancing in her ballet outfit, but you will have to try to convince them to have an ad that will sell their company, products, service or sponsorship. Arm yourself with a list of the most popular and well viewed ads. These may be of a more national branding, but, this will give the retailer or sponsor the concept of the larger picture as part of their vision.
Every area in the country has what I call the ‘local ads’. These are usually badly made with horrible jingle songs and the owner of the company screaming at the television to buy their products. In some cases, they are services and one wonders who ever thought it would attract a customer. If your sponsor has one of these ads, try to discourage them from using it. Talk about creating a fresh new look for them that will catch the attention of the fans on the field or in the auditorium.
If you are lucky enough to have a graphics and media group in your team and are approaching a repeat sponsor, have them develop a new concept for them. Well crafted, high tech and nicely balanced humor can turn a plain ad into the talk of the game. People are looking to advertising as part of the entertainment when they view an electronic scoreboard. The sponsor wants the attendees to remember them and support their business. The electronic scoreboard can be their best friend if the presentation is done right – or their worst enemy if they demand a poor ad. Your job will be to be prepared with return-on-investment information, the most popular and most viewed ad types and letting your sponsor know that you want their electronic scoreboard to product business for them.
For more information, go to:
http://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/33559/Puma-Life-Scoreboard
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/business/media/30adco.html