Grocery Cart Advertising: How to Design Billboard Ads that Work
January 10, 2017
When you hear the word “billboard” you likely imagine the endless stream of posters perched above highways. Some are just pictures, others are more unusual and even have some cool visual effects.
Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you are interested in discovering the elements of great billboard design — but on a much smaller scale.
Although shopping cart billboards are measured in inches instead of feet, many of the components of great highway billboard design still apply to shopping cart billboards.
What are the elements of a billboard?
First, let’s define a billboard. A billboard is a flat-surface advertisement that captures attention through creative and visual effects. They’re usually placed in high-traffic areas, such as in supermarkets or along highways.
No matter the marketing billboard—shopping cart or highway—there are a few common design components.
What are the elements of a great billboard?
Every billboard consists of these essential pieces:
● Business or Person’s Name
● List of Services
● Color Photo or Artwork
● Contact Information
Optional elements are:
● Offer or Discount
● Business Logos
● Social Media Logos
We’ll use this hypothetical billboard from Tom Alter, an insurance agent, to discuss the elements of great ad design.
Business Name — Every successful billboard has a business, person’s name, or both. In this example, Tom uses his name as well as his business, in this case “Insurance.” When the billboard brands an individual, we recommend formatting the person’s name as the largest, most prominent text.
List of Services — Almost every billboard, especially shopping cart advertisements, should include a list of services offered. Billboards are only effective when people know exactly what to expect from a business. In rare cases, the services may be implied, such as for a law firm.
Bullet points are a great way to show your services. In this example, we know that Tom Alter offers Auto, Home, Life, Banking insurance as well as other financial services. Tom also used bullet points, which make the ad easy to scan.
Contact Information — Every marketing billboard should include contact information. Without a phone number or email address, people have no way to get in touch.
It’s up to your business to determine what contact info to include. Tom knows that most clients give him a phone call after he runs an ad, so he made his phone number the second most prominent piece of information.
Tom also included an email address and physical location to maximize contact opportunities.
Optional Elements to Include on Your Billboard
Captain’s Heating & Air includes additional, optional billboard advertising elements. We’ll use the following ad to illustrate optional components.
An Offer or Discount — Unlike other forms of advertising, billboards are designed to build brand awareness. This means offers are only optional. Captain’s Heating & Air does not include a direct offer, but they do, however, tell the potential customer they offer “24 Hour Emergency Service/Repair – All Brands.” While not a specific discount, it is a great selling point. Selling points can convince people to use your service over other competitors.
Business Logos — Your business should also include any unique branding elements, such as logos. While Captain’s Heating & Air does not have a logo, they use the same images on all of their advertising to maintain brand consistency.
Social Media Icons — Print advertising can complement your businesses digital advertising efforts. Social media icons can direct people to follow your business on any social accounts. (Just be sure they’re active!) Captain’s Heating & Air includes a QR code that directs shoppers to visit their website.
Tips for grocery cart billboard ads:
Keep the text simple. Billboards should be easily scanned and quickly read. Save lengthier text explanations for your website and digital ads and offerings.
Include a personal photo. A personal photo literally “puts a face on your business.” As one of our ad partners told us, a personal photo can also present your business as more trustworthy.
Attract attention with bright, consistent colors. Colors carry a lot of meaning. Red may be great for an insurance company, while blue may work better for a spa. Read more about color meanings here. Pick colors that match your business, and make sure to not use too many different colors. More than three colors for text and the advertising becomes difficult to read.
More About Shopping Cart Advertising
Companies benefit from the strong branding and solid reputations supermarkets build to attract such high volumes of customers. Adcart works with businesses to determine the best location to display the company’s custom-designed, full-color advertising billboard on shopping carts.
Adcart, a division of ShopperLocal, currently holds patents for this shopping cart advertising system, which can display ads on three different placements on any shopping cart in their extensive network of supermarkets.
Adcart Can Help Grow Your Business
Shopping cart advertising builds brand recognition through sustained and
repeated ad exposure in the central part of a community.
Being seen is central to the success of any business, but it’s not about being seen just anywhere. Shopping cart ads are great for local business because they target your advertising to the people most likely to use your services.
If you are considering a shopping cart advertising campaign to build brand recognition and would like to talk to our representatives for a free consultation, please click here.