The spatial opportunities for advertising are continually evolving. Contemporary advertising placements can now be seen in places as wide-ranging as toilets, the interiors of buses, in the back of taxis, elevators, on shopping bags and on the side of coffee cups.
These types of advertorial placements were once considered unusual, that is to say, against the normalcy of traditional media placements such as television, print and billboards. However, non-traditional forms of advertising within public spaces have now become commonplace, to the extent that they can be fully integrated into any marketing campaign.
Indeed, taking into consideration the vast opportunities that marketing teams now exploit within public spaces, one could almost think of their mantra to be, ‘if a person can inhabit a space, then an advert can inhabit that same space too.’
One of the more recent and best examples of utilising public spaces to promote a product or a service is within the construction industry. These kinds of advertising fall into four categories, each with their own particular benefits, as follows.
1. Building Wraps
At some point in the history of advertising, someone has come to the remarkable realisation that a building can be used as a billboard! Indeed, the building wrap is a bigger, bolder, brighter, next generation billboard!
Make Your Advert Stand out in the Crowd of Pedestrians
The view that a pedestrian or a road user has of a cityscape is often rather dull. It tends to consist of a panoramic of grey buildings, in between sandstone buildings, next to the once-in-a-while excitement of a white building! As such, the sheer vibrancy of a building wrap, set amongst twenty different shades of grey, can really make your advertisement stand out.
In addition to the benefit of the vibrancy that building wraps can create, is the benefit of the sheer size of the advert itself. In fact, the only thing limiting the actual size of your advert is the size of your building.
A building wrap utilises space that would otherwise lie unused, and it allows a business to provide a vast outreach to potential customers. The footfall within large, metropolitan areas allows a building wrap to be viewed by hundreds of people in a matter of seconds.
2. Mesh Banners
Whilst the primary function of mesh banners that surround the perimeter of a construction site is to secure the area and protect the public, they can also serve as a great means by which to convey a temporary advertisement.
In the majority of instances, mesh banners will serve to advertise what the site under construction will be upon its completion. Thus, a construction site for a block of residential apartments will often be fenced off by hoarding that advertises the completed apartments.
However, mesh banners also can also be used to make passers-by aware of products and services within close proximity to the construction site. A study found that the five most popular impulse buys that that UK citizens make are chocolate, clothes, fast food, coffee and lunch. It is therefore no surprise that mesh banners within city centres often display adverts for such products with the call-to-action statement that they are only ‘100 metres this way →’.
Mesh banners can be a very economical means with which to temporarily promote your product or service and drive footfall towards your outlet. They are perhaps the most underexploited means of construction advertising, hence the reason why if the space isn’t snapped up by high street outlets it is often used to promote the construction company itself or the premises that they are currently working on.
3. Hoarding Graphics
Hoarding graphics are similar in principle to mesh banners, albeit they have a sleeker finish and are more elegant. They are similarly used to secure construction areas in city centres, but are also increasingly utilised at outdoor events.
Hoarding graphics are now widely used at festivals, racecourses, stadiums, temporary pop-up venues, and temporary outdoor bar areas at travelling shows such as Cirque de Soleil. They not only offer improved security over a mesh banner, but the advertisements that adorn the boards look more professional.
An advertisement on a mesh banner is often secured to it with cable ties, exposing the mesh and the metal support bars; in short, it looks like a mesh fence first and an advertisement second. Hoarding graphics, on the other hand, fully incorporate the advertisement into the hoarding – the audience feel as if they are looking at an advertisement first and a hoarding board second.
Both hoarding graphics and mesh banners offer a viable means with which to promote awareness about your products and services and raise brand awareness.
4. Large-Format Scaffolding Wrap
Large-format scaffolding wraps are, quite literally, a HUGE advertising opportunity. These humongous adverts are again only limited in scope by the size of the building and the work being carried out on it. Construction contractors often seek to partner up with potential advertisers for large-format scaffolding wraps as they serve to greatly benefit both parties.
From a construction company’s perspective, these wraps offer great waterproofing capabilities and also help to limit the escape of dust and debris. Whilst from an advertiser’s perspective, building wraps offer a chance to create a truly impactful and vibrant display in a bland city centre that cannot fail to catch the eyes of thousands of people every day.
If your store, premises or office is having building work carried out on its upper floors then you may wish to advertise your own company on the scaffolding wrap whilst the building work is undertaken. Another benefit of this is that it can remind potential customers that you are open as usual. Moreover, the wrap reduces noise relayed during construction to the exterior street; this is beneficial in that noise pollution can often deter potential customers from entering your premises.
Utilise That Underutilised Space
Leach specialise in large-format graphic displays – if you are interested in using construction advertising to raise the awareness of your product or service get in touch today.
