Billboards

Advertising is funny. We don't realize how often we see it, but advertisers know how to make it seem like we don't see it. This could be the most dangerous aspect of today's advertising epidemic. One of the most obvious examples of subconscious advertising techniques that really affect judgments based and their strategic placements are billboards. Think about it. Everyday we drive down the road, focusing on our goal of getting to the destination safe. As we often take the same routes to either school or work, we drive by dozens of billboards that we have learned to ignore. Or have we truly learned to ignore them? Even if we don't take in the reasoning of every ad, we still are affected by just catching a glimpse of a big, juicy burger and fries when we are heading home after a long day. These ads are completely effective over a long period of time.

Billboard ads would have to be targeted at one main grouping of age and careers. They would not so much be focused on kids, as I can't think of a child that stares out the window constantly when in a car, so why advertise if children won't see the ads. Billboards would have to market to those old enough to drive, so I would have to argue that the minimum target age for most ads would be at least 16 and up, most of the time much higher. The other advertising categories would have to be demographically researched, as race, economic status, hobbies, interests, etc. would be based on where the ads were placed. This is a very hard judgment to make because each area is different in their own ways. For example, you wouldn't put an ad for a Hummer in inner city "slums". In contrast, you would also never put an advertisement for a rap station in the middle of the country, with farms all around. You advertise to the demographics, that's why advertisements are so hard to judge.