Billboard Advertising in San Antonio

Got Billboards?

San Antonio has a lot of billboards. If you want to purchase billboard advertising, you’ve come to the right place.  In addition to billboards, San Antonio has other popular outdoor advertising products including transit advertising - buses and shelters, airport, and malls.  I find when most people are wanting to talk about billboard advertising, they are wanting to know about the big lighted displays lined along major San Antonio freeways and highways.  That’s a good place to start so I will do my best to be clear and provide good general information.

First, let me say - talking about billboards is my favorite subject.  So, why has it taken me so long to start writing about billboard products specifically available in this market? Well, because there is so much information to share, and I don’t want it to come out sounding complicated. The cost efficiency and effectiveness of outdoor advertising in San Antonio is anything but complicated.  Of course, I would say that having 20 years in the industry, but here me out. The why’s of the medium are simple to understand. With a great creative message, and good billboard placement, you’ve got a winning ad. Well, maybe not quite that simple. It can only be a winning ad if the goals and expectations of the advertising campaign are met. The medium works. It can work for you too if your campaign is carefully executed from the start. 

Let’s get started by talking about the big boards I mentioned in the beginning.  

Bulletins … Command Attention!

Bulletins are the popular billboards we see on freeways, and are seen in most major cities. I like to call them The Generals because they command attention. Typically, 14 feet X 48 feet,  these structures are magnificent for creating awareness and branding for local businesses in San Antonio. There are a generous amount of locations in our city, with each display strategically placed so that it alone creates an impactive message for the advertisement it bears.

Bulletins are found along all of our interstates and major freeways as well as some major secondary arterials such as Bandera Highway, Blanco and Perin Beitel.  Not all bulletins are 14′ X 48′.  There are other sizes in this market as well -10′x40’s, 20′x60’s - but usually bulletins are 14′x48′, and come with lights bearing illumination from dusk until midnight.  All night illumination can be purchased for a nominal fee for businesses that deem it necessary to target motorists traveling at night - like hotels and grocery stores that are opened 24 hours.

Bulletin creative is produced on flex face vinyl that is easy to remove, rotate to new locations or stored for future campaigns. Production of vinyl is produced by large or grand format printers that specialize in outdoor media production. Due to modern advances in jet ink printers, production costs are extremely cost efficient. Produced by a reputable printer, vinyl can last several years before fading - yes even with our S. Texas sun. Most likely, you will want to change your creative message long before your creative will ever start to fade.

Usually sold in long term contracts (6 to 12 months) - 14′x48′ bulletins have strong frequency.  Defining frequency simply  - the number of times a San Antonio driver had an opportunity to see your board over your contracted period. In radio, frequency would be the number of times a listener had an opportunity to hear your ad over the contracted time. Bulletins are huge in frequency because of our driving patterns - we drive the same arteries daily.  Creatures of habit, we get on the same freeway to go to work every day. Congestion? 76% of San Antonio drivers drive alone to work every day.  Anyone up for a car pooling campaign? Anyway, bulletins create a big opportunity for your ad to be viewed Frequently. Result: Ad Recall.

As I said, bulletins are typically sold in long term contracts - two ways. Rotary campaigns allow you to the opportunity to create Reach as well as Frequency. How many folks are you reaching with your ad dollars? Thinking about tying up all your outdoor ad dollars on 281 North? Yes, it’s a great demographic, lots of traffic,  - but if you are a pool company, you might not have Reached the guy who just bought a house in Universal City, works downtown and is ready to put a brand new salt water pool in with all the bells and whistles. Rotary programs offer the ability to maximize your advertising budget by providing more location opportunities over an extended time of 6 to 12 months. More simply put - your vinyl comes down about every 60 days and is moved to a new location. Outdoor advertising is extremely flexible, and can and should be strategically targeted to create as many advertising impressions as possible.

 The second way to purchase bulletins are in permanent programs. Your ad stays in one place, and is yours for the duration of the contract. Like real estate, the rate of the board is based on supply and demand of the artery purchased. Permanent bulletins provide constant assurance that your ad is front of your target audience 24/7 - 365 days a week. Many advertisers that purchase permanent displays use them for directional purposes - like hotels, restaurants and homebuilders. San Antonio is in a unique position being that we are the #1 tourist destination city in the state of Texas. There are many permanent long term billboard advertisements targeting visitors for tourist and entertainment destinations.  

Posting … Win The Battle!

Posters are the soldiers of billboard products. They create call to action.  Sold in groupings or showings they are purchased demographically and geographically. They are posted with your message all within the same time frame, therefore, creating instant impact all at once. High in Reach and Frequency, I love poster showings because they are incredibly effective when purchased strategically and in numbers. Like an army - you have to have a lot of soldiers on the field to win the battle.

There are two kinds of posters known in the industry - and San Antonio being a

billboard meca - we have both industry structures.  

30-Sheets are 12′x25′ and typically are illuminated.  The advertising message is produced on paper, and is reposted with new paper every 4-weeks as well as moved to a new set of locations.  8-Sheets are 6′x12′ and don’t have lights. Quite efficient, you can buy about 3 to 4 8-Sheets for every one 30-Sheet. In some markets, 8-Sheet placement is skewed to urban areas, but in San Antonio there is sufficient coverage throughout the market. It’s also important to note, that 30-Sheets on freeways can be included in a poster showing where 8-Sheets cannot due to lack of freeway inventory. There is also the illumination factor. Therefore, the overall numbers of a 30-Sheet program might be the wiser buy due to market delivery and coverage.

Billboards are only a small part of what Billboard Connection San Antonio is all about. Billboards are very inexpensive on a per impression basis, and give your local business instant branding in the geographical region you are interested in.