Want to know more about the colorful history of billboard advertising and how it has evolved since its inception? Read this blog and discover it all.
More than 220 million people live in Pakistan, most of whom travel daily. While driving a car, around 72% of individuals come across a billboard. These numbers represent a big percentage of the population that can be influenced via billboard advertising.
Billboards In Pakistan
The roads in Pakistan have hundreds of billboards – each depicting something distinct and unique. Some of them are quite eye-catching, and the tag lines over them are memorable, and it blows your mind, and you’re like, WOAH. It’s a cool way of advertising your product and, if done right, can even go viral.
Billboard advertising is one of the most convenient methods to promote and publicize your product which is still viable even decades after its introduction. Based on current trends, billboard advertising has changed a bit, and you must be thinking about what it used to be like back then and how it has evolved in the intervening years. Read through to discover the evolution of billboard advertising, especially in Pakistan and its various provinces.
Billboard Advertising In Pakistan – What Has Changed?
The out-of-home marketing strategy was once considered a random advertising strategy in Pakistan. Now the tables have turned, billboard advertising has taken a huge leap and secured a central spot in the advertising strategies of various organizations.
With the development of printed advertising banners in the 1990s, billboards have become more pervasive and demanding. They are changing public attitudes and becoming a source of entertainment for audiences as they become more interactive.
Out-of-home marketing, or billboard advertising, is one of the oldest physical marketing strategies in Pakistan and around the globe. In Pakistan, its evolution can be divided into three eras: hand-painted signboards (1947-1992), large format banners (1992-2010), and extensive outdoor marketing through billboards (2010-present).
Hand–Painted Signboards
If you have ever witnessed promotional banners for old Pakistani movies, then you know that those were hand-painted. It was the initiation of billboard advertising in Pakistan. The hand-painted signboard significantly contributed to the development of our country’s economy.
Initially, a few brands took advantage of this strategy, greatly impacting drawing crowds. During that duration, hand-painted advertisements for beauty products, home necessities, grocery items, and others were spotted at railway stops. The medium experienced a surge in popularity beginning in the 1970s and leveled up the marketing of products to a greater extent.
Large Format Banners
With the introduction of large format banners in the early 90s, some brands received a strong boost. Multinational companies like Coca-Cola, Nestlé Pakistan, and Unilever were among the first to invest in these new formats, which gave both socio-economic impacts.
All major brands quickly jumped on this bandwagon and followed the trend. It resulted in high demand for this marketing medium, which led to a massive price hike. Previously, hand-painted signboards cost only several hundred monthly; now, it has peaked at several thousand a month.
Extensive Billboards
Before 2010, outdoor advertising was considered a supplement to TV and media. The artworks were a rudimentary adaptation of print advertisements without considering the impact.
Then, the marketing strategy took a big turn, and promotion was done through publicizing on huge billboards. In Pakistan, the international brand Kinetic started, and other companies also started following this trend.
This new adaptation turned out to be very successful and still can give a solid pump to several brands and their products. Last year, the advertising revenue was increased to 25% – around 40 million, all thanks to advanced billboard advertising.
One Last Stop
Billboard advertising has quadrupled brands’ valuation and worth in the last couple of years. Despite all the advancements and modernization of technology, when it comes to marketing and advertising, people in Pakistan still prefer the old way – billboard advertising, which is still relevant and significant in this avant-garde time. And as billboards evolve and change, you need a partner who can help facilitate your advertising initiatives by providing the right locations.