At a recent industry conference held in New York, the National Association of Billboard Advertisers (NABA) sponsored a discussion by a panel of industry exports about the future of outdoor advertising, which – once written off as obsolete, ineffective, and expensive – has made a tremendous comeback as businesses redouble their efforts to bring in local traffic and build their brand to give themselves a competitive edge for when good times once again return. The panel focused on a number of topics, the most interest of which was, for me, the way in which Chicago advertising businesses have been  tremendously successful in reproducing the famous “Harvard effect” – incremental sales increase generated by an less expensive combination of local outdoor advertising and SEO versus a strong online-ad-only campaign.

Much of the success firms have experienced with advertising on billboards is simply due to the fact that businesses are regaining a sense of just what market they serve. Local businesses have for too long focused their efforts on the crowded internet space, wherein they struggle to distinguish themselves from their competitors because all they can use to convey their message is 3-7 words promising uniqueness after the page jump. Businesses that need local patronage that have redoubled advertising efforts on Chicago billboards, bus stops, and phone booths have remembered what the era of Adwords had made them forget: customers respond to proximity, uniqueness, and strong brand.

Only outdoor advertising can emphasize the proximity of its business, its selling points, and strengthen its reputation at the same time. Billboard ads, for instance,  encourage customers to make a detour to visit them for their low prices, while making them institutions for passersby and locals alike.

Any business owner looking to enhance local traffic ought to save their Adwords money for times when they can afford a lessor marginal return on their cash and rediscover the efficacy of billboard Advertising in Chicago.