National Billboard Day is annually observed on June 1. Keystone Outdoor Advertising, a Philadelphia and New Jersey-based Out-of-Home (O.O.H.) advertising agency, established the day to honour the earliest form of advertising in the world. When located in high-traffic areas, billboards reach millions of people daily and are therefore ubiquitous. They are used for advertising products, services, P.S.A.s, and a variety of other purposes to convey a message to as many people as possible, who then ingest the message consciously or subconsciously. The day should be celebrated because the concept has existed for centuries.
The background of National Billboard Day
Even though National Billboard Day is relatively recent, the use of billboards dates back to ancient Egypt. People have always needed to receive messages through a variety of channels, and a method that conveys the same message to the greatest number of people is always appreciated. Modern billboard advertising can be traced back to the late 15th-century adoption of flyposting. Flyposting, also known as wild posting or billposting, was a guerilla marketing technique in which posters were wheatpasted to points of attraction.
In 1796, German author and actor Alois Senefelder invented lithography in order to reproduce text or images onto paper or other suitable material. Initially, it was utilised for musical scores and maps. In 1872, the International Bill Posters Association of North America, which is now known as the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, was founded as a lobbying organisation for billboards. This led to a greater degree of structure in billboard advertising. The group established rules governing the use of billboards for advertising to better serve not only the public, but also the advertisers.
In 1908, as the number of Americans who travelled on highways increased, Ford released the Model T. This action reduced the visibility of roadside billboards and progressively prompted advertisers to place billboards on highways to maximise their visibility; advertisers continue to employ this strategy today. All of these factors have contributed to the celebration of National Billboard Day, which encourages industry professionals and businesses that use billboard advertising to discuss how billboards have benefited their businesses or helped spread an essential public service announcement (PSA). The day is intended to highlight the significance of billboards in our daily existence.
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NATIONAL BILLBOARD DAY ACTIVITIES
Digest a billboard message
Consider a celebratory message posted on a billboard. It is simple to drive past a billboard without consciously attempting to read it, but today, take the time to comprehend the message being conveyed.
Study a book on marketing.
Celebrate the occasion by perusing an advertising book. You’ll gain a greater appreciation for advertising as a result of realising how much effort goes into creating an advertisement.
Spread knowledge
To celebrate the day, spread awareness. A straightforward social media post with a hashtag is extremely effective.
5 FACTS ABOUT BILLBOARDS
The world’s largest billboard was constructed by Ford in Madrid, Spain, and measured 6,296.8 square feet.
Astronauts verified this in 2013, despite its implausibility.
Due to the numerous advertisements we are exposed to daily, billboard ads are more memorable than digital, which is one of the reasons why this form of advertising has not been phased out.
Google owns one of the most expensive billboards in the world, which costs $2.5 million.
Typically associated with the twenty-first century, electronic billboards have existed in New York City since 1904.
NATIONAL BILLBOARD DAY DATES
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2023 | June 1 | Thursday |
2024 | June 1 | Saturday |
2025 | June 1 | Sunday |
2026 | June 1 | Monday |
2027 | June 1 | Tuesday |