They walk, they talk, they think, they can go everywhere and that’s why Human Billboards are popular as an effective advertising tool.
Human Billboards, what is it? They are more commonly referred to as human directional signs. They are also given names like sign twirlers and also sign walkers by advertisers. These sign walkers or human directional signs refer to people who put advertising messages on their person for instance on boards, posters slung around their necks or more commonly on T-shirts, trousers, hats and various apparel. Most of the commercial human directional signs are always in a state of motion like either spinning or dancing to attract attention. In some bizarre cases people have been found to even spray paint themselves and use tattoos to advertise products as is evident when fans show representations of their country flags in major tournaments like the FIFA World Cup.
However, that’s not all. The humans sporting marketed products don’t usually just walk around with the banners they advertise. They have specific places to walk and usually dance, jump, make noise and do various things to attract attention. This is especially with those who are paid by a company to market the product. Sometimes you may spot them next to traffic lights or at intersections, waving their banners and handing out leaflets or free samples. More and more, music is coming into play with human billboards pitching camp with sound systems belting out the latest hits as they make their pitch with sound, vision and movement.
Another gimmick marketer’s use is giving out free T-shirts, bandannas and hats in order that the general public get recruited into their human billboard program. This is a favorite with fast food franchises. Sometimes the company involved is so popular that the public actually wants to buy promotional material, often at high cost to themselves, and are willing to advertise it free wherever they go. This is reminiscent of global brand leaders like Manchester United, The New Zealand All Blacks and Nike.
The question lingering in minds lately revolves around why human billboards are becoming so popular. Some say they are kind of obscene and “in your face” while others accept them as a part of the ever growing ever innovative marketing space. The bottom line however is that human directional signs are very effective for a diverse number of reasons. The people doing the marketing are highly mobile and can gain access to even the most remote markets where most other media would fall short. For instance in restaurants, hotels and restricted areas, a person wearing say a Christiano Ronaldo or Didier Drogba T-Shirt may get in and his shirt will advertise Chelsea and Manchester United without much effort and more importantly, without any cost.
In the end one must admit that the marketers were pretty clever in getting it right with human billboards. The world is rapidly moving from static to social networking with the emergence of Myspace, Facebook and other social network sites. Thus the key to effective marketing in the future must involve in a large part the use of human communication and Human Billboards fill the gap quite nicely it would seem.
Author Resource:-
David Hay is the owner of 858-GRAPHICS. 858 Graphics prides itself on quality, service and unbeatable prices. We work closely with customers to make sure we understand their needs. We specialize in wide format, full color digital printing, signs, vehicle wraps, vehicle graphics, graphic design, posters and stickers. For all your Trade Show Displays, Banners, Outdoor Signs, Printing and Vehicle Decals needs, please visit http://www.858graphics.com and http://www.sandiegotradeshowdisplays.com
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