Go public. Go billboards.

If you drive along the freeway, or for that matter, any streets in Los Angeles area, you will encounter hundreds of advertisements in forms of billboards, banner on the bus, posters on the wall etc. Many companies spends huge amount of money on those forms of advertisement, because it is guaranteed to be seen by many people. Since those advertising space has high visibility, many organizations use those space as means to inform the public of information.

Many companies use such space to present their products to consumers. Some companies not only present their products, but also show that their product is better than their competitors’ products. For example, German carmaker, Audi, recently launched their new theme for the advertisement. Their theme consists of presenting their new product is much better than their competitors’. One of the billboards they posted up shows their new car, an A4, with a text that reads, “Your move, BMW!” With that one advertisement, Audi was able to communicate with consumers that their new car is better than their competitions. I have realized how many Audi cars we have on the streets today and it seems that the count keeps growing with every day. The popularity of Audi cars has grown up remarkably this last months. 

Many non-profit organizations use those spaces to provide information to general public. One billboard has a digital display that shows number, and the number gets updated frequently. It is an advertisement by an anti-smoking organization trying to persuade the public from smoking by scaring public with death counts of people who died from smoking-related cause. Los Angeles Public Service has used many spaces to encourage public to vote on the Election Day. FBI uses some spaces to show the pictures of “wanted” people. Other organizations have used spaces to educate public about various issues. Driving on Santa Monica blvd. and passing by the billboard that shows the amount of people who died from smoking makes me think twice before lighting the cigarette. Not that it actually makes me quit but it of no doubt makes me think. Such billboards can be viewed just as a pieces of steel put together but on the contrary it is a very powerful message sender and information provider that is a non separate part of our every day lives.

As number of advertising spaces goes up, those spaces are becoming a way of communication; from manufacturers to the consumers and from organizations to the public. With every day  the way of communication evolves more and more. Long time ago there was no such thing  as billboard now it is one of the most influential parts of communication between people.