[rossdavidh]

I realize I'm kind of missing your point, but in my hometown of Austin, TX lots of billboards are advertising billboards, a charity (probably for a tax writeoff), or else have had the same ad for so long (often something like a concert that has already happened) that it's clear the billboard company is not getting paid anymore. I think billboards are stuck in the same downward ad revenue spiral as a lot of other traditional media.

[soared]

Charity billboards are likely PSAs that brands use to test the effectiveness of a billboard. You find two very similar towns, each with a walmart. Buy a billboard in each town, but in town A put up a walmart ad, in town B put up a charity/PSA billboard. Over simplifying, but if sales in town A increase more than town B then the billboard is effective.

[rossdavidh]

Interesting possibility, but wouldn't it be cheaper to just not buy any billboard ads in that town?

[soared]

I honestly don’t know. I’ve only read about this type of testing and a friend does it for direct mail at work but I’ve never used it. I think in digital or direct mail that you have the ability to track those users, which I guess doesn’t apply with billboards.

[Spooky23]

Weird, in my town it’s the opposite. Heavy rotations of ads on billboards, and a variety of topics from retail, politics, political influence and brand awareness.

[rossdavidh]

Interesting, I wonder if it depends on the characteristics of the city, somehow?