We often hear the debate of which is better for marketing, billboards, or social media. The answer is that it depends on your specific campaign and what you are trying to achieve.
Among the many options available to businesses for traditional OOH, there’s one that stands heads and shoulders above the rest in terms of size, visibility, creativity, and curb appeal—the wallscape.
Even if you don’t already know what wallscape advertising is, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a few examples—and didn’t realize you were looking at outdoor advertising at all.
That’s because wallscape ads are sky-high works of art that transform their surroundings and grab the attention of consumers near and far, combining vibrant colors and captivating graphics with expert messaging to bolster brands and businesses.
In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about wallscapes, including their benefits and drawbacks.
A Guide to Wallscapes
Wallscapes are large-format advertisements that appear on the sides of buildings.1 Perhaps more than any other type of outdoor advertising, they blend the boundaries between art and commerce. They offer beautifully rendered, compelling ads that attract both attention and admiration.
There are two ways that wallscape ads come to life:
- Painted directly onto buildings – In most cases, wallscapes are painted directly onto the building itself by a team of skilled artisans.
- Attached to walls – In other cases, wallscapes are printed onto sheets of pressure-sensitive vinyl, which are then attached to the building.
Regardless of whether the wallscape is painted on or attached to the building, you won’t see them just anywhere. Instead, wallscape advertising is most prominent in densely populated metropolitan cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and other big markets.
They’re most often found in or near high-traffic areas like:
- Freeways, highways, and other major roads
- Prominent downtown urban areas
- Popular commuter and tourist areas
Wallscape advertisements appeal to a large number of people and therefore are common among many industries, including:
- Retail
- Food production
- Real estate
- Automobile
- Insurance
What Are the Benefits of Wallscape Advertising?
If you’re looking for an advertising method that’s big, bold, and larger than life, you can’t go wrong with a wallscape. This is especially true if you’re seeking to attract a broad and diverse consumer group with ads that bring excellent exposure to a wide audience.
Aside from being captivating, pretty to look at, and widely appealing, wallscapes are also:
- Versatile – Wallscapes are uniquely suited to a wide variety of advertising shapes and sizes. Essentially, they come in as many shapes and sizes as there are buildings in your city.
- Visible – Due in part to their enormous size, their eye-catching nature, and their prominence in densely populated areas of high traffic, wallscapes are among the most visible OOH advertising types. They cater to both pedestrians, commuters, and vehicular audiences.
- Long-term – You wouldn’t go to the trouble of creating a wallscape for a campaign that’s only meant to last a few weeks or months. Instead, wallscapes are perfect for long-term or ongoing promotions.
What Are the Drawbacks of Wallscape Advertising?
There are two sides to every coin, and that’s as true of wallscape advertising as anything else. Although they’re a stunning and effective choice for large companies with national or international reach and reputations, the format poses certain drawbacks that can act as tall barriers for most businesses.
Most of the cons of wallscape advertising have to do with the fact that they:
- Are expensive – Wallscape space is often rented on a long-term basis of several months to several years, which on its own can get very pricey. You must also factor in other costs, like the design team, printing costs, installation team, and ongoing maintenance team. This puts wall advertising out of reach for some small and medium-sized businesses.
- Require maintenance – Because of their long-term nature, wallscapes require substantially more maintenance than, for instance, your standard bulletin or junior poster.
- Aren’t widely available – Although billboard advertising is a common feature in most places in the country, wallscapes are city slickers that rarely venture out of metropolitan cities. They need the big crowds and exterior building surfaces that cities offer.
- Lack targeting – Wallscapes target immense groups of people from all walks of life, whether they’re tourists, city dwellers, or businessmen and women in town for a conference. This makes it tricky to target specific demographics or consumer groups.
Make an Impact with True Impact Media
From wallscapes to billboards to bus stops, the exciting world of out-of-home advertising has something to offer brands and businesses of any kind. Whether you run a national conglomerate that’s looking to dress an entire building in your long-term ad or a regional business looking for an affordable, short-term option, True Impact Media has the solution for you.
At True Impact Media, we know that the OOH searching and buying process can be frustrating. From choosing the format that’s right for your brand and finding advertising space to keeping track of quotes and invoices, we’re streamlining the process so that you can advertise with ease. We’re experts in our field and we’re built to help you along every step of your OOH journey. Let us. Find out more about our platform today.
Sources:
- Out of Home Advertising Association of America. About OOH. https://oaaa.org/AboutOOH/OOHBasics/OOHMediaFormats/WallMurals.aspx
