100 Billboard Ad Ideas
Needs some billboard ad ideas for current or potential customers? Check out our extensive list below. Included are options for mostly digital boards, but some work for static as well. Some options are dynamic, so let us know if you need advice on those (info@tastyad.com).
Did you know? The more ads you create and run for a digital billboard customer, the more likely they are to renew! Get creating!
1). Holiday Messages
These are more popular for major holidays but banks, government services and larger corporations will generally run ads for all federal holidays.
2020 Holiday Schedule
January 1 (Sunday) – New Years Day
January 16 (Monday) – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
February 2 (Thursday) – Groundhog’s Day
February 20 (Monday) – George Washington’s Birthday
March 17 (Friday) – St. Patrick’s Day
April 9 (Sunday) – Easter
May 14 (Sunday) – Mother’s Day
May 29 (Monday) – Memorial Day
June 18 (Sunday) – Father’s Day
July 4 (Thursday) – Independence Day
September 4 (Monday) – Labor Day
October 9 (Monday) – Columbus Day
October 31 (Tuesday) – Halloween
November 11 (Saturday) – Veterans Day
November 23 (Thursday) – Thanksgiving Day
December 25 (Monday) – Christmas Day
2). Showcase Employees
Showing your advertiser they can boost employee morale by featuring them on a billboard is a great bonus.
3). Customer of the Week
Check your advertiser’s Facebook page for pics of their customers they have already posted about. Why not put them on a billboard?
4). Employee of the Month
Allowing your customers to advertise a new employee every week or month is a great way to keep their ads fresh. You can reuse the same ad template, just swap the photo and name. Easy peasy.
5). Showcase Individual Products
One of the most important ads a company can run is their products. Run 2-3 and swap them out every month if they have a lot.
6). Showcase Individual Services
Create a billboard ad for each service the advertiser offers. That way you have room to add an attention-grabbing photo and won’t clutter the ad. For static boards, a bulleted list will do.
7). Go Team! Support a local school
A simple “Go Tigers” or whatever the school mascot is in your area. With the advertiser’s logo on the bottom.
8). Customer Testimonials
These are super easy to find on the advertiser’s Facebook page. If you can’t find any a generic one will do for spec art.
9). Weather Forecasts
10). Sales and Promotions
Another popular one. Great for digital billboard ads during special events and holiday sales. Remember, the fewer word the better!
11). Before and After Photos
These are great for dentist billboards (teeth whitening), home repair and remodeling companies, weight loss clinics, etc.
12). Like us on Facebook
13). Follow us on Instagram
14). Follow us on Twitter
15). Feeds from Social Media
16). Ask the Expert (Q & A)
17). Sports Scores
Dynamic feeds usually provided by your digital billboard provider. Watchfire sends their customers sports score ads they can utilize for free. Ther’s no end to the polibilites. The only downside is you can’t use team logos.
18). News Headlines
19). Serving You Since ____
Check the advertiser’s website about page and usually, you’ll find out when they started. If they are a fairly new business, you might not want to do this one.
20). Quote of the Day
An inspiring quote from a famed author or sports legend? Why not! There very popular on social media. Don’t forget to quote the author!
21). Community Messages (PSA’s)
These could include upcoming events in the community, local sports games and more. Check your chamber of commerce’s website for ideas.
22). Contests
23). Give-A-Ways
24). Insider Tips
25). Newsletter Sign-up
Does your advertiser send out a newsletter? Why not ask for sign-ups on the billboard for access to great info.
26). Fact of the Day
27). Now Hiring
Every business in the world has to hire new employees, so these are a great to have on hand. They are also great to present as ideas when showing spec art as businesses may not know they can utilize billboards for their hiring needs. See this related article.
28). Internal Birthdays
29). ___ Days Accident-Free
Great for factory and warehouse companies. This is something they might keep a tally of on their facebook or website.
30). Internal Awards/Achievement Acknowledgement
31). Community Service Announcements
32). School Closings
33). Real Estate Listings
34). Bible Verses
35). Tourist Tips
36). Upcoming Events
37). Countdowns to Holidays
38). Slogans (Best Coffee In Town)
39). Happy Anniversaries (Inside the Company)
Showing employees that management cares about thier by celebrating their life achievements on a billboard is a great way to boost employee loyalty.
40). Traffic Updates/Road Work
41). Location Info (Address, etc.)
42). Tornado Warnings/Amber Alerts
43). Mention this ad. Get %__ OFF
A great way to show the effectiveness of OOH. The discount needs to be enough to get a call or walk-in though. If digital, make sure the advertiser is only running this ad to make sure it gets enough air time.
44). Stock Market Updates
Great for financial companies. These can be updated manually but the easiest way is to use an RSS feed which can be plugged into the ad to updated automatically.
45). Games (Guess Who, Riddles)
46). Church Events
If you know where your advertiser attends church, find a current or previous event and create an ad for them. Advertisers love helping out their local churches and charities.
47). Photos of Customers
Who doesn’t love being on a billboard? Let advertisers showcase their customers on their billboard and it will draw new customers in!
48). Awards (Best in Town)
In our town, the local paper does a “Best of the Best” segment every year. It’s a way for them to sell ad space, however, many of the advertisers do billboard ads with “Best of the Best” ribbons on them. Example: Best of the Best Seafood
49). Time & Temperature
Time and temp ads are super easy to setup in most billboard scheduling programs. They create an eye catching message the public relys on for important information.
50). Office Hours
Let the public know when your advertiser is open. These ads are great for restaurants, urgent care clinics, shops and more.
51). Open House/Grand Opening
Many new businesses host open houses or grand openings to get the word out. Making billboard ads lets the public know about their exciting event.
52). New Products or Services
53). Price Points Ads
54). Obituaries/In Loving Memory
55). Small Business of the Month
Some banks will have a small business of the month that they will promote on social media and billboards. Check with the local banks in your area and see if they want to show off their small businesses on billboards!
56). Black Friday Sales
57). New Babies (Welcome Baby ____)
58). No Tax Weekends
59). Eat at ___, Shop at ___, Play at ___, etc.
Some of the most effective billboard ads are the ones with only a few words. Simple, to the point and eye-catching.
60). Countdown Timers (15 Days ’til ___)
61). Open Weekends!
62). Fugitives/On The Run/Escaped
63). Financing Options
64). Insurance Accepted (We Accept ____)
65). Clever or Funny Slogans/Sayings
66). Support Our Troops
67). Support Local Emergency/Law Enforcement
68). Pictures of Pets (Office Dog)
69). Lost Pets
70). Puppies & Babies
An ad with a cute baby or puppy is an easy way to get that “Awww” moment with viewers. We all know a sexy woman on a billboard ad will get attention, but instilling trust and friendliness in the viewer takes a different approach.
71). ER Wait Times
72). Happy Hour Specials
These aren’t just for drink specials at your local watering hole. Many fast-food chains (Sonic) also use this term to sell drinks during off times of the day.
73). Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October)
74). Check us Out Online! (Website.com)
If your advertisers sell products online or just have a great looking website, why not direct traffic to it with a billboard? Beware of super long URL’s though as they may be hard for the viewer to remember.
75). Save Time With ___, Save Money With___
76). Happy Retirement Ads
77). Small Business Saturday
78). Directional Ads with Big Arrows
79). Welcome Back to School
80). Daily/Weekly Specials
81). Proud Sponsor of ____
82). Accepting New Patients
83). Local Animal Shelter
84). Got ____ (Got Milk Spoof)
85). Simple Logo Ad
86). Rush Service Available!
Does your advertiser sell products or services that customers often need to be rushed? Quick Service? Speedy Delivery? Show it on a billboard!
87). Ask a Question
88). Teaser Ads (Something Big is Coming!)
89). Coming Soon! Now Open!
90). FREE (First 10 Customers)
91). Local Charity Donation Help
92). Retro Themed Ads
Retro and vintage have been making a comeback over the last several years. Create a simple logo/contact info ad in a retro theme for your advertiser. If anything it will spark a conversation.
93). Welcome to the Family (New Customers)
94). Congrats Graduates (Local HS Grads)
95). We Love ____
96). Celebrating __ Years in Business
97). Dynamic Weather-Related Ads
98). New Year, New _____
These phrases are quite popular for new years. Some examples we’ve seen include New Year, New You. New Year, New Home, New Year, Car. And so on…
99). Early Voting/Don’t Forget to Vote!
It’s best not to get political when creating ads for your advertiser’s, however, you can run ads reminding the people in your area of the voting schedule and locations.
100). Player of the Week/Month (Local School)
