CODES AND CONVENTIONS-

BILLBOARD ADVERTS

ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA, A BILLBOARD ADVERTISMENT AND IT’S PURPOSE IS:

A bi l lboard (also cal led a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a bil l ing board), typical ly found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Bi l lboards present large advertisements of passing pedestrians and drivers. Typical ly showing large, ostensibly witty slogans, and distinctive visuals, bi l lboards are highly visible in the top designated market areas.

The largest standard-size bi l lboards, known as Bul letins, are located primari ly on major highways, expressways or principal arterials, and command high-density consumer exposure (mostly to vehicular traffic). Bulletins afford greatest visibi l i ty due not only to their size, but because they al low creative "customizing" through extensions and embell ishments.

Posters are the other common form of bi l lboard advertising, located mostly along primary and secondary arterial roads. Posters are a smaller format than bul letins and are viewed principal ly by residents and commuter traffic, with some pedestrian exposure.

WHAT IS A BILLBOARD ADVERT?

Having had a look at many billboard adverts, I have come up with a simple list of common does and conventions:

Main image: Normally features the product.Title: States the product/what it is.Colour scheme: Usually bold and contrasting, helps

the product stand out.Font: Always clear and easy to read.Text: Explains the product and what it’s about or uses

a smart slogan to gain brand recognition.Logo: Often features the brand logo.

GENERAL CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF BILLBOARD

ADVERTS

SUBWAY ADVERT

The use of emotive language and sexualised language is important to this advert. The adulterated and quite explicit language is eye-catching and attracts almost all members of the audience, this is because adults are alerted to such a subject and kids are often attracted to things that they don’t know much about/have been sheltered from.

Exclamatives and bold are used in the main headline as it is aims to catch the readers attention. It’s quite shocking and also gives off the impression that the subject matter must be important and relate to everyone; this therefore means that the majority of the audience are obliged to glance/read it.

This is a conventional aspect of most billboards, it’s important for an advert that once the audience’s attention has been gained to implement a brand name and hopefully gain brand recognition for this advert and the product being promoted.

The colour scheme on this billboard advert is a very conventional aspect of them, with the bold and black text standing out from the white/beige/light background.

The use of language in this billboard advert is very important; with personalised language and formal mode of address used. This is important as it relates back to the uses and gratifications theory, as it makes us feel more involved and the stories seem more personable.

The use of language is important again as imperatives are clearly used here. These are eye-catching and attract the audience as they feel obliged to abide by the instructions.

THE RESIDENT ADVERT

The colour scheme for this advert is relatively vibrant and eye-catching, with bright colours such as orange being used. The vivacious scheme is important as it attracts the eye of a walker by; similarly, the contrasting colours (black, orange and white) are vital for the same reasons, as they stand out and emphasise some of the main features. As a result of this, a wider audience is attracted, as it could be anyone walking passed.

The direct mode of address used in the language is a very useful technique. It links to the uses and gratifications theory as it makes the advert more personal and the audience feel like it is directly connecting with them.

The constant variation of font throughout the advert is important to the uniqueness of it. For example, the italics are used to emphasise the slogan and the bolder/thicker font is used to grab attention and implement the product name into the audience’s head.

A common convention is abided here when the product is included in the advert in order to gain brand recognition. Similarly, it means that in terms of reception theory, the preferred reading is that we are interested and want to read this regional magazine.

The inclusion of the app store logo is a very important factor as it hints at the ease of accessibility and allows the reader to feel more comfortable with the product. Similarly it shows a form of synergy which might be attractive to some of the demographic, especially the younger audience, as it is handy to be able to access such a product on what is now an essential device.

The website address is also a common convention within billboard adverts. This is because adverts are only meant to be used to provide the essential information in order for a member of the audience to gain a basic knowledge of the product. The website address is there in order for an interested customer to gain more information on the product.