ad ideas for billboard for kitchen dealer

[naffo]

we are currently in the process of doing an ad on a billboard near our store. we do not doo any advertising at the moment and i don't know where to start as far as wat i should show or graphics i should use. does anyone have any ideas on what i can put on this billboard to get pple to know about the store and get them to come in. we have a showroom for kitchen cabinets and vanities. any ideas or advice would be great. i appreciate it. thank you

[morea]

in my opinion, this is just a request for free work, and if that is the case, it violates the rules of the forum.

The hardest part of a designer's job is coming up with a concept, not just executing it.

I think that you should hire a designer to do this for you.

This is a professional forum. We do not work for free; we have to pay our bills, too.

[CkretAjint]

any ideas or advice would be great. i appreciate it. thank you

How about a picture and some contact info? Should probably use green text on a blue background as well ;)

Ground breaking I know. But for free it is all I could think of....

[Virgo Nightingale]

Tell ya what, give me some free kitchen cabinets, and I'll tell you exactly what to put on your billboard.

My free advice is to hire a designer. You want this to look professional, especially at such a large size and this being your one and only piece of advertising to speak for your company (at least until you decide to invest in more advertising).

[frankster]

Best advice I can give is to find someone to make this billboard that has done large format print jobs before, so that they know how to prepare the work to supply to the printer. This is definately not a job to get "one's nephew" to do.

[Exodus]

I design billboards everyday. I could do it, but I'll charge you. You're not offering money, so you're out of luck. Even to get the board hung, you will need to contact an outdoor sign company and speak with them about available ad space in your area. That ad space will generally set the tone of the design. There is not one set billboard size. Call an ad agency near you, they can do all that work for you.

[jimking]

Hire a pro. It'll make your business look professional not a fly by night.

[naffo]

first of all im sry to all of u, i did not know this was for hire advice, i thought just a place to post ideas. second, wat wud be an average price that wud be charged for a job like this. thanx

[morea]

we can not discuss pricing on the forum (and here's why (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21482)).

Your best bet is probably to post an ad in the classifieds section HERE (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=33) (be sure to include your contact information) and designers could bid on the job.

Hope that helps some.

[Virgo Nightingale]

We also cannot discuss pricing on the forum. That's an even bigger no-no, in fact it is illegal. You'll have to contact a few designers and ask for a quote (as frankster suggested, finding someone who specializes in large format would be best).

[budafist]

Also, if you feel you cannot afford a designer, you might need to get a few quotes for your billboard before embarking on this project. Billboards are expensive.

[Adman]

You might try the billboard company. They will probably do the "design" for a nominal fee or for free with your media placement. My advice would be to hire a professional, although you may not be able to afford it. At any rate, please understand that your potential customers only have a few seconds to "digest" an outdoor billboard... so please make the content appropro for this fact. Billboards are most appropriate for "image building" in lieu of "sales promotion" depending on the product or service...

Also... if you hire a graphic designer, find out if they are experienced in advertising... i.e. Do they understand your target market? Do they understand marketing and advertising principles? Etc.???

[Adman]

Btw... an advertising agency can place the order for the billboard and receive a 15% commission from the billboard company. So, it will cost you the same whether you place the order yourself or use an agency. Some, but not all agencies will offer a discount on the creative accordingly. Many agencies shy away from project work -- they will want you to have and commit to an annual advertising budget before taking you on as a client.

[onoyouditn]

First of all, the Sherman Anti-trust Act does not make discussing prices illegal! What is illegal would be if a bunch of graphic designers in one town, state, or even country got together and agreed that they would only sell their services for a set dollar amount. That's called price fixing and it means there would be no competition which would be harmful for the consumer. THAT is what is illegal. Freely discussing the going rates for anything or where to find the best bargain is perfectly legal.

On the other hand, the owner of this forum has the right to determine what can be discussed here and what can't. It's not a democracy when you visit someone else's forum.

As for the plight of your billboard, if you don't have a background in graphics or design, then that's a big investment for you to try to wing it on your own. Consider some of these ideas first:
What do you normally see when you find billboards for cabinets? PICTURES OF CABINETS.
What type of cabinets do you offer? Do you offer custom built, ready made, replacement fronts, or all of the above? Do you cater to budget conscious, or high-end clients? Do you travel throughout your city, state, or beyond to install cabinets? Do you offer any spectacular promises, like cabinets in your home, installed within 48 hours or anything like that, that sets you apart from others? Do you offer financing? Lastly, where will the billboard be placed? If it's on an interstate, you might advertise differently than if it was just in the suburban shopping area.

You probably need to consider those type of issues before contacting an ad agency or graphic designer. If you can convey the information you want to have relayed in your billboard, they can create a look for you, and it should help cut down on billing because they won't spend as much time "consulting" with you.

[carter the artist]

First of all, the Sherman Anti-trust Act does not make discussing prices illegal! What is illegal would be if a bunch of graphic designers in one town, state, or even country got together and agreed that they would only sell their services for a set dollar amount. That's called price fixing and it means there would be no competition which would be harmful for the consumer. THAT is what is illegal. Freely discussing the going rates for anything or where to find the best bargain is perfectly legal.

On the other hand, the owner of this forum has the right to determine what can be discussed here and what can't. It's not a democracy when you visit someone else's forum.

I think you are correct in the Sherman Anti-Trust assessment, and the decision of the forum owner. I think it would technically be legal to discuss pricing, but if a lawyer really wanted to cause a stink (and which lawyer doesn't), they could interpret any discussion as price fixing, and you also have some of us in the same towns, states, etc...

I think they have just tried to cover their bases. Sometimes it is better to avoid the apologizing later bit.