Long ago, the print medium used billboards as a support medium. Things have come a long way since then. Today's billboard can hold its own vis a vis other media.

Advances in Outdoor Medium
There was a time when skilled workmen balanced on scaffolding to paint hoardings/billboards. Hoardings have come a long way since then.

Today's hoarding designs are digitally transferred on rows of weather-resistant vinyl sheets - which are then glued to billboards. And innovative cut-outs, smart lighting add 3-D effects. Along with (sometimes) sound effects to boot.

With all these developments, not only is a wide variety possible, but it is also faster to install / change billboards and that too, at a lower cost. There are interactive hoardings that sense approaching movement and start playing sound tracks. And there are billboards which have tied up with radio stations. (Passers-by may tune in to a specific radio station for more information / purchase options. Making the "combo" of outdoor and radio ads resemble television.)

And of course, there are the truck-mounted mobile hoardings which are supposed to move to where the action is !

Worldwide Trends
There have been a number of striking developments in the out-of-home medium. One of these is remotely controlled lighting systems. Apart from being "photo-sensitive" to ambient illumination, light effects can also be pre-programmed (for example, to match the hour of day/night). And these remotely controlled lighting control systems can track & report black-outs as well.

Then there are satellite based systems that can update selected data on billboards dynamically. Thus an advertiser can update variable data like latest prices or special offers instantly on multiple billboards via satellite broadcast.

Billboard designs with embedded bar-codes can be tracked on-line. With this, advertisers can stay updated on the status of their billboards 24x7.

And billboards with GPS technology can be "mapped" onto city maps. And 3 D computer-generated views help advertisers to picturize the site before signing contracts.

On The Road
The average Mumbaikar spends 2 hours commuting to & from his workplace, while the average New Yorker commutes for 1½ hours. Convert this to kilometers, and you have a distance estimate of between 100 to 200 km per day per person !

With so much time spent on the road, there can be little doubt that the out-of-home advertising medium is on the ascendant.