Outdoor Advertising

Above is a picture of the billboard that I see every week when entering Steven Point. It is placed on the old highway ten a couple miles before "The Store" gas station. I think it is strategically located because most people coming into Stevens Point on highway ten are very familiar with The Store. There are two of them in Marshfield and at least one in between Marshfield and Stevens Point. This happens to be my favorite gas station. Not only does this billboard look appealing, but it also helps to promote The Store's image.

Outdoor ads like these have been growing in popularity during the last several years, while other types of advertising have been doing the opposite. I believe that this is because People are finding ways to block out other types of advertising. For example, people often mute television commercials while changing the radio station during radio commercials. Outdoor ads are right there in front of you and cannot be blocked out as easily. Most of them are very basic and easy to remember as well. Increased travel, urbanization, and traffic congestion all help to promote outdoor ads.

Personally, I think that outdoor ads are growing in popularity because of their simplicity. They usually offer a simple message that only takes a glance to take in. People don't like to waste time watching commercials or reading other types of advertisements. Billboards only take a few seconds to take in and are very easy to remember. They don't pester you buy increasing in volume or annoying you for the next couple minutes of your life. They are just there and are not trying to force you to take them in.

Men's Health

The Men's Health magazine targets men between the ages of 25 and 45 who are passionate about improving their mental, physical, and emotional aspects of their lives. It is the best selling men's magazine in the U.S. and it is available all around the world. I never realized how much advertising was in the magazine until now. Just about every other page is devoted to one particular ad. However, clutter does not seem to be a problem because the ads are appealing to the target market. I really enjoy looking at the ads in this magazine. Most of the advertisements cover products including alcohol, automobiles, health products, supplements, clothing, perfume, food, and personal hygeine items.

Advertisers put their products in this magazine because both the products and the magazine have the same target market. This means that their ads will be as effective as possible. The magazine attempts to give readers an ideal self image of how they shouuld look and feel. Advertisers then promote their products in order to help the reader achieve the ideal self image. For example, there are fitness tips on one page followed by an advertisement promoting muscle building supplements on the next page.

I think the magazine does a great job positioning itself as a media vehicle for advertisers. It is the number one magazine in the U.S. for men between the ages of 25 and 45. This popular magazine is probably very cost efficient when it comes to reaching the target market for advertisers. Ads in this magazine are extremely effective since they reach the exact market they intend on. In other words, the people who read this magazine are likely to get involved in the ads, rather than blocking them out.