The fences surround us. We see hundreds of billboards every week, but we remember only a handful. With advertising becoming more and more competitive, it is important to know how to make your message stand out. We give you six strategies to ensure that your fence has a greater chance of being noticed, and most importantly, remembered.

1: For campaigns, six words or less is ideal

Considering that we are in motion when we read the advertising message, we do not have much time to do it. Six seconds is the average in the industry for reading an advertising message. Which means, that around six words is all you should use to get the message across. You could extend a couple of words depending on the length and ease of reading, but as a general rule, less is more. The conciseness is difficult, but the headlines that are small paragraphs will not be read.

2: Call attention, but do not make your fences a great distraction

Most of the time, the fences are aimed at drivers, cyclists or pedestrians so you have few seconds to transmit the message. This causes an interesting dilemma for the publicist: you want to attract attention, but you do not want to be responsible for accidents. The iconic “Hello Boys” ads by Wonderbra so distracted drivers fascinated by the plunging neckline of Eva Herzigova. You must avoid these extremes.

3: This is not the time for direct response

There are billboard advertisements covered by phone numbers and website addresses, knowing that most people who see the ad will not call or visit the website. A fence is ideal for building a brand and supporting a campaign, but it should not be used to convey details. Outdoor Advertising is a means to give a quick and direct message. However, if your website or phone number is the owner and they are easy to read, then you can use a fence.

4: The fences must be smart, but not too

A boring fence will be ignored. An intelligent fence will attract attention and leave a lasting impression. A fence that is trying to be too smart will be lost to the public. As a general rule, you do not want your fence to make people scratch their heads and wonder what is going on. Complex visual metaphors are not recommended. They say that advertising should be like a puzzle to solve, it gives the audience a sense of satisfaction to know that they solved it. But the messages on the fences should be much simpler than that, be smart, have fun, but do not give people a puzzle that Einstein would have trouble solving. You’re in the advertising business, not bragging about how smart you are.