Billboards on Wheels: Gimmick or Genius?

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A few weekends ago, I was walking towards Lan Kwai Fong, when I spotted something odd. In front of me, driving by slowly, was a massive truck with banners on all four sides.

The signs were advertising an upcoming event at a nearby club. The bouncers standing outside remarked that it had been driving through the neighborhood all night. Is this an effective form of advertising?

In Hong Kong, nightspots are generally found in clusters spread throughout the city. In Central, perhaps the city’s epicenter of nightlife, the main area is only about five blocks long. Making a circuit by car is slow and winding during the weekend traffic. Four hours of cruising around the same area (which consists of bars, clubs, lounges and restaurants,) will get you a significant number of eyeballs from a very specific target audience.

Advertising by truck is better than a static billboard because it’s more unique and attention-getting. A simple poster in the MTR wouldn’t have the same novelty or reach. If calculated correctly, it can literally go where potential customers are.

Moving billboards aren’t suitable for every product or service, but perhaps to spread awareness of a nightlife event, or a product aimed at the same demographic, it’s an interesting and smart approach.

1 Comment

  • They have these in NYC… never really thought they were the best, as most people don’t spend their time staring at cars from the sidewalk… and if you’re driving, you are trying to get where you are going.

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