As we move into the second half of 2024, businesses are challenged to allocate their remaining marketing budgets in a way that will have the greatest impact.
With so many advertising options, knowing where to invest your dollars for maximum return can be difficult. Yet one often overlooked – but highly effective – strategy is sponsorship of Texas highway signs.
The Texas Sponsor A Highway® Program offers a unique opportunity to get your brand in front of millions of potential customers, all while supporting the state’s environmental initiatives and positioning your company as environmentally focused.
Are you not sure if highway sign sponsorship is right for your business? Read on to learn how Texas highway signs can benefit your brand and how Texas Sponsor A Highway® makes it easier than you expect to get started.
The Reach and Visibility of Texas Highway Signs
Regarding advertising, few mediums can match Texas highway signs’ sheer reach and visibility.
You heard that right—highway signs are still a major way that people learn about businesses and services in the communities they travel through. With millions of vehicles passing through Texas highways each year, getting your brand on a highway sign means that millions of potential customers will see it.
The highway system in Texas is a vital artery, connecting major cities and carrying millions of motorists daily. According to the Federal Highway Administration, national traffic counts average more than 50 million cars annually. This means that by sponsoring a highway sign through the Texas Sponsor A Highway® Program, your brand could be seen by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people daily.
Exposure Is Bigger In Texas
But it’s not just the raw numbers that make highway signs so impactful. It’s also the nature of the exposure. Unlike radio or television ads confined to specific time slots or digital ads that can be easily ignored, highway signs offer 24/7, year-round visibility. Your brand message is displayed prominently, day and night, rain or shine. This constant presence helps build brand recognition and recall, as motorists are repeatedly exposed to your logo and message.
Remember, the audience you reach through highway signs is incredibly diverse. Drivers of all ages, backgrounds, and income levels use the highways, giving you access to a broad cross-section of potential customers. Whether you’re targeting local residents, daily commuters, or travelers passing through, highway signs allow you to cast a wide net and reach people at a point when they are highly attentive – while they’re behind the wheel.
Highway signs offer a unique advantage compared to other forms of outdoor advertising, such as billboards. While billboards are often clustered and can get lost in the visual clutter, highway signs stand-alone, commanding attention through their presence. They also offer a longer exposure time, as drivers have several seconds to absorb your message as they approach and pass the sign.
In short, if you’re looking to get the most bang for your marketing buck in the second half of 2024, Texas highway signs should be a serious contender.
Building Brand Awareness Through Highway Sponsorship
So, how exactly does sponsoring a highway sign build brand awareness? It all comes down to the power of repetition and consistency. When your brand logo and message are displayed on a highway sign, they become familiar to motorists who pass by regularly.
Over time, this repeated exposure helps to ingrain your brand into the minds of potential customers, increasing the likelihood that they will remember your business when they need the products or services you offer.
Think about it this way: if a commuter drives by your sponsored highway sign twice a day, five days a week, that’s ten impressions per week, or over 500 impressions per year – from just one person. Multiply that by the thousands of motorists who use the same stretch of highway, and you can see how quickly the brand-building impact of highway sponsorship can add up.
But highway sponsorship isn’t just about the sheer number of impressions. It’s also about the quality of those impressions. When your brand is associated with a specific location, such as a heavily trafficked highway, it becomes part of the local landscape. Place-based advertising helps establish your business as a fixture in the community, increasing trust and credibility among your target audience.
Lean Into Corporate Social Responsibility
Consumers are increasingly drawn to brands committed to corporate social responsibility (CSR) in today’s socially conscious market. By participating in the Texas Sponsor A Highway® Program, your business can align itself with a highly visible environmental initiative, showcasing your dedication to keeping Texas highways clean and beautiful.
The “Don’t Mess with Texas®” campaign, of which the Sponsor A Highway® program is a part, has become an iconic and beloved institution in the state. By associating your brand with this initiative, you tap into the goodwill and positive sentiment Texans feel towards businesses that contribute to the upkeep of their highways.
Beyond the direct environmental impact of your sponsorship (each sponsored sign removes litter and debris from the surrounding area), your participation in the program sends a powerful message about your company’s values. It demonstrates that you’re not just focused on your bottom line but are willing to invest in the cleanliness and beauty of the communities you serve.
This CSR angle can be a potent differentiator, particularly for businesses in competitive markets. By highlighting your highway sponsorship in your marketing materials, PR efforts, and social media, you can attract a growing number of consumers who prefer to do business with socially and environmentally responsible brands.
The Exclusivity Factor of Texas Highway Signs
One of the most compelling aspects of the Texas Sponsor A Highway® Program is its exclusivity. As a sponsor, your company’s logo and message are the only ones displayed on your sponsored sign. This means that for the stretch of highway you’ve adopted, your brand reigns supreme—uncluttered by competing advertisements or distractions.
This exclusivity is a rare and valuable commodity in today’s crowded advertising landscape. While other mediums, such as radio, television, or digital ads, often involve sharing space with competing messages, highway sponsorship gives you a captive audience. For the seconds that motorists spend approaching and passing your sign, your brand is the sole focus of their attention.
This undiluted exposure can be particularly valuable for businesses in competitive industries, such as restaurants, auto dealerships, or financial services. By staking a claim to a specific stretch of highway, you can effectively “own” that territory in consumers’ minds, increasing the likelihood that they’ll think of your business first when they need what you offer.
Getting Started with Texas Sponsor A Highway® Is Easy
If the benefits of highway sponsorship have piqued your interest, you might be wondering about the next steps. Fortunately, getting started with the Texas Sponsor A Highway® Program is straightforward.
Step 1: Start The Process
The first step is to contact the program coordinators to discuss available highway segments in your target area. They’ll work with you to identify a stretch of road that aligns with your geographic and demographic targeting goals and budget.
Step 2: Get Your Sign Up
Once you’ve selected your segment, the Texas Sponsor A Highway® team will handle the production and installation of your sign. They’ll work with you to design a sign that effectively showcases your brand while adhering to state regulations.
Step 3: Enjoy The Benefits
From there, you can sit back and let the impressions roll in. The Texas Sponsor A Highway® team will handle all maintenance and upkeep of your sign, ensuring that it remains pristine throughout your sponsorship.
Ready To Maximize Your 2024 Marketing Budget?
As we navigate the second half of 2024, making smart, strategic decisions about your marketing spend is more important than ever. By sponsoring Texas highway signs, you can maximize the impact of your budget, driving unparalleled brand awareness and demonstrating your commitment to corporate social responsibility.
The Texas Sponsor A Highway® Program offers a turnkey solution for businesses looking to harness the power of highway advertising. With its extensive reach, 24/7 visibility, and exclusive placement opportunities, it’s a marketing tool that punches well above its weight in terms of ROI.
So, as you plan your marketing strategies for the months ahead, we encourage you to consider the benefits of Texas highway signs. They’re a proven way to get your brand in front of millions of potential customers while contributing to the beauty and cleanliness of the great state of Texas.
Contact our team today to learn more about how your business can participate in the Texas Sponsor A Highway® Program. We’ll be happy to provide you with all the details you need to make an informed decision and start reaping the rewards of highway sponsorship.