New Drive for Billboards in Silicon Valley

Billboards in Silicon Valley have grown in importance over the past few years. One of the primary reasons is the 14 feet high by 50 feet wide boards that stand over the 101 freeway. Traffic is often stopped there so billboards located in this region directly reach travelers stuck on the freeway (Satariano, 2014, para. 1). It is such a prime location that it is called the “gold coast” by some individuals (Satariano, 2014, para. 2). Some companies who hope to have their ad placed on a billboard are put on a six-month waiting list (Satariano, 2014, para. 2).

(Picture from the Bloomberg Businessweek article. Click here for the article.) 

Many startups are using the billboards to not only “gain notice from peers”, but to also “prove their legitimacy” (Satariano, 2014, para. 7). One ad that was posted by Dice.com shows a picture of a software engineer “lying provocatively on his side” with the message “find the hottest tech talent” (Satariano, 2014, para. 4). Natasha Raja, who is vice president of marketing for Dice.com, said, “We wanted to make people smile when they were stuck in traffic....The people you see, they aren’t models, they’re real engineers” (Satariano, 2014, paras. 8-9).

(Picture from the Bloomberg Businessweek article. Click here for the article.) 

To rent a billboard will cost a company $14,000 to $40,000 a month, up from $5,000 in 1999 (Satariano, 2014, para. 10). The boom, which started in 2011, has only continued since the 101 freeway has “a captive audience stuck in traffic and promotions can help recruit new employees and gin up business” (Satariano, 2014, para. 12). This captive audience has only proved beneficial to companies especially startups that want to get their company out to consumers. Dice.com has already started on their plans for another billboard (Satariano, 2014, para. 18).

Personally, I think billboards, if done right, can be a great way to get consumers to know about your organization. The billboard by Dice.com would not only catch my attention and make me laugh, but it would also give me a positive feeling about the company as I would assume from the billboard that they have a good attitude about the work they do. Additionally, after seeing the billboard I would no doubt look up the company. Therefore, if a billboard can grab the attention of its audience and make the company known to the audience then the billboard has been exceptionally beneficial to that company.  

Satariano, Adam. (2014, Nov. 19). Boxer-Clad Coders Adorn Silicon Valley’s Billboard Boom. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-19/boxer-clad-coders-adorn-silicon-valley-s-billboard-boom.html