Bring in Business with Banners

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2007

Banners have come a long way. Gone is the typical 2-foot by 4-foot, red-on-white “sale” banner of years past. Now banners are everywhere you look … and the look has definitely changed. With this change comes the opportunity to attract new customers and grow sales in one of the most cost-effective manners of advertising available.

Banners are seen, read and acted upon by people millions of times each and every day. They can be very simple or very sophisticated. From “Welcome” banners displayed on the exterior of a school, to a banner promoting a hotel’s high-speed, wireless Internet access, to a “Grand Opening” banner inviting the public to experience a newly opened establishment. Banners hang inside and outside of public and private buildings, at special events and retail locations. They are displayed from heavy construction equipment and highway overpasses, from intersections at the center of town, on buildings, in stores and even playground fences.

New materials, techniques, technology and innovation in the production of banners offer today’s retailer, corporate presenter, or small business owner the chance to make an even greater impact through a fairly simple process. Although the traditional horizontal storefront banner is still utilized, high-quality banner material can now be cut or stitched into virtually any size, shape or design.

Today’s technology allows infinite colour combinations, distinctive typestyles and full colour digital photographic images. Colours are key in signage because they have an instant impact on customers. Certain colours can be used to communicate the image or personality of your business. According to a 3M marketing study on visual merchandising, colourful graphics used on a banner or sign create the highest awareness among viewers of all kinds of signs and graphics.

While the production and scope of banner design has improved with recent technology, the general purpose of a banner has not changed. Banners are an inexpensive way to promote a business, product, sale or event. They are for indoor and outdoor use, and are durable, weather-resistant, reusable, easy to transport and simple to hang.

Signage experts know that to get the maximum results from displaying a banner, the display must be Iarge enough for viewing for a limited time and it must be clean and easy to read. According to Larry Lane, president of FASTSIGNS International, Inc., an international sign franchisor with 500 locations worldwide, the most effective banners incorporate colors and make their messages memorable. “Viewers typically have only a few seconds to view your banner when driving or passing by. That’s why the presentation should be dramatic enough to grab their attention with a message that is brief and to the point.”

In addition, by rotating among several designs, you can keep your message fresh and your customers attentive. Marketing studies have shown that people learn to ignore the familiar─ but respond actively when new elements are introduced into an otherwise well-known scene.

According to SIGNWAVE®, any business, organization, school or other group considering a banner should consider the following questions when making a banner selection: