The Takeaway
DeeLorri Apparel wanted people to become familiar with the brand before expecting sales. Derrick Machado designed the artwork himself and ran one digital billboard. After a month the campaign had delivered 3,348 blips and 26,077 estimated impressions, at an average daily spend of $2.48 and 339 estimated impressions per dollar. The board also ran more often during peak hours and less during quiet ones.
Why DeeLorri Apparel Turned to Billboard Advertising
DeeLorri Apparel was founded by husband and wife Derrick and Lorri. Both grew up in the inner city, where clothing was a form of expression. Their brand covers hoodies, t-shirts, hats, and other pieces. As Derrick puts it, they do not make clothes for a demographic. They make clothes for people.
The brand already ran Facebook, Instagram, and Google ads. Those channels are built for an immediate response, and Derrick understood their limits. For a new collection, he wanted people to know the brand existed before they were asked to buy anything. That is the job retail store billboards do.
Derrick had always wanted to see the brand on a board. He assumed it was out of reach financially, and spent a long time researching before he found a way in. Working out how to advertise on a billboard turned out to be the smaller problem once he found a self-serve billboard marketplace. Deciding what he wanted the board to do was the bigger one.
How DeeLorri Apparel Built Its Billboard Campaign
- Boards selected: One digital billboard, run as a single campaign so the team could read the numbers cleanly.
- Creative approach: Derrick is a graphic designer and built the artwork himself to the board specifications.
- Schedule: The ad appeared more often during peak hours and less during off-hours, which Derrick specifically wanted.
- Budget approach: An average daily spend of $2.48, with control over the budget in the same way Derrick was used to on Facebook.
The comparison Derrick makes is a useful one for anyone weighing up billboard advertising for small business owners. The controls felt like the ad platforms he already used. He set the budget, he chose the placement, and he could see the numbers day after day, which is roughly how Blip campaigns work. What changed was the audience, because a board reaches people who were not looking for him.
The Creative
Derrick designed the artwork himself and sized it to the board specifications, which he found straightforward as a working graphic designer.
That is not the case for everyone, and artwork is where a lot of good boutique advertising ideas stall. Blip’s billboard design guidelines explain how to size artwork and keep it legible.
What DeeLorri Apparel’s Billboard Campaign Delivered
After a month of advertising, the campaign had delivered 3,348 blips on one digital billboard. Each blip is one eight-second play. Those plays produced 26,077 estimated impressions.
The efficiency figures were an average daily spend of $2.48 and 339 estimated impressions per dollar. Because the cost per play was low, Derrick could plan to extend the campaign or put money behind another one rather than stopping when the month ended.
Sales did not jump, and Derrick was not expecting them to. His view is that people usually need to see a brand five to seven times before they act, so the first campaign was about familiarity. Seeing the numbers climb day after day was what told him it was working.
He also valued being able to watch performance daily. That visibility is what let him plan the next step: testing different graphics, looking at competitor ads, and trying new locations rather than simply adding budget to the board he already had.
With Blip we could control every aspect of the campaign. That was intriguing, but the fluidity of signing up to the ad getting displayed was awesome. Once the ad was approved and I went and saw it, not only was it a bucket list achieved, but it also looks good! After seeing the numbers day after day, not only does it look good and it’s a bucket list, but it’s working!
Derrick Machado, Co-Owner, DeeLorri Apparel
Why This Billboard Campaign Worked
- Realistic expectations: Derrick set out to build familiarity, not to trigger sales in week one. That is what billboards actually do well.
- One board, clean read: A single campaign on a single board meant the impression and spend figures were easy to interpret, which is rare in billboard advertising for small business owners.
- Weighted to peak hours: The ad appeared more often when more people were passing and less when they were not.
- Familiar controls: Budget and placement worked the way Derrick already expected from running social ads.
- Daily visibility: Watching the numbers move day by day is what gave him the confidence to plan a second campaign.
What Apparel and Retail Owners Can Take From This Campaign
- Decide what the board is for: Before working out how to advertise on a billboard, decide whether you want recognition or a direct response. Boards are stronger at the first.
- Expect several exposures: Derrick’s rule of five to seven views before action is a sensible way to plan a campaign length.
- Run one board first, then widen: Retail store billboards are easier to read when you start with a single placement and add from there. These billboard designs for e-commerce are a useful reference.
- Keep your online ads running: The board reached people the social ads never did. It replaced nothing, and most boutique advertising ideas work best stacked rather than swapped.
Put Your Brand on a Board Like DeeLorri Did
Choose a board where your customers already travel, upload your artwork, and set a daily spend you are comfortable with. Submit your campaign for review and start displaying after approval.
Frequently Asked Questions About DeeLorri Apparel’s Billboard Campaign
How many billboards did DeeLorri Apparel use?
One digital billboard, run as a single campaign. After a month it had delivered 3,348 blips and 26,077 estimated impressions.
How much did DeeLorri Apparel spend?
The campaign averaged $2.48 in daily spend and returned 339 estimated impressions per dollar across a month of advertising.
Did DeeLorri Apparel see an increase in sales?
Not in the first campaign, and Derrick did not expect one. His aim was familiarity, on the basis that people usually see a brand several times before they act.
How to advertise on a billboard without an agency
Choose your boards, upload artwork sized to the board specifications, set your budget, and send the ad for review. Derrick did all of it himself. Use Blip’s billboard design guidelines to prepare artwork that fits the board specifications.
Are retail store billboards worth it if you sell online?
They reach people who are not searching for you yet, which is exactly who online ads miss. Retail store billboards build recognition through repeat exposure, so plan for weeks rather than days.
What are good boutique advertising ideas for a clothing brand?
Show the product large and keep the words few. Most boutique advertising ideas get weaker as they get busier, because a driver reads a board in about three seconds.
Is billboard advertising for small business budgets realistic?
DeeLorri averaged $2.48 a day. Billboard advertising for small business owners works on price per play with no contracts and no minimums, so you choose a figure that fits and give it enough frequency to build recognition.
Can I change my billboard campaign after it starts?
Yes. You choose where the ad runs, when it runs, and what you spend, and you can adjust any of those as your needs change. There are no contracts and no minimums.