The Takeaway
The Karamo Show partnered with Blip on a national TV billboard plan for the May Sweeps window, targeting younger African American viewers. Nine DMAs and 41 billboard faces delivered 8,440,000 estimated impressions at a $4.14 CPM. Delivery came within 94% of the impressions plan and 93% of the CPM plan, validating the forecast the team ran.
Why Karamo Turned to Billboard Advertising
The Karamo Show is a television talk show focused on family and relationship issues. The team was already familiar with traditional out-of-home buys. What they wanted was a partner who could plan the campaign against a specific target audience and hit the forecasted delivery.
The May Sweeps window meant timing mattered. The team briefed Blip with a $25,000 budget for Detroit, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Kansas City, Atlanta, Dallas, and Tampa. Blip’s forecasts convinced the team to expand the plan to New York City and Orlando and raise the budget to $30,000.
How the Karamo Show Built Its Billboard Campaign
Blip’s business and data teams built a plan that combined broad-stroke brand awareness with a two-hour boosted daypart before Karamo aired locally.
- Boards selected: 41 billboard faces across 9 DMAs, chosen to reach the show’s target African American demographic aged 18 to 25.
- Campaign structure: Two-part plan: a broad-stroke brand awareness campaign and a boosted 2-hour flight before Karamo aired locally.
- Forecast approach: Blip’s planning tool estimated 9,000,000 impressions at a $3.88 CPM across the 41 faces before launch.
- Budget approach: Started at $25,000 for seven DMAs and grew to $30,000 across nine, based on forecast confidence.
The Creative
The creative had to translate a TV show billboard message into a driver-safe frame: the show name, the network, and the air time. For teams planning their own, Blip’s billboard design guidelines cover what reads at highway speed.
What Karamo’s Campaign Delivered
Delivery hit 8,440,000 estimated impressions at a $4.14 CPM. That was within 94% of the impressions plan and 93% of the CPM plan Blip had forecast at launch. For a media team used to traditional out-of-home negotiations, the forecast’s accuracy was the real result. It gave Karamo a defensible baseline for future campaigns.
The two-hour boost before Karamo aired locally also gave the show a lift right when a curious viewer might tune in. The pattern is a useful one for any TV show billboard plan: use broad-stroke awareness to build recognition, and reserve a smaller flight for the specific hours before the show airs.
Why This Campaign Worked
- Data-led plan: Blip’s forecasts gave the team confidence to expand from seven DMAs to nine.
- Two-part campaign: Awareness plus a boosted 2-hour daypart hit both recognition and tune-in windows.
- Targeted footprint: Nine DMAs chosen to reach the show’s specific demographic, not a broad national spread.
- Forecast versus delivery: Impressions and CPM both landed within 93-94% of plan, validating the model for future runs.
What TV and Streaming Owners Can Take From This Campaign
Networks and streamers using TV show billboard plans can use this template:
- Brief the plan against the audience: A billboard TV plan works when the DMA list matches the demographic, not the population.
- Pair awareness with a boosted daypart: Reserve a small share of budget for the hours right before the show airs.
- Ask for the forecast before you buy: A defensible plan lets you scale later without having to renegotiate from scratch.
- Judge results by forecast accuracy: Impressions inside 90-plus percent of plan is a stronger internal case than raw reach alone.
Run a TV Billboard Campaign Like Karamo
Brief the plan against the demographic, ask for the forecast before you commit, and reserve a share of budget for the hours right before the show airs.
Frequently Asked Questions About Karamo’s Billboard Campaign
How many billboards did the Karamo campaign use?
41 billboard faces across 9 DMAs.
What was the campaign budget?
The team started with $25,000 for seven DMAs and expanded to $30,000 across nine after seeing Blip’s forecasts.
How close did delivery come to the forecast?
Delivery hit 8,440,000 estimated impressions at a $4.14 CPM, within 94% of the impressions plan and 93% of the CPM plan.
Does a TV show billboard help drive tune-in?
The two-hour boosted flight before Karamo aired locally is designed to catch viewers right at the tune-in window, alongside broad-stroke awareness earlier in the campaign.
Is a billboard TV strategy different from a general awareness plan?
A billboard TV strategy usually pairs broad awareness with a boosted flight around airtime. That is what separates a network’s approach from a general product billboard TV plan.
Do you need a billboard TV screen or a digital board for this kind of campaign?
This campaign used digital billboards to display approved creative on a schedule aligned with local airtimes. The essential requirement is a clear, readable message, not full-motion video.
Can I plan a national campaign on Blip?
Yes. Blip’s data team can build DMA-level forecasts and campaign plans, and the platform lets you scale from one DMA to many without changing partners.