Billboard Codes & Conventions
Most billboards are very simplistic in nature, and use minimal text and just try and show the product, I’m assuming this is because the locations of billboards are usually on roads, so the cars aren’t going to have much time to read.
As you can see by the above McDonalds Billboard, the text uses a pun which relates back to the product (Ice Mocha), in my opinion the pun is very weak and doesn’t really make sense in the context, which is clever in itself as I am going to be thinking about it for a while which will make me think of the Iced Mocha.
Notice the word ‘you’, this is an example of direct address as it involves the audience and speaks to them personally. The advertisement is also visually pleasing, McDonalds uses their very recognisable logo in the bottom right corner which is the first thing I noticed about the billboard because of its familiarity, the background is very red which contrasts with the white text. Finally the product is aligned to the left and takes up about a third of the billboard to show what is being advertised.
A fair amount of billboards try to be clever, like the one above. It catches your attention immediately as it is unnatural, and the audience may doubt if it was intentional or not therefore drawing more attention to it. The gimmick of this billboard relates back to the product as well which adds a lot more to the advert, because the tooth formula hyperbolizes that the consumer would be able to bend metal with their teeth.
The man in the picture is the sole subject and the white background adds simplicity and therefore adds focus on the man in the picture.
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