How many times have you noticed those advertising billboards as you drive or have been driven along? Billboards have been for years, part of our urban environment and indeed of some of the rural areas too. They come in all sizes and some are quite enormous and are indeed quite intimidating too, but are there to serve a specific purpose. Attract our attention.

Obviously the bigger the billboard the more you will notice it, this is why companies all over the world try and make them bigger in order to stand out in pole position. You may even find billboards with large photos of celebrities, which have a definite impact on how many people will look at that particular billboard.

When film stars or other celebrities are shown on the billboard using a product or conveying a message to the public on how much they like the product or service, this has a direct influence on people who naturally want to imitate their idols.

The magnificence and color of these billboards also attract attention and convey their promotional message effectively to motorists passing by and at all hours.

Although billboards have been used for years and have proved to be an effective form of advertising they do have other disadvantages that may seem less apparent from the onset.

Because billboards come in all sizes from the small poster type to the enormous billboards that can be the size of a whole building, they can easily be damaged. Obviously the bigger they are the more susceptible they are to damage from natural elements, such as rain, storms and high winds. They can also be extremely dangerous in areas where hurricanes and typhoons are frequent, as they may be ripped from the ground easily, being made of a light structure and having a large surface exposed to winds.

If a billboard falls and hits a residential area with people present when this happens the damages can be fatal, because some billboards are indeed massive in weight and size and could damage a house or kill a person.

Unfortunately billboards are sometimes also responsible for accidents, especially on crossroads when drivers are distracted by the advertisement they may be contemplating on the billboard and are not paying attention to the road. In these cases there are often head on collisions or other similar accidents, simply because the billboard was placed on a crossroad, which is precisely where you are most likely to see them, for people slow down at crossroads.

The attractiveness of billboards takes away the motorists attention from the road thus causing accidents or even ignoring traffic lights or pedestrians crossing. Billboards are a big distraction to people while they drive although they do get attention.

Although it is true that billboards are effective as a means of marketing your product they are after all expensive as an investment, so you should consider your options closely before you do invest in one.