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Billboard/banner markup

3Dsigns

New Member
I found a billboard/banner supplier which sells the 7oz covers for $.74/sq ft making a 13x16 cost about $153 plus freight. How much do you mark these up? Thanks
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Is this for a billboard face or a bag to put over an existing sign ?? 7oz seems mighty thin for any kinda outdoor durability.
 

3Dsigns

New Member
I thought so too, but according to this supplier.........
PLEASE NOTE: If you are ordering a bulletin for Lamar, Outfront, Clear Channel, Adams, Fairway etc. they will only install the 7 ounce material (THEY WILL REFUSE HEAVY WEIGHT MATERIAL).
 
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Asuma01

New Member
Less durable means more reprinting fees. $$ They use the excuse that the lighter weight material is better for the environment. Who can blame them when they charge 4x markup.
 

3Dsigns

New Member
Is this for a billboard face or a bag to put over an existing sign ?? 7oz seems mighty thin for any kinda outdoor durability.[/QUOTE'
It's just a face, to to over a 16x13 board and plywood frame. What material would you suggest?
 

bannertime

Active Member
I think a 7oz is fine if it's like a poly type material. A lot of the quarterly billboards I see in my area aren't a typical banner vinyl. It's going to be nearly half the weight and easier to install. Not to mention handling the rolls itself. Most of us don't have to move around 164" x 300' rolls.

I wouldn't use it for anything other than billboards. It probably gets printed in a super low pass and won't look good unless it's 25' up.
 

ColorCrest

All around shop helper.
Less durable means more reprinting fees. $$ They use the excuse that the lighter weight material is better for the environment. Who can blame them when they charge 4x markup.

Can you recommend a different multiplier with rational for the OP and others?
 

unclebun

Active Member
Even at 4 times that supplier cost, the billboard is grossly underpriced. When we painted billboards we charged more than that and the result was nowhere near as pictorially perfect. You're talking about an advertising message that is placed in a high traffic area and broadcasts the advertising message to thousands of people a day. It's going to last a year or more. The value is far greater than $615.

Unfortunately, if you are in an area like I am, your competition is selling it for only $300 plus $100 installation, because he has never been in the sign business before and thinks he's making tons of money.
 

3Dsigns

New Member
Even at 4 times that supplier cost, the billboard is grossly underpriced. When we painted billboards we charged more than that and the result was nowhere near as pictorially perfect. You're talking about an advertising message that is placed in a high traffic area and broadcasts the advertising message to thousands of people a day. It's going to last a year or more. The value is far greater than $615.

Unfortunately, if you are in an area like I am, your competition is selling it for only $300 plus $100 installation, because he has never been in the sign business before and thinks he's making tons of money.

Yes I am in one of those areas. Not only that, many customers here haven't been in business very long either. They usually call my shop asking "I need a price on a sign", and tend to view the value of a sign as little more than the cost of the substrate. That's one of the reasons I concentrate most of my business on dimensional signs; Customers who want those focus more on quality, tend to realize that high end signs are more costly and the cheapo sign shops don't have the skills, equipment, or patience to make them. Anyway, because of the hurricane, there are too many signs damaged and destroyed here so, I will give them a quote but I promise this one will go to the lowest bidder.
 

kcollinsdesign

Old member
I can get about $350.00 for that size in my market. You make your money on the install, which is your rate x how much time you think it will take. If you've got the only install crew in town, you can ask a higher price, but most of us are dealing with dozens of competitors which generally keeps the price somewhat stabilized.

Several contributors have commented on the advertising value of the sign. While this is true, OOH plant owners know the going wholesale rate for covers. Many even print their own. Small billboard owners will use your service, but if you mark up too high they will go elsewhere. That "advertising value" is determined by the board location and the strength of the message. If you do not own the location, you cannot expect to cut into the owner's profits just because you know the advertising value of the location. Likewise, if you are not creating the message, you can not reasonably expect the client to pay more because his art is good. He has already paid his agency or designer to create that message.

Now if you are creating the message, and you pay your designer to come up with a killer design, now you can charge for some of the advertising value of that message. It's a fact that most small plant operators and individual board owners are fairly clueless when it comes to effective outdoor advertising. A good message that is clearly visible and easy to read, one which supports the branding and marketing objectives of the advertiser, can increase the value of that board multiple times. If you have the knowledge and design chops to produce effective billboard advertising (and can convince the client of its value), you can charge accordingly.
 
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