Rate This Ad allows a billboard designer to rate a random piece of billboard artwork using the following scale: 1 (not good), 2 (below average), 3 (average), 4 (very good), 5 (great). Then the designer talks about what they may have done differently for outdoor advertising. This week’s rating is provided by Greg Callaham www.gregcallaham.com) who has over 30 years of experience in outdoor advertising design. Insider has used and endorses Callaham’s services.

Kubota of Chattanooga

Rating: 2 (Below Average)

• This ad pictured above is trying to do too many things and ends up not doing most of them well.
• This Kubota dealer wants to sell Kubota parts. I’m presuming that because of the big word “PARTS” in the middle of the ad.
• They want to make the target audience feel invited and project themselves as warm and fuzzy by showing their parts team, but I’m making a huge assumption by thinking that.
• The photo is so small it’s a distraction and you cannot see their faces well enough to recognize the individual members of the team.
• The stack of stuff on the right is the same. I assume it’s parts, but I’m not sure, so it’s distracting.
• The word “equipment’ is so small it had to have been an afterthought.
• And the white phone number against a light grey background does not have enough contrast to boost legibility enough to overcome the small size.
• This ad earns a 2 (below average).

As always, I do not know the details of the art request or components of the campaign this ad may or may not have been part of. But looking at this challenge with the eye of an OOH graphic designer and through the lens of the target audience, I would have encouraged the advertiser to run the ad pictured below to promote the same message in a similar style.

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