Elevator advertising is one of those things - and it's gaining momentum as one of the hottest marketing venues in the country.

One of the most attractive aspects of elevator advertising is the sheer number of people it reaches. The average number of riders in a high-rise building is 500 people per day. Over a six month period, that amounts to more than 90,000 views of your ad - a significant amount of attention for any small business.

So how does it work? Simply put, elevators in high traffic buildings are equipped with screens displaying high-resolution ads from paying sponsors. If you think about it, the advantages of elevator advertising are obvious. Unlike TV or web-based forms of advertising, elevator ads can be turned off. Similarly, elevator ads can't be viewed once and then thrown away like newspaper or magazine ads. In essence, elevator ads guarantee a captive audience, and if the elevator is located in an apartment building or office complex, some people will see your ad every single day.

Other Benefits of Elevator Advertising

Elevator ads also have some other less obvious benefits. For example, most property owners actually welcome elevator ads because they reduce vandalism in elevators by giving riders something constructive to do between floors and provide an alternative income stream. Building tenants appreciate elevator ads, too, because they offer free "entertainment" and eliminate the need to interact with strangers.

Elevator Ad Formats

Elevator ad formats are usually similar to high quality print ads. The big wildcard is the size of the ad which range from business card size to 5x7 inch ads or even larger. If you need help designing an ad, elevator advertising firms almost always offer design assistance services. On the other hand, if you have a nice looking business card already and only want a business card size ad, you can probably arrange to have your existing design transferred to screen format.

Elevator Ad Pricing

The pricing for elevator ads is based on a number of factors including the size of the ad, the number of elevators it appears in, elevator traffic, and term of contract. Since it's not cost effective for elevator advertising firms to change the ads on a continuous basis, minimum contract terms (e.g. six months) are common. However, advertisers who are willing to commit to a twelve month term or longer should expect to receive a discount.

In terms of actual dollar cost, elevator can be an attractive option compared to other marketing venues. Business card ads can appear in a cluster of buildings for as little as $100 a month. Larger ads (e.g. 5x7") are often priced on a per building basis for $25 or more per month.

Although cost is important, the key to effective elevator advertising lies in the advertiser's ability to target the placement of ads in areas most likely to draw customers to your business. If given the choice between price and location, your decision should lean toward location even if it costs a few extra bucks each month.