With close to 115k followers, the ‘hiphoplegends90s’ Facebook page is a gold mine of all sorts of signs, even though the name might not give that away. And while you might think that people don’t care that much for them, this is where you might be wrong, as a good sign can do more than just evoke an occasional inadvertent smile. In many cases, they are something that sticks in our memory, which can be quite good if you want to advertise your business, for instance.

Let’s take an outdoor ad, for instance. For the company that is using it to promote their business, the sign is definitely more than just a smile-inducing memo.

According to Forbes, creating an ad—be it on a billboard, a bus shelter, or a digital screen—can help companies to reach a wide audience, create brand awareness, and increase sales. But in order for it to be successful it has to be well-thought out – a fusion of art and science, as Forbes puts it, which would make it stand out from the rest.

For outdoor advertising to be successful, there are reportedly three steps companies should take. Firstly, they should conduct thorough research on their target audience, which should then be used to guide the design, the message, and the placement. Secondly, they should measure the effectiveness of the campaign. And lastly, they should make sure to find a suitable location, which entails taking such factors as foot traffic, visibility, and demographics into consideration.

One of the greatest examples of outdoor advertising—and a type of sign you would most likely pay attention to—was presented to residents of LA by creators of the iconic American animated television series, South Park. It was a big black billboard (a few of them, actually) with one message only – a hashtag and a phrase in white, saying “cancelsouthpark”.

While it might seem like it doesn’t present the passerby with enough information, that is actually the beauty of the idea – intrigued by the message, people are likely to start looking up what happened with South Park.

The ad was actually so good, it won silver in the 2019 Clio Entertainment Awards – an award given out for excellence in marketing and communications.

Some companies use signs and outdoor ads to not only endorse themselves but fight competition, too. A great example of that was the billboard battle between two giants of the car manufacturing world: BMW and Audi.

That one, too, started in LA, California, when Audi put up a billboard, showcasing a new model of their car and stating “Your move, BMW”. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for the latter to retaliate – placed just across the street from Audi’s billboard, BMW put one up, too, saying “Checkmate”.

Seeking to come back with a bang, Audi reportedly turned to its fans online, asking what they thought their answer should be. Eventually, the company settled on a billboard with a picture of one of their most powerful cars, saying “Your pawn is no match for our king.” But BMW’s response could arguably not be matched, as they tethered a branded blimp to Audi’s billboard with a picture of their Formula 1 car, stating “Game Over.”

At the end of the day, whether or not you believe that BMW was the winner of the battle, both companies had a great deal of exposure, which, as discussed above, is an excellent way to reach a wide audience and create brand awareness.

But it’s not only companies that use billboards and signs to raise brand awareness. People, too, can work on their brand by using all sorts of signs, and the greatest example of that is a man whose entire brand is focused on… signs.

Yes, I’m talking about the legendary, one and only, ‘Dude With Sign’, whose face is now recognized by people all over the world, even if they have never seen him in real life. The person behind the sign—Seth Philips—has been protesting all sorts of annoying things in life on the streets of New York for years now, and it looks like many people can relate to his signs, as Seth’s Instagram account alone has racked up close to eight million followers.

Whether you’re a company, a service provider, an influencer, a strongly opinionated person, or just someone with some free time and a marker, with just a pinch of imagination and some strategic planning you can create a sign that will make people pay attention; and once you have their attention, that’s when you can get your message across, whether the message is wishing them a good day or challenging your competition.