Image commercially licensed from: Unsplash
No matter where you go in Los Angeles, you’re bound to see a billboard. This type of advertising will never leave the city, so it’d be a waste for your company not to take advantage of it.
If you want to reach a large number of people of vast demographics, LA is the ideal place for billboard ads. Contrary to popular belief, billboards are still a great way to advertise. Some cities are better suited for this than others, but not many can rival LA.
With so many Los Angeles billboards emerging every year, companies need to top the competition, or they risk losing exposure. If your company wants to come out on top, it’s crucial to understand the top-performing billboards in this populous city. We’ve compiled a list of the top five LA billboards, each movie or show-based, so let’s dive in!
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, don’t worry; there won’t be any spoilers here. This massive franchise is back for its third movie, and this one is supposed to kick off the new chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Of course, there have been some playful Los Angeles billboards before for Ant-Man. The first one was released in 2015, the second in 2018, and the most recent one this year in 2023, and it was well worth the wait. Since this is a Marvel film, you know they were going to have the best location for this billboard on Sunset Boulevard in LA.
Ant-Man’s power is the ability to shrink and grow at will, so there are many ways they could’ve gone with the billboard. The billboard features Ant-Man as the main figure with a dark presence in the background. This is the new villain of the MCU Kang, which will be in many of the Marvel movies going forward. The billboard has an excellent use of color while showing what may lie in the future for this hero.
Knock at the Cabin
The latest feature from M. Night Shyamalan has recently been released, and there have been plenty of good reviews to follow. Shyamalan tends to have twists in his movies, so you know this one is bound to have a couple.
His billboard is even more ominous, which features a girl in the center with shadowy figures lurking over her. The child brings forth innocence, while the shadows bring uneasiness to it—this is bound to draw some attention and looks like it can be used as a mini poster as well.
Most of the background is a greenish, yellow color as if it’s in a field with the contrast of lighting bringing your eyes to it. Standing out in LA with a billboard is no easy feat, and Knock at the Cabin certainly brought the heat with this.
Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar opened up in the holiday season of 2022 and was still gaining traction well into 2023, so we felt it only fair to include them in our list. Not only did they gain traction, but they became one of the most successful movies of all time. There was a lot of money put into this movie ($250 million, to be exact), so you know they didn’t waste any on the advertising.
They created more than just Los Angeles billboards, though; their boards were put all across the country. With numerous types of billboards to choose from, like digital billboards and car wrap advertising, the possibilities are endless.
Avatar went with a 3D billboard that looks just like a fish jumping out of the water. This 3D billboard was seen in Times Square in New York, along with Los Angeles, which are two of the biggest advertising markets. They likely used this 3D technology because they were promoting fans to watch the movie in 3D as well; talk about an eye-catching advertisement.
Dead of Night
Dead of Night really stepped out of the box with their billboard advertisement, making it feel almost a little too real. This TV series is a Snapchat original (yes, you read that right), and it gained quite a bit of popularity.
Beyond the plot of the series, which is a zombie thriller show, Dead of Night tapped into their Snapchat routes, as the company used an AR billboard in LA to showcase their work. This augmented reality advertisement had a Snapchat filter, which users could access through the massive QR code, so people could feel like they were right up on the billboard. The merging of Snapchat’s features and classic billboard advertising was a fantastic way to advertise this TV series.
Jack Ryan
Last but not least on our list of the most unique Los Angeles billboards this year so far is for the Amazon original, Jack Ryan. This billboard took a different route than many because it can’t be seen by everyone. They put “Jack Is Back” on the top of three buildings so that people who fly in and out of LAX could see it. Talk about a great photo opportunity!
Conclusion
Whether in AR form, only visible from the air, or the more classic forms, billboard advertisements aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. With Los Angeles being one of the top advertising markets, the benefits of getting the word out there are endless.
