The receptiveness of black Americans to outdoor advertising: implications for marketing and public policy.

Outdoor advertising, billboards especially, represent important advertising vehicles for retailers and services providers yet receive little attention from marketing researchers. Many managers also assume the medium to have limited segmentation potential beyond geographical, yet our study reveals major differences. Based on a survey of over 1,600 users of heath service facilities in Northern Louisiana, Black Americans proved significantly more receptive to billboards, based on measures of awareness, information conveyance, influence and overall views. These differences persist across nearly all education/income level combinations; significant interaction effects emerge between receptiveness, race, education and income. We draw upon socialization theory to help explain some of the difference but also suggest that the high exposure of Black Americans to billboards, plus their greater openness to advertising, also contribute. Many advertisers target Black Americans and they also remain a subject of public policy concern, giving these findings implications for marketers, researchers and policy makers.