Street advertising is one of the oldest forms of advertising. Ever since traders first erected signs on their frontages to promote their stores and products, outdoor advertising has been an important part of marketing and promotion.

There are obvious advantages of advertising to the general public in that your message can be seen by everybody that passes by, a far greater number than will enter a particular store. Of course, high street advertising isn’t very targeted in that very few of the views of the signage will be potential customers but the volume makes up for that.

Street advertising has gone through some dramatic changes over the last century too. Whilst there will always be a place for traditional print media, its effectiveness is no longer as great as some of the more modern methods of advertising on the street.

Neon lights were the first big change that street advertising encountered. Once neon was discovered, advertising was not only just as possible at night as it was during the day, but because of the eye-catching quality of neon, advertising with neon at night is even more effective.

But neon, whilst the friend of the street advertiser for the last 80 years, it may have finally had its day.

Outdoor digital signage is leading the way for the next generation of advertising on the street as the use of LCD and plasma screens are springing up all over the place. Bus stops, fly posters and traditional neon signage is now being replaced across the globe by outdoor digital signage systems.

And while famous landmarks such as the neon signs in London’s Piccadilly Circus are still around, it may only be a matter of time before they too are replaced by digital signage.

There are now so many Newspapers, Television and Radio, that companies do not know which ones to advertise in. Furthermore, there are hundreds more options when one looks online. Ultimately, this means that the golden rule of the advertising, to get your message in front of your target audience, is so difficult to achieve because instead of reading 5 magazines and watching 2 television stations, they are watching hundreds, as well as following hundreds of blogs, ezines and Twitter Tweets.

This is why companies are investing more and more on physical advertising products, because they know that through these they will definitely get their brand name in front of their target market.

Here are five of the most popular promotional merchandise items that companies tend to use:

T-Shirts: These are very economical to produce and have a large space upon which to advertise. More importantly, when these T-Shirts are worn, other people see your marketing message and creating a buzz by doing so.

Pens: These are one of the most common methods because they are easy to produce, cost only a few pence per unit and people are always willing to take them and reuse them.

Mouse Mats: This is the best way to get onto someone’s desktop. By having your mouse mat on your target customer’s desk, imagine how many times per day your marketing message will be reinforced in their minds.

Calendars: These are very popular because they cost little to make and, if used, will be used for a full year. Once again, how many times in a year do people look at their calendars and how often will they see your marketing message?

Oyster Card Holders: These are very popular because they are relatively new and, ultimately, not many companies are using this marketing method. Therefore, this gives you a better chance to get into the pockets of your customers before your competitors do.