A billboard bicycle is a type of mobile advertising in which a bike tows a billboard with an advertising message. Billboard bicycles, like some other forms of mobile advertising, offer a cost efficient, targeted, and environmentally friendly

Environmentally friendly

Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....

 form of advertising. Although at the time of this writing the origin of the billboard bicycle has not been determined, Gary Saunders of Queens, NY

Queens

Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

 was credited in a 1999 New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

 article as the "brainchild" behind the billboard bicycle concept. Mr. Saunders billboard bicycle, the Vital Sign, was geared toward messenger bikes and measured 12" by 18". Since the introduction of the Vital Sign several different variations of the billboard bicycle, differing in both size and appearance, have been constructed.

Advantages of Mobile Billboards Compared to Other Media channels

• Low cost per thousand impressions
• Environmentally friendly advertising
• Innovative and eye-catching
• Delivering high-impact impressions
• Closer to the point of sale
• High impact audio and visual combination
• Ideal for pedestrian areas
• All weather and season operation
• Can be Bluetooth and GPS tracking system enabled
• Riders can handout promotional material or do sampling
• National, regional or local campaigns

Advertising Efficiency

According to research conducted by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, when compared to other advertising forms such as radio, television, and newspaper, billboard advertising

Billboard (advertising)

A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...

 is a more effective form in terms of cost per thousand impressions (CPM). National Public Radio (NPR) in a 2005 news article

Article (publishing)

An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...

 commented on the billboard bicycles ability to target specific audiences.

Environmental Impact

The billboard bicycle provides a green alternative to advertising. Billboard bicycles are human powered thus they leave no carbon footprint

Carbon footprint

A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...

. Despite this benefit critics point to possible congestion and visual pollution

Visual pollution

Visual pollution is the term given to unattractive and man-made visual elements of a vista, a landscape, or any other thing that a person does not feel comfortable to look at. Visual pollution is an aesthetic issue, referring to the impacts of pollution that impair one's ability to enjoy a vista or...

.

Types

Today billboard bicycles come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some billboard bicycles are one unit. Others are composed of a bike and a detachable billboard. Some billboard bicycles are specially manufactured to have a unique look in order to further attract an audiences attention. Others are simple frames which focus attention solely on the advertising message. Some billboard bicycles use large billboards; however the size of the billboard is limited by wind constraints. Other billboards are small, like Gary Saunders messenger sign noted above.