While there are plenty of unique ways to build brand awareness and promote your company to the world, sometimes the tried-and-true is still the best. Businesses have adopted a Highway—the process of sponsoring maintenance and cleanup of a designated stretch of road—for decades to positively impact the community while promoting their brand.
But is adopting a highway still an effective way to engage with audiences – especially when you can’t control who sees your sponsorship? The answer is a resounding yes. Adopt A Highway® has become more relevant than ever for those over the media-saturated ads and gimmicks often associated with traditional advertising.
Not sure? Read on to learn more about how engaging with an Adopt A Highway program near you—and one that does the heavy lifting for you—may be the best investment you make in your brand this year.
What is Adopt A Highway?
Adopt A Highway is an innovative sponsorship program that enables businesses to actively maintain and beautify our nation’s highways.
The premise is simple: By sponsoring a designated stretch of highway, companies commit to keeping that section clean and litter-free. However, the program’s real magic lies in the unparalleled brand visibility it provides.
When a business sponsors a highway through a traditional Adopt A Highway program, its name and logo are prominently featured on signs along the sponsored stretch. These signs are seen by the thousands – if not millions – of motorists who travel that highway daily, providing an unmatched level of exposure.
It’s a unique form of advertising that not only gets a company’s name in front of potential customers but also associates it with a positive message of community involvement and environmental responsibility.
The highway sponsorship signs serve as a constant reminder to the public that the sponsoring business is dedicated to making a difference in their local area. When drivers see the sign, they are reminded of the company’s commitment to keeping their community clean and beautiful. As a result, the brand enjoys a boost in reputation and goodwill.
In essence, Adopt A Highway® allows businesses to turn the necessary task of highway maintenance into an opportunity for high-impact, socially responsible marketing. It’s a win-win scenario that benefits the environment, the community, and the sponsoring business.
How is Adopt A Highway Different
While adopting a highway has existed for some time, Adopt A Highway takes a unique approach that sets it apart from traditional programs. The key difference is that Adopt A Highway is a paid sponsorship opportunity.
In traditional Adopt a Highway programs, businesses or organizations commit to cleaning their adopted highway section themselves. This often involves organizing employee volunteers, coordinating cleanup schedules, and dedicating significant time and resources.
While admirable, this approach can be burdensome for companies, particularly those without large staff or flexible schedules that allow for volunteer work.
Adopt A Highway removes this burden from the sponsoring business. Instead of being directly responsible for the cleanup, sponsors pay a fee for professional maintenance crews to handle the job.
These crews, managed by Adopt A Highway Maintenance Corporation®, are trained in safety procedures and equipped with the necessary tools to efficiently clean the sponsored highway section regularly throughout the year.
This approach allows businesses of all sizes and types to participate in highway beautification without diverting their staff or resources away from their core operations. It makes the program accessible to a wider range of companies, from small local to large national corporations.
The Adopt A Highway Advantage:
Exclusive Branding
Adopt A Highway offers a unique opportunity for businesses to establish a strong local presence through exclusive branding rights.
When a company sponsors a highway stretch, it is granted the sole right to display its name and logo on signs along that section. This exclusivity means no other business can advertise on that stretch, giving the sponsor a monopoly on that area’s roadside advertising.
This “ownership” of a highway stretch allows a business to dominate the local market and establish its brand as a prominent fixture in the community. As the only company featured on that section of the highway, the sponsor’s brand becomes synonymous with that area in the minds of daily commuters.
This repeated exposure to a single brand, without any competition, reinforces the sponsor’s authority and strengthens its reputation as a leading local presence.
Cost-Effective Advertising
One of the most significant advantages of the Adopt A Highway program is its cost-effectiveness as an advertising medium.
Compared to traditional forms of advertising, such as television commercials, print ads, or billboards, highway sponsorship offers an exceptionally low cost per impression (CPI). This means that the cost to the business is minimal for every person who sees the sponsor’s sign.
This low CPI is made possible by the sheer volume of traffic that highways attract. With thousands of cars passing by the sponsor’s sign daily, the total number of impressions throughout a sponsorship period is astronomical.
High-frequency exposure maximizes the impact of the sponsor’s marketing budget, delivering a substantial return on investment that few other advertising mediums can match. Plus, the 24/7 nature of highway signage means that the sponsor’s brand is being promoted around the clock, reaching commuters during their morning drive, afternoon errands, and evening commutes.
Targeted Geographical Reach
Another key benefit of Adopt A Highway® is the ability to target specific geographical areas. When a business sponsors a highway stretch, it can select a section that aligns with its desired market. This place-based advertising approach ensures people see the sponsor’s message in the right location.
For example, a local restaurant may sponsor a highway section near its establishment to attract nearby residents and commuters. Or a regional bank may select a stretch of highway that spans several towns or cities to expand its reach and attract customers from a wider area. Businesses can effectively target their ideal customer base by strategically selecting the location of their sponsored highway stretch.
This geographical targeting is particularly valuable for businesses that rely on local patronage, such as retail stores, service providers, and community organizations. By focusing their advertising efforts on the areas where their target customers live, work, and commute, these businesses can maximize the impact of their marketing messages and drive more foot traffic to their locations.
Continuous Visibility
One of the most powerful aspects of Adopt A Highway® sponsorship is the continuous visibility it provides. Unlike other forms of advertising subject to time slots, algorithms, or consumer attention spans, highway signs offer a constant, “always-on” presence that can’t be ignored or skipped.
Over time, this continuous visibility can lead to a phenomenon known as “effective frequency.” This is when a consumer has seen a brand’s message enough times to remember it and be influenced by it in their purchasing decisions. With the high traffic volume and the constant presence of highway signs, Adopt A Highway® sponsorship is an effective way to reach and surpass this threshold of effective frequency, driving real results for the sponsoring business.
Enhanced Community Relations
Adopting a highway is about more than just advertising; it’s also a powerful way for businesses to demonstrate their commitment to the communities they serve. By sponsoring a stretch of highway, a company shows that it cares about the safety, cleanliness, and beauty of the area where customers live and work. This public display of community involvement can go a long way in building goodwill and fostering positive relationships with local residents.
Over time, this positive perception can translate into increased customer loyalty and advocacy. People are more likely to support and recommend businesses they see actively investing in improving their community.
By aligning themselves with the community’s interests through highway sponsorship, businesses can cultivate a loyal customer base that appreciates and supports their efforts.
Environmental Stewardship
We live in an environmentally conscious world, and consumers increasingly want to support businesses committed to sustainability and ecological responsibility. Adopt A Highway® provides a perfect opportunity for companies to showcase their environmental stewardship in a tangible, visible way.
At its core, Adopt A Highway® is a green initiative focused on reducing litter and improving the cleanliness of our roadways. By sponsoring a highway stretch, businesses directly contribute to removing unsightly and environmentally harmful litter from the landscape. If left unchecked, this litter can pose serious threats to local wildlife, contaminate water sources, and mar the area’s natural beauty.
Businesses are proactively mitigating these environmental risks by supporting the regular cleanup of their sponsored highway section. This commitment to sustainability resonates with today’s eco-conscious consumers, who are more likely to patronize businesses that share their values. By aligning themselves with the green mission of Adopt A Highway®, sponsors can tap into this growing market of environmentally aware customers.
The Adopt A Highway Process:
Ready for the best part of Adopt A Highway? Getting started is simple:
- Contact Adopt A Highway Maintenance Corporation® to discuss available sponsorship opportunities.
- Select a highway stretch that aligns with your target market and budget.
- Professional crews, managed by Adopt A Highway Maintenance Corporation®, will clean your sponsored section multiple times throughout the year.
- Enjoy the benefits of increased brand visibility, community goodwill, and environmental stewardship.
Adopt A Highway provides a unique opportunity for businesses to combine corporate social responsibility with cost-effective, high-impact advertising. By sponsoring a highway, companies can showcase their commitment to the environment and their community while reaching a massive audience of potential customers.
With a proven track record of success and a streamlined sponsorship process, Adopt A Highway® is the perfect way for businesses to drive their brand forward while making a positive difference. Request further information and a quote today