Mobile billboards — Guides
How mobile billboard trailers work: from artwork to photo report
A mobile billboard campaign runs on a simple cycle: quote, artwork, print, place, reposition, report. From artwork approval to your board standing on its first location takes about 3 working days. This article walks through each step, so you know exactly what happens to your money and your message.
Step 1 — The quote: suburb, dates, objective
Everything starts with three answers: which suburb you want to reach, when you want to be seen, and what you want to happen (walk-ins, calls, mandates, ticket sales). One WhatsApp message covers it. The quote comes back as a fixed daily rate — R200 to R285 a day on our 2026 Gauteng plans depending on campaign length — and that rate is the entire price: trailer, placement, printing, setup, moves, reporting and insurance.
Step 2 — Artwork: template first, then review
Before anything is designed, you receive the artwork template for the specific trailer assigned to your campaign — exact dimensions, bleed and safe area marked — so nothing is designed twice. Print-ready PDF is ideal; vector files scale best; a high-resolution JPEG or PNG also works.
Then the copy is reviewed against the AIDA framework before printing. Around 80% of a campaign's success comes down to what the board says, so a logo-only board or a cluttered one gets flagged rather than printed. Our guide to what to put on a billboard covers what passes review and why.
Step 3 — Printing: in-house, 2–3 working days
The board is printed on our own high-resolution large-format printer. In-house printing matters for two practical reasons: turnaround (2 – 3 working days, no outside print queue) and mid-campaign changes — a new special, a new phase, a countdown board can be printed and swapped without stalling the campaign.
Step 4 — Placement: planned positions, not random parking
Positions are chosen to match your objective and trading hours: shopping centre approach roads for retail and restaurants, school-run routes for schools, feeder-suburb intersections for developments and estate agents. This is planned before the campaign starts — you are buying a placement strategy, not a parked trailer. The thinking behind position choice is in our guide to choosing where to park a mobile billboard.
Step 5 — Repositioning: four moves a month
The board moves to a new planned position four times a month, as standard. Repositioning is what makes the format work — it rotates the board through your catchment's decision points and keeps it fresh to the same commuters. It is also the first thing cut-price operators quietly skip, which is worth checking before booking with anyone.
Step 6 — Reporting: a photograph every single move
After every reposition you receive a photograph of your board on its new location. Over a month, that is a photo trail of exactly where your advertising stood — proof for you, and for anyone you answer to: a marketing committee, a franchisor, a sponsor. Weekly photo updates run throughout the campaign.
Behind the scenes: insurance and replacement
The fleet is fully insured with free third-party cover included. If a trailer is damaged or a board is stolen, it is replaced within 48 hours at no cost to you — including reprinting the artwork, which in-house printing makes fast. Weather, accidents and vandalism are the operator's problem; your daily rate is the only number you pay.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to launch a campaign?+
About 3 working days from artwork approval: 2 – 3 days of printing, then straight onto the first position. Hard deadlines — an opening, a launch — are planned backwards from the date.
Who decides where the trailer parks?+
We plan the positions around your objective, and you see the results in the photo reports. If you know your area well, tell us — local knowledge about where your customers actually drive always improves the plan.
Can the campaign change while it is running?+
Yes. New artwork prints in 2 – 3 working days, and positions adjust at each of the four monthly moves. Campaigns with phases — launches, specials, countdowns — are planned that way from the start.
What happens when the campaign ends?+
Month-to-month campaigns simply end; longer plans run their term. Many clients keep the board for the next season — the second campaign starts faster because the template, artwork and placement history already exist.
We run mobile billboard campaigns across 16 suburbs in Johannesburg and greater Gauteng.