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Glossary – Outdoor advertising

Outdoor advertising

Nikiforov Alexander
Friend of clients
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What is outdoor advertising

Outdoor advertising is a way of delivering advertising messages to consumers through the placement of information on the street, on the exterior walls of buildings, and on vehicles. It can be presented in various formats: graphics, video, and text. The main goals of outdoor advertising are to attract the attention of potential customers, boost sales, and increase brand awareness.

Outdoor advertising is suitable for both large and small businesses. Companies choose formats depending on the specifics of their niche, set objectives, and available budget. In small and medium-sized businesses, outdoor advertising is actively used by stores, cafes, beauty salons, medical clinics, educational institutions, and notary offices. Large companies, such as car dealerships and retailers, also focus on outdoor advertising to achieve their goals.

Types of outdoor advertising

The outdoor advertising market offers a variety of formats that differ in size, materials, and placement locations. Let's consider the most popular types of outdoor advertising:

  • Billboard: a large sign placed in areas with a high flow of people and vehicles. The typical size is 6x3 meters.
  • Supersite: a larger version of a billboard, with dimensions starting from 12x3 meters, installed at a height for better visibility.
  • Citylight: a rectangular glass light box installed at eye level for pedestrians.
  • Lightbox: light boxes that consist of panels with advertising messages and internal illumination.
  • A-frame sign: a portable structure set up near retail locations to attract customers.
  • Wallscape: a large sign on the facade of a building, visible from a distance.
  • Prismatron: a sign with multiple rotating prisms to display different advertisements.
  • Rooftop installation: three-dimensional logos on building rooftops, easily visible from afar.
  • Signage: information about the company placed above or next to the entrance.
  • Transit advertising: advertisements on public transport, reaching a large audience.
  • Digital advertising: placement of animations and videos on digital screens and billboards.

Advantages and disadvantages of outdoor advertising

Like any other tool in business, outdoor advertising has its pros and cons. The main advantages include:

  • Wide reach: outdoor advertising is visible to a large number of people, increasing the chances of attracting customers.
  • Affordability: many outdoor advertising formats are budget-friendly compared to television advertising.
  • Mobility: some media can be easily moved depending on business needs.
  • Visual impact: the ability to implement creative ideas to attract attention.

However, there are also disadvantages:

  • Lack of targeting: the advertisement is visible to everyone, making it difficult to target a specific audience.
  • Brief contact: potential customers see the advertisement for only a few seconds.
  • Difficulty in measuring effectiveness: it is harder to measure how many people were genuinely interested in the advertisement.

How to measure the effectiveness of outdoor advertising

To assess the success of outdoor advertising, it is important to consider several key metrics:

  • Potential audience: the number of people who can see the advertisement over a specific period.
  • Effective audience (OTS): physically present people who can see the advertisement.
  • Audience contacts (GRP): the percentage of the audience that sees the advertisement among the city’s population.
  • Cost per thousand contacts (CPT): the cost per thousand GRPs; the lower, the better.
  • Frequency and reach: the number of contacts and the percentage ratio of reach.

Thus, outdoor advertising remains an important tool in the marketing arsenal, despite its drawbacks. The right choice of format and placement can significantly enhance its effectiveness.