What Is Outdoor Advertising? Definition, Types, Examples and Guide

Ryan Patrick

• 8 min read
What Is Outdoor Advertising? Definition, Types, Examples and Guide

While going about your daily activities, you may see vehicles driving around with branded advertisements. These advertisements are known as outdoor advertising. Businesses use outdoor advertising to reach potential customers who are out and about in specific geographic locations. Outdoor advertising can use tools like Billboards, Restaurant ads, or Transit.

Outdoor advertising is a marketing strategy distinct from typical ads as it targets people outside their homes. It’s an effective mass-market medium that reaches more prospects who only learn about specific brands.

Although outdoor advertising has limitations, it remains a valuable tool in a marketer’s ad campaign arsenal.

In this post, Incorpuk examines; outdoor advertising, definition, types, examples, and a guide to help you understand what you’re getting into.

What is Outdoor Advertising?

Outdoor advertising, also known as Outside Of Home (OOH, is any ad reaching consumers outside their homes. They include:

  1. Billboards
  2. Posters
  3. Signs
  4. Displays on buildings
  5. Vehicles
  6. Public transportation
  7. In malls

It’s an essential part of advertising and marketing strategies as it allows businesses to reach a wider audience outside. Outdoor advertisements efficiently bring the business more significant opportunities to create brand awareness and drive more sales. These advertisements target high-traffic areas, and they help businesses to:

  1. Develop brand recognition
  2. Reach a wider audience
  3. Increase sales through conversions from the wider audience reach
  4. Stand out from the competition and make a significant impact creatively

Types of Outdoor Advertising

Reaching customers with outdoor advertising is convenient for businesses, and it goes beyond the literal meaning of outdoor to include:

  1. Ads in malls
  2. Subway stations
  3. Any public space that’s considered outdoor

The type of advert you choose depends on factors like Budget, target audience, and location. Outdoor ads can be classified into two types:

  1. Traditional outdoor ads are static prints on walls, posters, or billboards.
  2. Digital Out-Of-Home ads (DOOH) include electronic screens and Virtual or Augmented Reality experiences. They are costly, but they catch the attention of more people.

Now that you understand the basics of outdoor advertising let’s break it down and discuss every type independently.

1. Static Billboards

When outdoor advertising is mentioned, billboards come to mind, and for a good reason. Billboards are huge; you can spot them from a distance, and they have proven to bring positive results. The cost of erecting billboards varies based on size and location, and it’s paid monthly.

These classic forms of advertisement are mainly displayed on highways and city streets all over the world. Billboards have been around for ages, and they’re still effective at catching people’s eyes, especially when placed somewhere they stand out.

2. Mobile Billboards

The advertisement graphics you see on trucks and buses are called mobile billboards. Any advertisement for moving vehicles is an outdoor media outlet that can bring favourable results to a company.

3. Digital Billboards

Digital billboards have the upper hand when it comes to efficiency. Their main advantage is displaying eye-catching videos and animations for outdoor advertising.

Businesses can be creative with digital billboards in design and the message they want to convey. However, there’s a catch. Digital billboards are expensive, and you may end up spending four times the cost of static billboards. Plus, designing them can also be costly, as they feature motion graphics, which can range from simple animations to full Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) videos.

4. Banners

The most popular form of banner advertisement is a banner on a pole. They’re often used to advertise events in big cities or tourist attraction sites. However, there are more banner ads you should know about:

  • Bridge banners are mostly placed on high-traffic highways on bridge sides to get the attention of travellers.
  • To catch people's attention, indoor banners are erected in busy spaces like airports, sports stadiums, or significant public areas. They’re placed strategically to ensure most people can spot them and get the message.
  • Standing banners are placed on a pole or stand and are mostly used by small businesses. These banners are simple and affordable, but they can drive crazy traffic from your locality.
  • Lamp posts are fantastic outdoor advertisements placed in main areas. They are noticeable at night when the streetlights are on, ensuring people are paying attention to the message on the banner.

5. Transit Advertising

Transit vehicles with ads target commuters, tourists, and people in the City. These groups are always using different types of transport, so it’s unavoidable for them to see these ads.

6. Point of Sale Advertising

If you own a store, sell products, or promote a particular lifestyle, advertising at your store is a great way to spread the word about your offers. When someone enters your store focusing on the products they wish to buy, you have an opportunity to prove you’re selling what they seek. Some point-of-sale advertising examples are:

  • The picture is displayed on the window.
  • Retail advertising
  • Packaging designs
  • In-store signage

Every aspect of the retail experience lets you announce your brand and make it stand out. Point-of-sale advertising is affordable, mainly if you use your space, but it’s highly competitive.

7. Retail Advertising

With this kind of outdoor advertising, the message is placed on windows, which attracts bypassers. These ads on the windows or walls can keep a customer shopping for more. There needs to be a recommended spot for this kind of local outdoor advertising.

At shopping centres, customers are there to shop and seeing these ads motivates them. As an excellent advertiser, exploiting this mindset will work in your favour. You can assemble different marketing materials and place them at different spots in the mall.

8. Street Furniture

In urban areas, outdoor space is expensive and highly competitive, and street furniture ads at bus stops, charging terminals, and bike racks catch the attention of many. These ads are placed at eye level, making them hard to miss.

9. Outdoor Signs

Outdoor signs spread the word about your products or services excellently to prospects. The signs can be big or small depending on campaign goals. These signs attract people’s attention to ensure anyone who encounters them doesn’t forget your brand.

Digital signs are effective outdoor advertising tools that can change often and present diverse content, making them ideal for targeting specific audiences. Businesses can display real-time updates like alerts, special offers, and customer feedback tracking.

Advantages of Outdoor Advertising

Outdoor advertising has many advantages for a company. Its versatility allows advertisers to design campaigns tailored to suit their target audience. This form of advertising is cost-effective, meaning startups can use it to spread the word about their business without borrowing to support the course.

A larger company can also use outdoor advertising as they can afford high-cost placements like large billboards or digital ads. Let’s discuss more advantages that come with outdoor advertisements:

  1. High Visibility from outdoor advertisements on high-traffic highways or busy spots like subway stations is hard to miss or ignore. As a result, a brand can reach more people, leading to higher conversions.
  2. Compared to other forms of advertising, outdoor adverts are cost-effective with high returns. Outdoor ads are ideal for startups with limited marketing budgets.
  3. Outdoor ads are strategically placed in spots that only target a specific audience. Targeting a specific audience results in an increase in campaign efficiency.
  4. Outdoor ads are flexible, allowing businesses to get creative enough to design unique target ads that catch the viewer’s eye.
  5. Unlike other advertising mediums, outdoor ads have constant exposure to potential customers around the clock. Due to the 24/7 exposure, outdoor ads give brands continuous exposure and reinforcement of the message.
  6. Businesses that use outdoor advertising have a broader reach to a large audience in high-traffic areas like busy highways and commercial or leisure areas.
  7. Outdoor advertising helps create brand awareness and recognition by increasing visibility.

Challenges of Outdoor Advertising

Besides the benefits of outdoor advertising, this form has potential drawbacks. They include:

  1. Limited exposure time
  2. High competition for attention can lower the impact of ads
  3. Busy people can miss the message
  4. Hard to track in terms of metrics

The Main Components of Outdoor Advertising

Carry out research to determine where to find your target audience. Plus, you should ensure the ads you create are eye-catching and memorable to make an impact in seconds. For your ad to come together, there are four main components of outdoor advertising, and they include:

  1. Choosing the right location for an outdoor ad is vital for its success. There’s no economic value for advertising in a place where it can’t reach your target audience.
  2. The Creative aspect of the outdoor ad is also equally important as it aids in capturing the attention of your target audience. The message in your ad should be impactful and memorable because the ad might only be visible for a short while.
  3. Ensure the Message you convey in outdoor advertising is clear and concise. Bypassers should be able to understand it in seconds since they’re on the move.
  4. A Call-to-action is like a final blow that encourages the target audience to take action, like visiting a website or buying a product.

Factors to Consider when Choosing an Outdoor Advertising Vendor

When choosing an outdoor advertising service provider, it must be the right partner to ensure whatever they come up with resonates with your target audience. A clear and concise message that catches the eye of those it’s intended for will make all the difference in making the ad campaign effective. Consider these factors when selecting an outdoor advert service vendor:

  1. They should understand your brand and target audience
  2. The agency must be creative and innovative enough to design an effective outdoor ad campaign
  3. A proven track record of successful ad campaigns in the past
  4. The vendor must display a wide range of advertising mediums for you to choose from
  5. Find an agency that offers competitive pricing and value for your money
  6. Their customer service should be professional and easily reachable anytime
  7. The agency must have sound knowledge of current outdoor advertising trends to ensure the message is relevant

Examples of Outdoor Advertisements

Outdoor ads are popular for good reasons. They get the attention of a broad audience of bypassers, and, in turn, the company realises the results. Outdoor adverts have a lasting impact if they’re clear and precise to drive the message home in seconds. Here are some excellent examples of successful outdoor ads:

  1. "Ordinary" by skincare brand The Ordinary
  2. "Let Summer Come to you" by online grocery retailer Ocado
  3. "Pub Stories" by Beavertown Brewery
  4. "Smug Dairy" by Kerry Dairy Consumer Foods
  5. “Good Right Now” by Waitrose Supermarket chains
  6. “Go Flat”, a Flatbread recipe by the Deli Kitchen brand

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some examples of outdoor advertising?

Some examples of outdoor advertising include transit buses, billboards (static or digital), bus stops, malls, and kiosks. Outdoor advertising, also known as out-of-home advertising, reaches potential consumers while they are out and about.

Which is the most common form of outdoor advertising?

The most common form of outdoor advertising is billboards, whether static or digital, which come in different sizes. As technology advances, virtual or augmented reality are the newer forms of outdoor advertising.

What is the new aspect of outdoor advertising?

The new aspect of outdoor advertising is the shift towards digital technology. Digital billboards are now becoming prevalent in urban areas, offering marketers dynamic and customizable ad creation options.

What is the greatest strength of outdoor advertising?

The most prominent strength of outdoor advertising is the ability to capture attention effectively in seconds. Billboards and large-format adverts are strategically placed in high-traffic areas to draw attention to travellers or passersby, making it easier to ignore the message.

Who can use outdoor advertising?

Outdoor advertising is most suitable for small businesses with a limited marketing Budget. Regardless of the kind of business you’re into, outdoor advertising can take you to the next level by reaching a broad audience in your locality.

In Summary

Are you thinking of running an outdoor advertising campaign? Outdoor campaigns are effective when properly executed. The goal is to get the attention of bypassers in a split second and also for the message to register immediately.

Outdoor advertising has been a powerful marketing strategy for ages, and it continues to be a powerful and effective medium that leaves lasting brand impressions.

Running ads on transit buses, bus stops, and billboards are the three main areas where outdoor advertising makes an impact. Buses are mobile billboards that reach a diverse audience and provide constant brand exposure. Static billboards (traditional or digital) offer high visibility and create impactful and memorable advertisements that bring good results.

The use of contrasting colours will make your ad stand out and make an impact in seconds. The ad should be visible from a distance. Don’t clutter your ad with too many messages or images; keep it clear and concise.

Regardless of where you place your outdoor ad, this form of advertising continues to be relevant and effective for marketers. Today's world is fast-paced, and any form of advertising that can reach a wide audience and create brand awareness, like outdoor advertising, is highly valuable to marketers. So, don’t let your business be left behind; create your outdoor advert today to make an impact. If you have any questions about outdoor advertising, kindly contact one of our experts here.