Outdoor advertising

Outdoor advertising, also called out-of-home advertising (OOH), is a way for companies to share messages in public places where people walk, drive, or travel. This includes billboards, signs on buses, and displays in busy parts of towns and cities. It is one of the oldest ways to reach many people at once.

Today, outdoor advertising includes both old-style signs and new digital screens that can change what they show. These ads use information about where people go to choose what to display. Companies work with big advertising firms such as Clear Channel Outdoor, Lamar Advertising Company, and Outfront Media to put up these messages.

The industry splits advertising into four main types: big billboards, ads on street furniture like bus stops, ads on transit systems such as trains and buses, and new kinds of creative displays. Some ads are static pictures, while others are digital screens that can show different messages quickly.

Digital

See also: Demand-side platform, Supply-side platform, and Ad exchange

Digital out-of-home advertising, often called DOOH, uses digital screens in public places. These screens can show different ads in many places at the same time. They can use information like the time of day or the weather to choose what to show.

DOOH screens are often found in train stations, shopping malls, streets, airports, sports arenas, and stores. Some systems let advertisers pick when and where to show their ads.

Traditional formats

Traditional outdoor advertising uses static signs and displays in public places. This includes things like banners pulled by airplanes, large billboards along roads, and ads on buses and bus stops.

There are also digital billboards that change ads quickly, mobile billboards on vehicles, and even people carrying ads in crowds.

Regulations

Outdoor advertising follows rules made by governments. These rules decide where ads can go, how big they can be, and how bright they can be. Some places allow many ads, while others have strict rules to keep the scenery nice.

In many cities, ads help pay for things like bus stops, public information boards, and bike-sharing stations.

United States

In the United States, rules about outdoor advertising are made at federal, state, and local levels. A law from 1965 says most billboards along major highways must be in commercial or industrial areas. Some states, like Vermont, Hawaii, Maine, and Alaska, don’t allow most billboards. There are also rules for digital billboards.

Brazil

São Paulo, Brazil, passed a law in 2006 called the “Clean City Law” that removed many large billboards and signs from the city.

Switzerland

Some areas in Switzerland have rules to limit outdoor ads to protect the scenery.

Finland

Finland controls outdoor advertising through local permits and safety laws. In 2024, the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland made a decision about bright ads at the corner of Runeberginkatu and Mannerheimintie in Helsinki.