Which Outdoor Ad Format is Best for Your Brand?

It’s no secret that outdoor advertising can be one of the best things you can do for your business. But with so many different types of out-of-home (OOH) ads, which format is the best choice for your brand?

The decision comes down to a number of different factors: your industry, campaign goals, audience, and more. For the best results, it makes sense to work with an expert ad agency who can walk you through the best path forward for your business. But if you want to learn the basics for yourself, keep reading for all the most important info.

Which Outdoor Ad Format Is Best for Your Brand?

The results have spoken for themselves time and time again: when it comes to building brand trust and getting the best possible ROI, outdoor advertising is king. But the path to determining the OOH media types that work best for your brand is paved with a wide array of options. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or uncertain as to the best choice for your campaign goals—which is why we’re here to break down the top options.

Static Billboards

Static billboards are a classic—the OG of outdoor advertising. From billboard and wall posters to large-scale murals, there are a variety of sizes and styles of static billboards to choose from. And the best part? These ads have been proving their value for decades. They’re versatile, highly effective, and a great choice for just about any advertiser.

Billboard advertising offers phenomenal visibility, intuitive audience intake, and consistent brand recall. It’s hard to go wrong with a static billboard: they work across industries for everything from product launches to brand awareness campaigns, event promotion to direct calls-to-action.

Digital Billboards

Digital billboards put a modern twist on an advertising classic. These ads take the benefits of static billboards and enhance them through digital technology, allowing advertisers to make real-time updates or add interactive features to their ads, such as weather-triggered customizations.

Digital billboards work well in urban environments, and also have the benefit of being visible all day instead of losing visibility during the nighttime hours. They’re flexible, dynamic, and highly eye-catching.

Street Furniture

There are several different types of street furniture advertising that you can use for your upcoming campaign. From bus shelters and benches to news stands and trash cans, these ads become a part of the everyday landscape, naturally ending up in your audience’s field of vision.

It’s one of the best OOH formats for local advertising, such as trying to build awareness for a local event, because street furniture tends to have strong dwell time—people notice street furniture ads while waiting for public transport or walking through the city on their lunch break.

Kiosk Advertising

Often considered a type of street furniture, kiosk advertising is a great way of engaging viewers in their day-to-day life. These ads are often highly interactive—think about the touchscreen kiosks you come across at the mall when trying to find a directory of your favorite stores. It’s this engagement that makes kiosk advertising so valuable, as it leads to high levels of recall.

Kiosk advertising is also a strong contender if your ad has contextual relevance, making it a solid choice to use in a place-based advertising campaign.

Airport Advertising

From large-format displays to wall wraps to in-flight advertising, brands can find a place for themselves along each step of a traveler’s journey through airport advertising. By placing their ads in dwell zones, brands can increase recall and customer action.

Airports are prime advertising space for brands wanting to utilize mobile integrations and personalized advertising, and work well when you’re advertising to a customer who’s craving novelty, adventure, or culture.

Movie Theater Advertising

The cinema is a consistent source of connection in American culture. That’s what makes movie theater advertising so effective: people are engaged, curious, and paying attention. Whether you want to place an ad in the pre-show credits or utilize the high dwell time of cinema lobby spaces, movie theater ads are great for brands wanting to lean into fun and experiential marketing channels.

Truck Advertising

Ready to hit the road? Truck advertising lets you take your OOH ad on the go, making your campaign accessible in high-traffic areas that might not be as conducive to a traditional standing billboard. US drivers spend an average of 17,600 minutes driving each year, and truck advertising allows you to ensure your ad is in the heart of their path.

Truck advertisements offer great mobile reach and geographic targeting, allowing you flexibility in the demographic you’re trying to connect with.

Devise the Best Strategy for Your Brand An Expert Team

At Alluvit Media, we know that there’s no single formula for advertising success. Each campaign is unique, and needs to be built on a strategy that takes your goals, industry, and audience into account.

When you work with our outdoor advertising team, our Account Executives will guide you through each step of crafting the perfect plan for your campaign. We’ll help you choose the OOH formats that work best for your brand and strategically select the best advertising locations for your campaign’s success.

Ready to get started? Request your free proposal today.

FAQs

Should I use AI to build my ad campaign?

We wouldn’t recommend it. Brands using AI for their advertising are seeing a huge dip in brand trust as consumers no longer know what’s real and what’s AI-generated. Authentic outdoor advertising is leading the charge for brands wanting to build a solid foundation of consumer trust.

How can I tell if my outdoor ads are working?

Calculate your return on ad spend (ROAS) by using the formula ROAS = revenue from advertising/cost of advertising. By calculating how your ads are performing, you can tell what’s working and what needs to be adjusted.

What ad format works best for a launch?

Static and digital billboards are great choices for advertising an upcoming launch, as they have been seen to successfully grow consumer awareness. When planning your launch, be sure to create a go-to-market (GTM) strategy to plan each step of the process for the best possible campaign results.