Advertising on Billboards In Wilmington, NC
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About Wilmington A port city with a beautifully revitalized downtown, Wilmington, North Carolina, features a gorgeous waterfront and equally breathtaking beaches. It’s one of the eight biggest cities in the state, more recently serving as a popular shooting location for movies and TV shows, including Amazon’s current hit “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” A recent startup boom has drawn young workers to the area, prompting one California company to rate Wilmington as a top-10 most underrated tech city.
Are you interested in billboard advertising in Wilmington, North Carolina? We’ve put together a guide covering everything from what inventory is available for outdoor advertisements to billboard costs to where to advertise.
A port city with a beautifully revitalized downtown, Wilmington, North Carolina, features a gorgeous waterfront and equally breathtaking beaches. It’s one of the eight biggest cities in the state, more recently serving as a popular shooting location for movies and TV shows, including Amazon’s current hit “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” A recent startup boom has drawn young workers to the area, prompting one California company to rate Wilmington as a top-10 most underrated tech city.
Are you interested in billboard advertising in Wilmington, North Carolina? We’ve put together a guide covering everything from what inventory is available for outdoor advertisements to billboard costs to where to advertise.
Data for Billboard Advertisers in Wilmington, NC Wilmington has a population of 117,000 as of 2021, the most recent data available, and has grown rapidly over the past 20 years, up from 75,000 in 2000. Residents are well educated, with more than 40% holding a bachelor’s degree or higher, above the national average of a third of Americans. Median income, however, lags the national per-household average of $71,000 by almost $17,000 — this is not an affluent area.
With 65, Wilmington has fewer billboards than bigger cities in North Carolina, such as Raleigh (75 billboards) and the Greensboro/High Point area (135).
Here’s a complete demographic rundown on the Wilmington DMA.
Wilmington has a population of 117,000 as of 2021, the most recent data available, and has grown rapidly over the past 20 years, up from 75,000 in 2000. Residents are well educated, with more than 40% holding a bachelor’s degree or higher, above the national average of a third of Americans. Median income, however, lags the national per-household average of $71,000 by almost $17,000 — this is not an affluent area.
With 65, Wilmington has fewer billboards than bigger cities in North Carolina, such as Raleigh (75 billboards) and the Greensboro/High Point area (135).
Here’s a complete demographic rundown on the Wilmington DMA.
Wilmington, NCPopulation: 117,000
46%
54%
Veterans
5,725% who speak a non - English language at home
7.8 %billboards
65Median Household
income
$ 54,066 High school graduates
93 %hold at least
a bachelor’s degree
43.6 % Persons per household
2.1foreign-born
residents
5% Wilmington has four main types of billboards
available for out of home advertising. Digital
You can purchase both digital bulletins and digital posters in Wilmington. These are the same dimensions as static billboards, but they have digital creative that can be swapped out easily.
Dimensions + Bulletins measure 48 feet wide x 14 feet tall.
posters
Posters are the next most common size of billboards. They’re smaller than bulletins and are often referred to as 30 sheets. You’ll see them in downtown Wilmington or on South College Road near the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Dimensions + Posters measure 24 feet, 6 inches wide x 12 feet tall.
bulletins
When most people talk about billboards, they’re referring to bulletins. These are the biggest billboards available, and you see them in heavy traffic areas, like along Carolina Beach Road or highways such as I-40. The vast majority of Wilmington bulletins are permanent and stay in the
same location for the length of the buy.
Dimensions + Bulletins measure 48 feet wide x 14 feet tall.
Digital
You can purchase both digital bulletins and digital posters in Wilmington. These are the same dimensions as static billboards, but they have digital creative that can be swapped out easily.
Bulletins measure 48 feet wide x 14 feet tall.
posters
Posters are the next most common size of billboards. They’re smaller than bulletins and are often referred to as 30 sheets. You’ll see them in downtown Wilmington or on South College Road near the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Posters measure 24 feet, 6 inches wide x 12 feet tall.
bulletins
When most people talk about billboards, they’re referring to bulletins. These are the biggest billboards available, and you see them in heavy traffic areas, like along Carolina Beach Road or highways such as I-40. The vast majority of Wilmington bulletins are permanent and stay in the
same location for the length of the buy.
Bulletins measure 48 feet wide x 14 feet tall.
Best Places in Wilmington to Advertise on a Billboard Based on our experience, here are some of the best places to find bulletin, poster and digital billboard inventory in Wilmington.
South College Road near
UNC-W and around campus
You can reach a target audience of Gen Z college students, so this location is best for mobile brands, entertainment, socially relevant nonprofit messaging and music ads. UNC-W has about 14,000 students.
Interstate 140, US 74,
NC 132 and NC 133
These higher-traffic roads in and around the city are ideal for fast food brands, grocery stores, movies and entertainment, jewelers, attorneys and political advertising.
Downtown Wilmington
You can find digital billboards downtown that deliver timely messages to an engaged audience. Cape Fear Community College has its main campus downtown, drawing thousands of students, and thousands of people work downtown in the high-rise buildings. Best categories include tech, luxury brands, jewelers, attorneys, music and mobile.
Riverwalk area downtown
While outdoor advertising opportunities on the Riverwalk are fewer and farther between, you can find opportunities near where people park to walk down to the popular restaurant and shopping area. The location is best for luxury brands, record labels, fashion brands, tech companies and others that want to connect with a young, hip audience.
Interstate I-40
The interstate that connects Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh ends in Wilmington, and much of the area’s incoming tourist traffic flows down I-40. Best categories include family-focused brands, entertainment, hotels, restaurants and music.
US 421
The road heading south to Carolina Beach has lots of inventory and works best for brands hoping to reach families and tourists, such as fast food restaurants, local entertainment destinations and mobile brands.
US 17
Families heading toward Jungle Rapids Family Fun Park located off the route pass many billboards on US 17, which also goes by Cape Fear Country Club and New Hanover County Arboretum. The best categories for these include family-friendly things such as grocery stores, fast food restaurants, arts and entertainment, film, TV shows and music.
Based on our experience, here are some of the best places to find bulletin, poster and digital billboard inventory in Wilmington.
South College Road near
UNC-W and around campus
You can reach a target audience of Gen Z college students, so this location is best for mobile brands, entertainment, socially relevant nonprofit messaging and music ads. UNC-W has about 14,000 students.
Interstate 140, US 74,
NC 132 and NC 133
These higher-traffic roads in and around the city are ideal for fast food brands, grocery stores, movies and entertainment, jewelers, attorneys and political advertising.
Downtown Wilmington
You can find digital billboards downtown that deliver timely messages to an engaged audience. Cape Fear Community College has its main campus downtown, drawing thousands of students, and thousands of people work downtown in the high-rise buildings. Best categories include tech, luxury brands, jewelers, attorneys, music and mobile.
Riverwalk area downtown
While outdoor advertising opportunities on the Riverwalk are fewer and farther between, you can find opportunities near where people park to walk down to the popular restaurant and shopping area. The location is best for luxury brands, record labels, fashion brands, tech companies and others that want to connect with a young, hip audience.
Interstate I-40
The interstate that connects Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh ends in Wilmington, and much of the area’s incoming tourist traffic flows down I-40. Best categories include family-focused brands, entertainment, hotels, restaurants and music.
US 421
The road heading south to Carolina Beach has lots of inventory and works best for brands hoping to reach families and tourists, such as fast food restaurants, local entertainment destinations and mobile brands.
US 17
Families heading toward Jungle Rapids Family Fun Park located off the route pass many billboards on US 17, which also goes by Cape Fear Country Club and New Hanover County Arboretum. The best categories for these include family-friendly things such as grocery stores, fast food restaurants, arts and entertainment, film, TV shows and music.
Cost of a Billboard in Wilmington The most desirable locations and best billboards, such as those with good lighting and nothing obscuring them from the road, always cost more than others in Wilmington, where pricing is generally reasonable compared to other cities. For instance, Wilmington’s billboards are cheaper than Raleigh but a bit more expensive than Greensboro.
The Cheapest Billboards in Wilmington
Poster - four weeks: · $600 to $700
Digital bulletin - four weeks: $2,400 to $2,600 (more if your ad runs more than once every two minutes)
The Most Expensive Billboards in Wilmington
Bulletin - four weeks: $1,800 to $2,000
Digital bulletin - four weeks: $2,400 to $2,600 (more if your ad runs more than once every two minutes)
The most desirable locations and best billboards, such as those with good lighting and nothing obscuring them from the road, always cost more than others in Wilmington, where pricing is generally reasonable compared to other cities. For instance, Wilmington’s billboards are cheaper than Raleigh but a bit more expensive than Greensboro.
The Cheapest Billboards in Wilmington
Poster - four weeks: · $600 to $700
Digital bulletin - four weeks: $2,400 to $2,600 (more if your ad runs more than once every two minutes)
The Most Expensive Billboards in Wilmington
Bulletin - four weeks: $1,800 to $2,000
Digital bulletin - four weeks: $2,400 to $2,600 (more if your ad runs more than once every two minutes)
Wilmington Billboard Creative Examples 
Thinking About Advertising in Wilmington? We can connect you with the target audience you desire in Wilmington. Contact us to learn more about availability in the most in-demand inventory. We can work on fast turnarounds and get your message in front of North Carolinians quickly.
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We can connect you with the target audience you desire in Wilmington. Contact us to learn more about availability in the most in-demand inventory. We can work on fast turnarounds and get your message in front of North Carolinians quickly.