Sometimes it seems like advertising has its own language, and that’s especially true for out of home. What are reach and frequency? How do you calculate a gross rating point? Why is it called a wallscape?
If you struggle to follow the terms in outdoor advertising, we can help. We’ve compiled a list of common OOH terms. Use our glossary to find answers next time you have a question.
ALTERNATIVE MEDIA
Also referred to as experiential media, it encompasses most OOH that isn’t billboards, including dynamic special events staged in public.
ANNUAL AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC (AADT)
The average amount of daily vehicle traffic that passes a highway at a certain point.
APPROACH
The direct distance between where you start being able to see a billboard or other outdoor advertisement and where you can no longer distinguish what the text on it says.
AUDIENCE DELIVERY
How many people see an outdoor advertisement. You can measure it via:
- Reach and frequency
- Ratings
- Impressions
AUGMENTED REALITY
Uses interactive technology to superimpose imagery or sounds on what we see before us. Can be employed in a range of OOH displays, such as transit shelters.
AWARENESS
Recall of ads, which may depend on the size or originality of the creative.
B
BILLBOARD
We trust you know what a billboard is. It’s the most popular form of outdoor advertising, accounting for the largest share of advertising. They come in several different sizes.
BULLETIN
The second-biggest type of billboard, ranking behind only spectaculars. Usually freestanding structures on the side of a freeway. The come in three sizes.
BUS BENCHES
Not sure you can get more self-explanatory: Advertising on the bench you sit on to wait for the bus. It reaches you at street level.
C
CAMPAIGN PERIOD
The length of an out of home campaign.
CHARTING
Selecting the location and duration of your outdoor advertising campaign.
CREATIVE
What goes on your out of home display. Usually graphics, often containing text. It’s the attention-grabbing part of the ad.
D
DIGITAL OUT OF HOME
Includes any type of screen or otherwise digital content deployed in outdoor and indoor advertising spaces, such as digital billboards and OOH video networks.
DWELL TIME
Length of time someone spends near an out of home advertisement.
F
FACE
The area where an outdoor ad is placed, such as the “face” of a billboard.
FLIGHT
How long an outdoor ad campaign runs. For billboards, flights typically last four weeks.
FREQUENCY
How many times someone sees an outdoor ad during a predetermined length of time.
GROSS RATING POINT
A single rating point equals 1% of a market’s population. A gross rating point is the total in-market impressions your campaign delivers divided by the total population.
I
IN-MARKET IMPRESSIONS
People within a market who see your campaign. Impressions are the total number who see the campaign who reside anywhere.
INDOOR ADVERTISING
You can probably guess what this is — it’s the opposite of outdoor advertising, in that it appears inside bars, restaurants, transit stations and so forth. But it’s still considered out of home.
L
LOCATION LIST
All the locations you have in an outdoor campaign. You may also hear references to a location map, which maps out those locations.
M
MALL DISPLAYS
The backlit ads with two or three sides that you see at shopping malls.
MARKET
The geographic area where your campaign takes place — for instance, Los Angeles.
MESSAGE DURATION
How long a digital OOH ad lights up the screen.
MOBILE BILLBOARD
Appear on the sides of trucks or buses, or are towed behind them, creating a billboard that can move all around a city.
OBIE AWARDS
OAAA’s annual awards program, which recognizes outdoor’s most outstanding, most creative campaigns. (Hey, is that us on this year’s list of finalists? Yep.)
OOH VIDEO NETWORKS
Video networks at different places, such as doctor’s offices, gas stations and more, that include advertising and editorial content.
OVERRIDE
Extending the run of an OOH campaign beyond the initial period. This is provided by the outdoor vendor and doesn’t cost extra for the advertiser.
P
PLACE-BASED MEDIA
Out of home displays at places, such as grocery stores, stadiums, movie theaters and more.
POLYETHYLENE
The plastic used to make many types of bulletins and posters.
POSTER
Also called 8 sheets, they’re posted along surface streets and are smaller than bulletins. You’ll see them walking around neighborhoods in cities.
PROOF OF PERFORMANCE
Outdoor advertising companies provide this certification that services have been delivered satisfactorily.
R
REACH
How much of your target audience sees an ad during a campaign.
REPOSTING CHARGE
A fee the advertiser pays to change creative before the campaign term ends.
RIDE
Traveling to and looking at the inventory you want to buy, such as visiting a billboard to see what sort of condition it is in and how much visibility the highway offers.
S
SPECTACULAR
The biggest type of billboard, supersized and only found in rare locations, like Times Square. Usually measure 60 feet wide.
STREET FURNITURE
Pieces at eye level that you can see from the street that carry advertising. Examples include fountains, memorials, bus benches and barriers.
T
TARGET AUDIENCE
The people you want to reach with your advertisement.
TRADITIONAL MEDIA
This is a catchall term for non-digital media, and it includes all non-digital out of home, like billboards, street furniture and transit advertising.
TRANSIT DISPLAYS
Ads displayed on forms of public transport, such as:
- Buses
- Trolleys
- Subways
TRANSIT SHELTER
A structure where people wait to catch the bus or other public transportation, usually located near the curb.
W
WALLSCAPE
The biggest form of outdoor advertising, wallscapes appear on the sides of buildings — or, you know, walls. They’re gigantic, sometimes hundreds of feet tall.
Wild Posting®
A large number of posters plastered in the same area, catching people’s eyes and making a big splash through sheer volume. Usually placed on the side of construction sites or buildings.
Have questions about any of these terms, or want to implement some of them in your next campaign? Contact DASH TWO to learn more.