Billboard Advertising: Types, Costs and Successful Examples Understand the nuances of billboard advertising, from various types and costs to successful examples that can inspire your next campaign.
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Billboard Advertising
Considering diving into billboard advertising for the first time? Or perhaps you want to refine your billboard advertising strategy to improve your campaign metrics and increase exposure. Use our guide to learn more about billboard types and costs, why billboard ads work, the nuances of successful boards, and helpful statistics about this advertising space.
Billboard Advertising by The Numbers
Billboards are the most well-known and widely used form of outdoor advertising. They account for roughly two-thirds of all out of home spending, or nearly $5 billion per year. Here are some other fascinating statistics about billboards:
351,000
There are more than 351,000 billboards in the United States in 2023
5%
That has decreased almost 5 percent since 2017
20,000sq ft
The biggest billboard in the world is in Dubai and has a more than 20,000 square foot volume
300hrs
Americans drive about 300 hours per year, giving them lots of time to see billboards on the road
81%
81 percent of travelers report seeing static and digital billboards
20%
20 percent of travelers say they have immediately visited a business after seeing their billboard
50%
50 percent of drivers say they have been “highly engaged” by a billboard they saw in the past four weeks
70,000
Mobile billboards can generate up to 70,000 impressions per day
The Main Types of Billboard Advertising
Bulletins
Bulletins are the typical board you see along major highways. The majority measure 48 feet by 14 feet, though you can find some that are 10 feet high and 40 feet wide or 10½ feet high and 36 feet wide.
Posters
Posters, also called 30 sheets, are smaller than bulletins and often located in high-traffic urban areas, where pedestrians and drivers on busy roads will see them. Most posters measure 12 feet, 3 inches high and 24 feet, 6 inches wide, though occasionally you can find them at 10 feet, 5 inches high and 22 feet, 8 inches wide.
Digital Billboards
Digital billboards display rotating digital messages that an advertising company swaps in and out. Often they play six or more ads in an hour, lit up on LED screens. Sizes mimic bulletins and posters.
Three-Dimensional Billboards
Three-dimensional billboards are a newer type of advertisement that make it appear as though the board’s creative is popping out at you. Passersby become immersed in the illusion. The ads often appear at intersections in big cities or other places where they can draw maximum attention.
Wallscapes
The largest type of billboard, often referred to as spectaculars, wallscapes take up most of the side of a building. They can be as large or small as the advertiser wants, and deep-pocketed brands usually purchase them because they can be costly.
Mobile Billboards
Mobile billboards are towed behind trucks that drive around town, delivering your message to a broad target audience and increasing its circulation. The standard size of a mobile board varies based on the size of the truck.
Thinking About Running a Billboard Ad Campaign?
Ready to begin billboard advertising? Having the right targeting and billboard pricing information can help you go beyond eye-catching creative to capture the viewers you want. Get in touch with us today to discuss your out-of-home advertising options. REQUEST QUOTEAverage Costs of Billboards
Billboard advertising cost varies based on a number of factors, including:
The higher the demand for a location, the higher the CPM (cost of reaching 1,000 people) will be as it will deliver more impressions.
Duration of the buyMost buys are for four-week increments, but if you lease for longer, you may get a reduced CPM for the bigger commitment.
NegotiationsBuyers can often negotiate a lower CPM when you use an experienced agency like DASH TWO with longstanding relationships with the vendor.
SizePosters and other smaller types of outdoor advertisements cost less than bulletins, which are larger.
FormatStatic billboards cost a bit less than digital.
The cost of billboard advertising also depends on its geographic location. The bigger the city, the higher the price a billboard company will charge. You will pay the most in Tier 1 cities compared to Tier 2 and Tier 3.
| CITIES INCLUDE | Standard bulletins | WAllscapes | Prime locations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | New York City Los Angeles Chicago | $10,000 to $25,000 | $60,000 or more | (such as Sunset Strip or Times Square) $100,000 or more |
| Tier 2 | Houston Dallas San Jose | $10,000 to $20,000 | $40,000 to $60,000 | (such as downtowns): $30,000 or more |
| Tier 3 | Cleveland Memphis Detroit | $4,000 to $8,000 | $20,000 to $40,000 | (such as downtowns): $30,000 or more |
Examples of Successful Billboard Designs
We’ve run dozens of campaigns for clients across the brand spectrum, including everything from music to beauty to payment. Here are some recent examples of successful billboard campaigns.
Vegamour
Getting people to go beyond noticing your billboard to interacting with it can spark fantastic return on investment. For a campaign for Vegamour, a vegan hair growth serum, a billboard offered passersby a free serum sample when they became one of the first 100 to share a photo of the billboard on Instagram or TikTok. Vegamour shared the LA and NYC billboard locations (and a shot of one board) on its social media, too.
Lady Gaga
The hugely popular singer released the single Stupid Love right before pandemic lockdowns began in the United States. To advertise it, we used a provocative photo of a pair of bright pink lips on a billboard on Sunset Boulevard, the iconic Los Angeles location. Fans loved the board so much, they climbed up to get photos with it. (We don’t condone this … but hey, it was the pandemic, and everyone was desperate for something to do.) The social media shares of those photos were through the roof, and the single debuted in the Billboard top five.
Benny Blanco
The ongoing TikTok “feud” between music producer Benny Blanco and singer Charlie Puth escalated last year when a billboard located on the way to popular music festival Coachella appeared featuring very simple text—the name “Benny Blanco” and then a 10-digit phone number that seemed to be Blanco’s (when you called, you found out what time his set at Coachella was). The producer showed the board and ranted on TikTok about how Puth had finally gone too far by doxxing him. Was he really mad or was that just part of the marketing fun? We’ll let you decide, but know that the TikTok featuring our billboard buy racked up more than 230,000 views …
Thinking About Running a Billboard Ad Campaign?
Are you ready to begin billboard advertising? Having the right targeting and billboard pricing information can help you go beyond eye-catching creative to capture the viewers you want. Get in touch with us today to discuss your out-of-home advertising options. REQUEST QUOTEThinking About Billboard Advertising? Contact us to learn more about billboard advertising. We can help you achieve the metrics you want with a successful billboard ad campaign.
BILLBOARDS BY CITY BILLBOARD LOS ANGELES BILLBOARD CHICAGO BILLBOARD PHILADELPHIA BILLBOARD ATLANTA BILLBOARD MIAMI BILLBOARD HOUSTON BILLBOARD NASHVILLE BILLBOARD DALLAS BILLBOARD SAN DIEGO BILLBOARD LAS VEGAS BILLBOARD WILMINGTON BILLBOARD AUSTIN BILLBOARD TAMPA BILLBOARD MEMPHIS BILLBOARD DETROIT BILLBOARD SAN JOSE BILLBOARD BOSTON BILLBOARD SEATTLE BILLBOARD KANSAS CITY BILLBOARD CLEVELAND
Contact us to learn more about billboard advertising. We can help you achieve the metrics you want with a successful billboard ad campaign.
