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Advertising on Billboards In Philadelphia, PA

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the city

About Philadelphia

The second-largest city on the East Coast, Philadelphia is known for its passionate sports fans, delicious cheesesteaks and the history that defines the city, from the Liberty Bell to the so-called Rocky steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It’s gained renewed national attention with recent World Series and Super Bowl runs by the Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles, plus cultural relevance with ABC smash “Abbott Elementary” set at a Philly elementary school.

Are you interested in placing billboard advertising in the City of Brotherly Love? Our guide covers everything you need to know, from available billboard space throughout the city to pricing to where to reach the right target audience.

the Landscape

Data for Billboard Advertisers in Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia’s population of 1.576 million lags only New York City on the East Coast, and it’s the biggest city in Pennsylvania. Philly is a working-class town. Just a third of residents have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher, and median household income lags the national average by almost a third. Many people work in industries related to tourism, which is a major driver of the local economy — some 36 million people visit Philly each year.

There are 500 Philadelphia billboards, which is about four times as many as the second-biggest city in Pennsylvania and 10 times as many as in nearby Washington, D.C.

Here’s a complete demographic rundown on the Philadelphia DMA.

Philadelhia, PAPopulation: 1.576 million

Woman Population

53%

Men Population

47%

Black 44
White 33
Hispanic 15
Asian 8

Veterans

54,412

Foreign-born residents:

14.3%

Persons per household:

2.4

Percent who speak a non-English language at home:

23.7%

High school graduates

86.6%

Hold at least a bachelor’s degree:

32.5%

Median household income:

$52,649

Billboards:

500
Types of Billboards Available

Philadelphia has four main types of billboard ads, including several digital options.

Bulletins

Bulletins are the most common type of billboard in Philadelphia, the ones you see on the Schuylkill Expressway when you roll toward the city. They’re big enough to draw notice but small enough to put a bunch on the highway.

Dimensions:

Bulletins measure 48 feet wide x 14 feet tall.

Posters

Posters are a smaller, less-common form of advertising, though you will find more of them downtown, where zoning restricts the size of billboards in certain areas (and forbids them in others). Clear Channel Outdoor is the exclusive provider of posters in the city.

Dimensions +

Most posters measure 24 feet, 6 inches wide x 12 feet, 3 inches tall. Sometimes, you’ll see posters that measure 22 feet, 8 inches wide x 10 feet, 5 inches tall.

Digital Billboards

Digital billboards are less common in Philly, but there are some. The best-known digital boards are relatively new, located close to Reading Terminal and the Philadelphia Convention Center, known as East Market Digital Domination. They’re a story off the ground and include a curved LED display.

Dimensions +

Digital bulletins measure 48 feet wide x 14 feet tall.
Digital posters measure 24 feet, 6 inches wide x 12 feet, 3 inches tall.

Wallscapes

Wallscapes are gigantic outdoor advertising spaces painted on or affixed to the side of a building. They have no standard size because each one is different; the sizing depends on the building and where the creative goes. Buy time for wallscapes is generally longer than the standard four weeks for other forms of outdoor billboard advertising since it’s such a process to put up the creative.

places to advertise

Best Places in Philadelphia to Advertise on a Billboard

More than half of those who live in the Philadelphia area have at least a 20-minute commute, according to Clear Channel Outdoor, which means a lot of dwell time in the car to see billboard inventory along highways and secondary roads. Those are some of the best places in the city for billboard advertising, gaining major exposure on weekday mornings and evenings.

Philly has fairly strict billboard rules. Since the early ‘90s, the city has been engaged in an off-and-on legal effort to rezone certain areas and reduce the number of billboards in high-traffic areas. It long banned boards of any type on the major bridges and gateway approaches to Center City or the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. There was a huge controversy a decade ago when the Franklin Institute tried to install a digital billboard.

That said, here are some of the best places where you can get billboards:

I-95 near Citizens Bank Park and Wells Fargo Center:

Three of Philly’s four major sports teams play here, drawing thousands of people each week. Top categories for advertising include sports, beer, real estate and tourism.

I-476:

Commuters and tourists hop off the Philadelphia Turnpike onto I-476, and the traffic pileups they create mean quite a bit of time sitting in front of billboards. The most frequent advertisers are sports, mobile, entertainment and some local businesses.

Route 1 near Roosevelt Mall:

Located in Northeast Philadelphia, Roosevelt Mall has more than three dozen stores and draws crowds every day of the week. The area is best for advertisers selling sports, entertainment and restaurants.

I-676 through Center City:

People coming into the city and heading to tourist attractions pass along this highway, one of the most high-traffic areas in Philly. Popular billboard categories include sports, arts, mobile and telecom.

Fishtown:

Known as one of Philly’s younger, hipper areas, it features row homes and many local independent businesses. Big billboard categories include casinos, entertainment and restaurants.

Fairmount Park:

The popular family area near the Philadelphia Zoo has several high-profile locations. Top categories include tourism, entertainment and sports.

prices

Cost of a Billboard in Philadelphia

Billboards in Philly are quite a bit cheaper than other top-five DMAs. Billboards in Center City are more expensive than on the outskirts of the city.

The Cheapest Billboards in Philadelphia

Vector 2

Posters: $1,500 to $2,000

Vector 1

Digital posters: $2,000 to $2,500

The Most Expensive Billboards in Philadelphia

Vector 1

Wallscapes: $18,000 or more

Vector 1

Bulletins: $10,000 to $15,000 downtown; $5,000 to $7,000 elsewhere

Vector 2

Digital bulletins:$12,000 or more downtown; $6,000 elsewhere

Philadelphia

Philadelphia Creative Examples

Contact

Thinking About Advertising in Philadelphia?

We can help you reach the people you desire in Philadelphia and even outside the city, up to Allentown or over to Camden, N.J. Contact us today to learn more about your options.

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