Outdoor advertising

Outdoor advertising, also known as out-of-home advertising (OOH), is a way companies share messages in public spaces where people walk, drive, or travel. This includes billboards, signs on buses, and displays in busy parts of towns and cities. It is one of the oldest ways to talk to lots of people at once.

Today, outdoor advertising includes both old-style signs and new digital screens that can change what they show. These ads use information about where people go to decide what to display. Companies work with big advertising firms such as Clear Channel Outdoor, Lamar Advertising Company, and Outfront Media to put up these messages.

The industry splits advertising into four main types: big billboards, ads on street furniture like bus stops, ads on transit systems such as trains and buses, and new kinds of creative displays. Some ads are static pictures, while others are digital screens that can show different messages quickly.

Digital

See also: Demand-side platform, Supply-side platform, and Ad exchange

Digital out-of-home advertising, often called DOOH, uses digital screens and connected displays in public places. These networks can show changing content in many spots at once, using real-time information and data about who might see it.

DOOH screens are often found in places like train stations, shopping malls, streets, airports, sports arenas, and stores. Some DOOH systems let advertisers choose exactly when and where to show their ads, using details about the audience, location, time, weather, or how people are moving.

Traditional formats

Traditional outdoor advertising uses static signs and displays in public places. This includes things like banners pulled by airplanes, large billboards along roads, and ads on buses and bus stops.

There are also digital billboards that change ads quickly, mobile billboards on vehicles, and even people carrying ads in crowds. Some scientists have looked into using tiny satellites to reflect sunlight as a way to show ads from space.

Regulations

Outdoor advertising is controlled by rules set by governments in most countries. These rules cover where ads can be placed, how big they can be, how bright they can shine, and how they fit into historic or natural areas. Some places allow lots of ads, while others have strict rules to keep the scenery nice and avoid too much clutter.

In many cities, ads help pay for things like bus stops, public information boards, and bike-sharing stations through partnerships between city governments and private companies.

United States

In the United States, rules about outdoor advertising are made at federal, state, and local levels. A law from 1965 requires most billboards along major highways to be in commercial or industrial areas. Some states, like Vermont, Hawaii, Maine, and Alaska, don’t allow most billboards. Rules also exist for digital billboards, controlling how they change and how bright they are.

Brazil

São Paulo, Brazil, passed a law in 2006 called the “Clean City Law” that removed many large billboards and signs from the city. This became a well-known example of managing public spaces.

Switzerland

Some areas in Switzerland have rules to limit outdoor ads to protect the scenery and reduce visual clutter. The town of Vernier banned certain types of outdoor ads in public spaces.

Finland

Finland controls outdoor advertising through local permits and safety laws. People there talk about how ads affect walking areas, nature, and the environment. In 2024, the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland made a decision about bright ads at the corner of Runeberginkatu and Mannerheimintie in Helsinki.