Outdoor Advertising: Which Format to Choose and How to Evaluate the Effectiveness

Types of outdoor advertising

Let's take a look at what constitutes outdoor advertising and what tasks its various formats solve.

• Billboard. A classic example of outdoor advertising, ranging in size from 3×6 to 5×15 meters (supersites) and visible from afar. They are used both to promote mass-market products and to run image campaigns

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• Banner. For example, placed on building facades. This format becomes part of the urban landscape and creates a strong branding effect. Well-known brands often choose large banners for major marketing campaigns.

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• Citylight. Vertical light panels installed at bus stops, in underpasses, and along central streets. Thanks to backlighting, citylights are visible at any time of day.

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• A-frame. Portable, folding structures placed at the entrances of stores, cafés, or salons. They are mobile, cost-effective, and quickly inform visitors about the establishment or its product range.

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• Lightbox. Illuminated boxes installed on streets and inside shopping centers. They are effective for increasing brand awareness, informing about events, or guiding visitors. As with citylights, their backlighting makes them visible in the evening and at night.

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• Transit advertising. Placed on public transport (buses, trolleybuses, and minibuses). This format is unique because the advertising literally "moves" throughout the city, reaching different areas and audiences.

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• Digital OOH (Out of Home). Digital screens and video panels are capable of showing videos and animations, quickly changing messages, and demonstrating different stories at different times of day. This is convenient for dynamic campaigns: one message can be shown in one location in the morning and another in the evening.

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Strengths and weaknesses of outdoor advertising

Businesses that may benefit from outdoor advertising

Major brands

International and large national companies use outdoor advertising to emphasize their status and establish brand presence. Such campaigns rarely exist in isolation: billboards, banners, and digital screens often complement a comprehensive marketing strategy, working in conjunction with other channels.

Fast-moving consumer goods

These include food, beverages, household chemicals, cosmetics, and other products that are purchased regularly. For such companies, brand recognition and the stimulation of quick purchases are crucial. Outdoor advertising near stores and supermarkets can be particularly effective: in this case, the message influences the decision to buy right then and there.

Retail

Clothing and electronics chains, pharmacies, and hypermarkets use outdoor media to attract customers to specific retail locations. For example, citylights and advertising at bus stops near shopping centers serve as signposts for pedestrians.

Catering

Restaurants, coffee shops, and fast food establishments also use outdoor advertising as navigational aids. For example, billboards with directional messages like "300 meters to delicious coffee" can encourage impulsive decisions.

Developers and real estate companies

Outdoor advertising helps promote residential complexes and commercial properties. Advertising at a construction site or in the city center builds trust and creates a sense of a large and reliable project.

Event business

Festivals, exhibitions, live shows, and sporting events can also be promoted through outdoor advertising. Billboards and banners provide brief information about the event and include URLs, phone numbers, and other methods for finding out more and purchasing tickets.

Local business

Barbershops, service outlets, and other small businesses benefit from outdoor advertising just as much as large corporations. Here, banners, A-frames, and lightboxes are particularly effective due to their attractiveness and relatively low cost.

What influences the results of an advertising campaign

• Location. Choosing the right location is one of the key factors for success. Both the traffic volume and its quality are equally important. Geoanalytics comes in handy here to analyze people's movements around the city and compare routes with advertising placements. This helps determine the actual reach and relevance of the target audience.
  
  
• Format and size of the structure. The choice depends on the business goals and budget. If you want to reach the widest possible audience, large formats (billboards, huge banners) are suitable, while for targeted customer acquisition, you can use A-frames or lightboxes.
  
  
• Creativity and design. The message should be as concise as possible. Minimal yet catchy text, large, legible fonts, expressive images, a clear message, and ease of understanding even from a distance are essential.
  
  
• Duration of placement. Audience exposure to the message should be regular, so advertising placements should be planned for long periods of time. The minimum campaign duration is typically 2-4 weeks, but for image-related purposes it may last up to several months.
  
  
• Season and external factors. Effectiveness also depends on the time of year. For example, in summer, people walk more and are more likely to notice outdoor advertising. Visibility also depends on weather conditions, road repairs, and street closures.

How to evaluate the effectiveness of outdoor advertising

• Traffic and sales growth. The most visible way to measure effectiveness is to compare metrics before and after launching the campaign. This method works especially well for local businesses: you can quickly notice changes in traffic when a new lightbox or billboard appears nearby. However, if multiple communication channels are used simultaneously, assessing the effectiveness of an outdoor source can be difficult.
  
  
• Surveys and research. A classic assessment method. A few days or weeks after the campaign launch, surveys are conducted with questions such as "Which billboards did you notice on your way to work?" or "Which brands do you think of in connection with outdoor advertising?". This method shows how well the advertising is retained in the audience's mind.
  
  
• Unique promo codes. Using special promo codes that are not found anywhere else allows you to accurately track the audience's response to a specific message. For example, a billboard may display a discount code, and the number of activations can be used to assess the impact of outdoor advertising on sales.
  
  
• Call tracking. A dedicated phone number is allocated for each advertising medium or campaign. All calls are recorded in the analytics system, providing accurate data on the number of inquiries through a specific source. This method is particularly suitable for service and real estate companies, where the client's first contact often occurs over the phone.
  
  
• QR codes. A modern way to connect the offline and online methods. By scanning a QR code, a person is redirected to a website, app, or directly to a promotional page. Detailed statistics can be collected: how many times the code was scanned, at what time, and in which areas of the city.

In practice, several methods are often combined. For example, promotional codes on billboards, call tracking, and surveys are used in a single campaign. This approach reduces errors and provides a more accurate overall picture.

Conclusion