OOHGuide

Types of Billboards and Out-of-Home Advertising: 14 Formats Compared

Updated 2026-10-16

"Billboard" covers a lot more than the big sign on the highway. Out-of-home (OOH) advertising, meaning any ad people see outside their homes, comes in more than a dozen formats, each with different costs, audiences and strengths. US out-of-home revenue hit a record $9.46 billion in 2025, and 36.3% of it came from digital formats (OAAA).

Here are the main types, compared side by side, with links to a deeper guide on each.

All OOH formats compared

Format Typical size Typical cost Reach and attention Best for
Bulletin (static) 14' x 48' $1,500 to $5,000 per 4 weeks in most cities; $4,000 to $15,000+ in major metros Highest reach; seconds at highway speed Broad awareness, directions
Digital billboard Varies, often 14' x 48' $770 to $20,000 a month High reach; 6 to 8 second rotations Changing messages, lower entry cost
Poster About 10'5" x 22'8" $300 to $4,000 per 4 weeks Main roads, closer and slower traffic Local reach on main streets
Junior poster 6' x 12' $150 to $2,500 per 4 weeks Neighborhood streets, near eye level Hyperlocal businesses
Spectacular Custom $50,000 to $300,000+ per 4 weeks in Times Square Landmark locations, huge audiences National brands, buzz
Wallscape Custom, side of a building $25,000 to $150,000 per 4 weeks in Los Angeles Dense downtowns, long viewing Launches, urban brand presence
Mobile billboard Truck-mounted panels About $175 an hour or $7,500 a week Goes where your audience is Events, short bursts
Bus exterior King 144" x 30" to full wraps $150 to $950 per panel per 4 weeks; wraps $1,200 to $12,500+ Moves across a whole city Citywide frequency
Transit interior and stations Cards, posters, screens From about $5 a card per month in small systems Riders, long dwell time Commuters
Bus shelter About 4' x 6' panels $600 to $900 per 4 weeks; $3,000 to $6,500 for prime or digital 9,000 to 17,000 impressions a day Street-level, pedestrians
Bus bench Bench back panel $150 to $300 per bench per month Close-up, at intersections Low-cost local presence
Airport Displays, screens, banners From $250 a month regionally; $5,000 to $100,000+ at hubs Long dwell, affluent travelers Travelers, B2B, tourism
Place-based screens Indoor screens Usually CPM or network packages Smaller audiences, minutes of attention Specific audiences in specific moments
Wild posting Repeated posters $3,500 to $13,500 for a single-city campaign Street-culture visibility Launches, events, young urban audiences

Costs and impressions vary widely by market and location. Figures come from the sources in each format's guide, linked below. For a quick estimate, use the billboard cost calculator.

Roadside billboards

1. Bulletins

The classic large highway billboard, 14 feet by 48 feet, printed on vinyl. Bulletins deliver the most impressions per unit: Blue Line Media lists a Los Angeles bulletin at about 1.2 million impressions over 4 weeks (Blue Line Media). Limitation: drivers get only a few seconds, so about seven words. More in how much a billboard costs and billboard sizes.

2. Digital billboards

LED screens that rotate several advertisers, usually every 6 to 8 seconds. You share the screen, which lowers the entry price, and you can change your message without printing. Limitation: your ad isn't up 100% of the time. More in digital billboard costs and what is DOOH?

3. Posters

Mid-size boards, about 10'5" by 22'8", along main roads where traffic is slower and closer. A Los Angeles poster delivers about 465,000 impressions over 4 weeks. Limitation: less reach than a highway bulletin.

4. Junior posters

Small 6' x 12' boards on neighborhood streets, close to eye level. Some of the cheapest boards available. Limitation: local reach only.

5. Spectaculars

Custom, oversized displays in landmark places like Times Square and the Las Vegas Strip, often with lighting, motion or 3D elements. A 15-second spot on a standard Times Square screen runs about $50,000 per 4 weeks. Limitation: cost. More in Times Square billboard costs.

6. Wallscapes

Ads printed or painted on the sides of buildings, mostly in dense downtowns. In Los Angeles, Blue Line Media lists wallscapes at $25,000 to $150,000 per 4 weeks, with about 1.37 million impressions. Limitation: custom specs and production. More in wallscape advertising.

7. Mobile billboards

Trucks carrying static or digital panels that drive a route or park at events. One provider publishes about $175 an hour, $7,500 a week or $24,000 a month for a full-time digital truck. Limitation: expensive for long campaigns, and banned in some places, including Hawaii. More in mobile billboard costs.

Transit

8. Bus exteriors

Panels on the sides and backs of buses, or full wraps. In large markets, king-size panels run about $600 to $950 per 4 weeks and full wraps $3,500 to $12,500. Smaller transit systems publish much lower rates. Limitation: routes often can't be guaranteed. More in bus advertising costs.

9. Transit interiors and stations

Cards and screens inside buses and trains, plus station posters and domination packages. Riders see them for the whole trip. Limitation: limited to transit riders. More in transit advertising.

Street furniture

10. Bus shelters

Backlit or digital panels at bus stops, seen up close by drivers, pedestrians and riders. Blue Line Media estimates 9,000 to 17,000 impressions per shelter per day. Limitation: locations follow transit routes and city contracts.

11. Bus benches

Ads on bench backs at intersections, usually $150 to $300 per bench per month. The cheapest way to get your name on the street. Limitation: you need several to cover an area. More in bus bench advertising.

Venues and place-based

12. Airports

Terminal digital networks, baggage claim screens, banners and spectaculars, reaching travelers with long wait times. Regional airports can start around $250 a month; major hubs run $5,000 to $100,000+ per 4 weeks. More in airport advertising costs.

13. Place-based screens, including EV charging stations

Screens inside or at specific venues: gas pumps, grocery and retail centers, malls, gyms, office elevators, bars and EV charging stations. They reach fewer people per screen but up close and for minutes at a time. Gas station audiences, for example, spend 3 to 5 minutes at the pump. EV charging networks such as JOLT Charge put large screens at retail centers and other places people already visit, reaching shoppers and drivers while they charge. Disclosure: OOHGuide's founder works at JOLT Charge. More in billboards vs street furniture vs place-based.

14. Wild posting

Repeated posters pasted on walls and construction barriers, popular for music, film, fashion and launches. Single-city campaigns typically cost $3,500 to $13,500. Limitation: short life, and unpermitted postings can be illegal. More in wild posting.

OOH vs DOOH

OOH (out-of-home) covers every format above. DOOH (digital out-of-home) is the subset that uses screens: digital billboards, digital transit and shelters, airport networks and place-based screens. Digital lets several advertisers share a screen, change messages by time of day and buy programmatically. It was 36.3% of US OOH revenue in 2025 and growing. See what is DOOH?

Which type should you choose?

Your goal Best types
Reach a whole metro fast Bulletins, digital billboards
Drive traffic to a store Bulletins near the exit, posters, junior posters, benches nearby
Saturate a neighborhood Junior posters, benches, bus shelters
Reach commuters across a city Bus exteriors, transit interiors
Reach shoppers near the point of purchase Place-based screens at retail and EV charging stations
Reach travelers and business decision makers Airports
Make a big splash for a launch Wallscapes, spectaculars, mobile billboards, wild posting
Start on a small budget Benches, junior posters, a small digital rotation
Advertise where billboards are banned Transit, airports, place-based and EV charging screens. See states that ban billboards

Most strong campaigns combine two or three types: one for reach, one for frequency near the point of sale. See how to plan an OOH campaign.

Frequently asked questions

What are the different types of billboards?

The main types are bulletins (14' x 48' highway boards), digital billboards, posters, junior posters, spectaculars, wallscapes and mobile billboards. Out-of-home advertising also includes transit, bus shelters, benches, airports, place-based screens and wild posting.

What is the most common type of billboard?

The bulletin, a 14' x 48' static board along highways and major roads. In the OOHGuide directory, 374 of 529 operators sell static bulletins.

What is the cheapest type of outdoor advertising?

Bus benches, at about $150 to $300 per bench per month, plus junior posters and small-market billboards starting around $150 to $250 per 4 weeks.

What is the difference between OOH and DOOH?

OOH is all advertising seen outside the home. DOOH is the digital part: screens that rotate advertisers and can change content remotely.

Get quotes for any format

Browse operators by city and state, filter the company directory by format, or request quotes and choose the format you want.

Sources

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