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Walk down any city street and you’ll see dozens of advertisements for all sorts of products and services. Outdoor advertising, or out-of-home (OOH) advertising, describes all types of advertising that people see when they are outside their own homes. This means it doesn’t simply cover advertising that’s open to the elements — it includes advertisements in undercover shopping centers, for instance, or on subways.
Costs vary significantly depending on the type of advertising. Keep in mind that prices are normally given for the cost of the advertising space alone: as with print advertising, you’ll be expected to supply your own images and copy.
Signage Advertising
Here’s one form of outdoors advertising you may not have considered: creating attractive signage for your company. You may or may not need to pay to have this sited near your company building(s).
You’ll need to pay for the signage materials, of course, which will vary depending upon what you require.
For instance:
Flat Cut Metal Letters
These are commonly used for signs and create a professional look. Flat cut metal letters (see this page on Nonstop Signs) are cut out from a strong metal sheet so that they are raised by up to one inch from the wall or sign that they are placed upon.
The cost obviously depends on how many letters you want and how large you’d like them to be, but you can expect a cost of at least $10 for a 10” tall letter.
Rigid Plastic Signs
These allow a wide range of design possibilities and can use color effectively to stand out and attract the attention of passers-by. They are completely flat and can be single- or double-sided.
Again, the cost will vary a great deal depending on the size of the sign you want: a small sign might cost as little as $20.
Billboard Advertising
As Kiah Treece explains, the cost of a billboard “depends on format, circulation, demographics, and impressions. Traditional billboards cost average $250/month in rural areas to $1,500 – $4,000 in small to mid-size cities, and $14,000 or more in larger markets.”
You’ll need to create the graphics and text for the billboard yourself (normally you supply these to the company providing the billboard, and the printing is included in the cost). If you don’t already have a designer on staff, this could mean significant extra costs for the design of the billboard.
Street Furniture Advertising
As well as billboards, advertisements can be placed on all sorts of street furniture — such as bus shelters and telephone booths. This type of advertising can be very cost effective for local businesses.
Rates can vary widely, from $150 – $500 for smaller markets (per ad, per 4 week period) to up to $6,500 for high traffic, high-income areas.
Bus, Train, and Subway Advertising
Many buses carry “wrap” advertisements promoting movies, restaurants, beers, and much more. Advertising on a bus exterior is priced in a similar way to street furniture advertising, ranging from $150 for small traditional ad sizes to $6,500 for large or complex ads.
You can also advertise in bus interiors (which might be as cheap as $20 per ad per four week period), on subway platforms, and in train stations and interiors. Again, prices will vary a lot depending on what you need.
Even if you think outdoor advertising is outside your price range, you might well find that well-targeted local opportunities are surprisingly affordable.
Read next: What You Need to Know About Online Advertising in 2019.
