Industry standards define local outdoor advertising as a form of hyper-local marketing that focuses on reaching consumers within a specific radius of a business or location. This type of advertising is particularly effective for businesses with a physical storefront or location, such as retailers, restaurants, and local service providers, as it allows them to reach potential customers in their immediate area and drive foot traffic to their business.
Local Outdoor Advertising defined by officials’ sources in the Out-Of-Home industry
There are 4 official definitions of Local Outdoor Advertising (by official sources in the OA industry).
- “Local Outdoor Advertising targets consumers in a specific geographic aera such as a neighborhood, city, or Region. Local outdoor ads can be effective for reaching customers near a business location or for promoting events and activities within a community” – Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA).
- “Local Outdoor Advertising is advertising that is targeted to specific local audiences. This can include traditional outdoor advertising formats such as billboards, as well as more innovative digital and interactive displays that can be customized to target specific demographics or geographic areas” – Jean Claude Decaux.
- “Local Outdoor Advertising is referring to the use of signs and other outdoor media to communicate with consumers in a particular area. This can include traditional signages as well as digital displays and other innovative formats that can be customized to target specific audiences” – The International Sign Association (ISA).
- Local Outdoor Advertising is advertising that is targeted to a specific geographic area, such as a city or a region. This can include billboards, bus shelters, and other traditional outdoor advertising formats, as well as digital and interactive displays that can be customized to reach specific audiences” – The Outdoor Media Center (A UK-based trade association for outdoor advertising).
Local outdoor advertising v/s national outdoor advertising
Outdoor advertising is a type of advertising that takes place outside of buildings or in public spaces, such as on the side of a bus, on a billboard, or on the side of a building, on a bench or simply in the street.
National outdoor advertising refers to advertising that is displayed in multiple locations across the country, whereas local outdoor advertising refers to advertising that is displayed in a specific region, city or even in specific streets.
National Outdoor Advertising
The reach and target audience of national outdoor advertising is broader as it covers a larger geographic area, whereas local outdoor advertising has a more targeted reach as it focuses on a specific local market and population.
National outdoor advertising is generally more expensive than local outdoor advertising due to its broader reach and is often used by large national and international brands willing to sustain their brand awareness.
Outdoor advertising is also called Out Of Home Media (OOH) and is defined by the Out Of Home Advertising Association of America as
“all media formats specifically intended to reach consumers outside the home”.
Local Outdoor Advertising
Local outdoor advertising enables brands to laser focus their reach to very specific and targeted audiences, demographics and location such as by placing ads near a particular type of store or in a neighborhood with a certain income level.
Local outdoor advertising is more cost-effective and is commonly used by smaller, local businesses to advertise their products or services to the local community.
Local advertising can work both for informational communication (informing customers that 2 blocks away they can eat a great pizza for 12$) AND brand awareness as well.
Local outdoor advertising, outdoor advertising and outdoor advertising billboard?
Outdoor advertising is often assimilated into billboard advertising.
Billboards are one type of outdoor advertising, among others.
A billboard is the sign itself and the large outdoor advertising structure. Usually, large posters displayed in some highly visible locations (most of the time interstates and highways or other areas with heavy traffic or busy streets that can be viewed by anyone from their cars).
Billboards are usually rectangular in shape and are designed to be seen from a distance, with large, bold text and graphics that are easily readable by passing drivers or pedestrians.
Local outdoor advertising is part of outdoor advertising but different from billboards.
