Types of Outdoor Advertising (Explained Simply)

Outdoor advertising is everywhere — go for a walk in any city and you’ll see. Digital ad screens, static posters… bus wraps, subway ads, billboards. It feels like endless possibility! But sometimes so many options are overwhelming… so let me break them down into smaller pieces and help you understand what they look like — and where they fit.

You’ve got three main categories in outdoor advertising: street-level media, venue-based advertising, and transit advertising. Each serves different purposes and reaches people in different ways.

Static vs Digital: The Foundation of Everything

Before I get into specific formats, you need to understand the two basic types of outdoor advertising. Static advertising is your traditional printed billboard or poster. Once it's up, it stays the same for weeks or months. Think of that Coca-Cola billboard you pass every day on your commute — same image, same message, every single time.

Digital out-of-home, or DOOH, uses LED screens and digital displays. They’re great because they can change throughout the day — a coffee shop might run breakfast ads at 7 AM, lunch specials at noon, and happy hour promotions at 5 PM. The same screen can rotate between multiple advertisers every 10 to 15 seconds.

Static billboards cost less upfront and work great for long-term brand building. You might pay 1,000 to 5,000 dollars per month for a static billboard in smaller markets… or up to 50,000 dollars in premium urban locations like Times Square. Digital billboards cost more — sometimes 10,000 to 35,000 dollars monthly — but they give you flexibility to change your message and target different audiences throughout the day.

Street-Level, Venue-Based, and Transit

Street-level advertising is what you see while walking or driving around. Stuff like billboards along highways, bus shelter ads, bench advertising, and those digital screens at gas stations. Ads like these catch people during daily routines and commutes.

Venue-based advertising lives inside specific locations. Airport advertising, mall displays, movie theater lobbies, and grocery store screens all fall into this category. The audience here is more captive — they're stuck waiting for flights, shopping, or standing in line.