Common Terms used in Out-of-Home Advertising

Defining out-of-home advertising terms

ALTERNATIVE MEDIA
Outdoor formats that do not fall into the categories of: billboards, street furniture or transit. Most alternative media is used to create customized solutions for advertisers.

APPROACH
The distance measured along the line of travel from the point where the advertising structure, typically used to refer to billboards, first becomes visible to the point where copy is no longer readable (having passed out of sight).

ARTERIES OR ARTERIALS
The major streets of a city or town.

AVAILABILITY OR AVAILS
Avails in Out-of-Home media are the same as other media. It is the space available for sale at a given time.

BACK LIGHTED UNITS “BACKLIT”
Advertising structures which house illumination in a box to throw light through translucent advertising printed on plastic or heavy-duty paper for higher visibility, especially at night.

BILLBOARD
Large format advertising displays intended for viewing from extended distances. Billboard displays include, but not limited to: eco posters, 8-sheet posters, vinyl-wrapped posters, bulletins, wall murals and stadium/arena signage. How much does a billboard cost?

BILL POSTER
The plant operator employee who places the advertising paper on the advertising structure.

BLEED
Poster copy that extends to the edge of a poster panel frame on all sides.

BLIMP
Lighter-than-air ships ranging to hundreds of feet in length which specially constructed advertising displays; scheduled to fly over sporting and other events for massive exposure. Smaller blimps re used for promotional purposes to points-of-sale, civic events, etc.

BOARDS
Common term for posters and bulletins.

BULLETIN
A standardized outdoor format commonly measuring 14′ x 48′ in overall size. Sold either as permanent displays or in rotary packages. How much does a billboard cost?

CIRCULATION
Traffic volume in a market.

COPY
Artwork displayed on an outdoor unit.

COPY AREA
The complete advertising message displayed on an advertising structure (including words and Illustrations).

COST PER THOUSAND ” CPM “
The cost of reaching one thousand potential viewers of an Out of-Home panel. The formula for calculation: the monthly cost divided by the circulation in thousands.

COVERAGE
Coverage may refer to a) the defined parameters of a market or b) that percentage of a market population that has potential exposure (reasonable opportunity to see the advertising), or “reach”, of the panels purchased.

CROSS-READER
An advertising display which is visible across traffic lanes on the opposite side of the roadway.

CUT-OUTS; EXTENSIONS; EMBELLISHMENTS
Add-ons to the structure (usually bulletins) that extend beyond the standard structure area to command greater attention to the message. Can include letters, packages, 3-D elements, fiber optics, etc.

DAILY EFFECTIVE CIRCULATION “DEC”
Average number of persons potentially exposed to an advertising display for either 12 hours (un-illuminated – 6:00 am to 6:00 pm) or 18 hours (illuminated 6:00 am to 12:00 midnight).

DAILY IMPRESSIONS
Also called DEC (Daily Effective Circulation). The estimated number of persons passing an outdoor location on an average day.

DISPLAY PERIOD
Days of exposure during which the individual advertising message is on display. Posters and transit (shelters, buses, etc.) are normally contracted for monthly periods; rotating bulletins display the same copy t the advertiser’s discretion; permanent bulletin display period varies according to contract.

DMA “DESIGNATED MARKET AREA”
A rigidly defined geographical area used by A.C. Nielsen to identify TV stations that best reach an area and attract the most viewers. A DMA consists of all ZIP Codes whose largest viewing share is given to stations of that same market area. Non-overlapping DMA’s cover all of the continental United States, Hawaii and parts of Alaska.

EMBELLISHMENT
Letters, figures, mechanical devices or lighting that is attached to the face of an outdoor unit to create special effects.

END PANEL
The advertising structure which is closest to the approaching line of traffic when more than one structure is built-in the same facing.

EYES ON IMPRESSIONS
New measurement system to replace DEC figures. As of December 31, 2011 Eyes On Impressions will be the only audited measurement system available for bulletins and posters. To learn more about Eyes On, visit our page dedicated to explaining the new EOI measurement system.

EXTENSIONS
The area of design made as a cutout that extends beyond the basic rectangular space of an advertising structure.

FACE
The surface of an Out-of-Home structure on which the advertising message is displayed. One billboard structure may have more than one face.

FACING “DIRECTION”
Specifies the direction the panel may be seen to the traffic flow; e.g., a south-facing panel can be seen only by north-bound traffic and vice versa.

FLAGGING
A tear in paper used on the advertising structure, causing the paper o hang loose and “flag.”

FLEXIBLE FACE
Single-sheet vinyl used in computer painting.

FLIGHT
The length of an advertising campaign, sometimes divided into distinct segments over the course of weeks.

FREQUENCY
The average number of times an individual has the opportunity to an advertising message during defined period of time. Frequency (and reach) in Out-of-Home media normally measured over a 30 day or four-week period.

GRP’s “GROSS RATING POINTS”
GRP’s are used in other media and represent a rating point system with duplicated circulation over a period of time. GRP’s for Out-of-Home media refer to daily circulation because there is duplicate circulation within the first day. One ting point represents a circulation equal to 1 % of the market population. GRP’s are no longer used to calculate impressions in outdoor. The switch from GRP’s to weekly impressions occurred late 2011. For more information, please visit our page on outdoor ratings.

HEAD-ON
An advertising structure built so that all traffic approaches are perpendicular (head-on) to the face of the structure.

ILLUMINATED
Advertising displays with electrical or solar equipment installed for illumination of the message at night, or in early morning darkness.

IMPRESSION
Impression is a term used by all media to quantify the number of people who have an opportunity to see an ad in a given period of time.

INSIDE PANEL
All panels erected in a group at one location that face the same direction, are classified as inside panels, except for the one closest to the traffic.

LOCATION CODES
Letters used to designate the location of an advertising display on a street.
Standard abbreviations used are: E/S-East Side, W/S-West Side, N/S-North Side, S/S-South Side

LOCATION LIST
List describing the location of all panels in a showing or proposal.

LOCATION MAP
A map of the market with dots indicating the location of the displays for a specific showing or campaign.

MARKET
The defined area wherein a plant operates; can also refer to coverage (percentage of population potential exposed to the advertising). Out-of-Home media can also be sold in sub markets (portions of larger metro areas).

OUTDOOR ADVERTISING
The term refers to many forms of media that carry advertising messages to consumer audiences outside the home. Outdoor products are divided among three primary categories, billboards, street furniture and transit.

OVERRIDE
The continuation of an outdoor advertising program beyond a contracted period. An override, if offered by an outdoor company, is provided at no additional cost to an advertiser.

PERMANENT BULLETIN
A bulletin that remains permanently located at a specified site throughout the term of a contract, usually for long periods. A permanent bulletin program can build strong brand recognition in specific market areas.

POSTING DATE
The date on which Posters in a campaign are scheduled for display. Most plants have several posting dates to coincide with special advertising promotions.

POSTING INSTRUCTIONS
Detailed marketing objectives provided to an outdoor company by an advertiser or agency. The information is used to chart a showing with the greatest efficiency in reaching a desired target audience.

POSTING LEEWAY
The outdoor company is allowed a grace period of five working days before and after a scheduled posting date. This allows the company to complete posting a showing without penalty in the event of a delay caused by weather or unforeseen circumstances.

PREMIERE PANEL
A standardized display format typically measuring 12′ 3″ x 24′ 6″in overall size. Premiere panel units offer the impact of a bulletin by utilizing a single sheet vinyl face stretched over a standard 30-sheet poster panel.

PROOF-OF-PERFORMANCE
Certification by an outdoor company that contracted advertising services have been rendered.

REPOSTING CHARGE
An additional charge incurred for posting a change of design before expiration of a display period.

ROTARY UNIT
The movement of an advertiser’s message from one location to another at stated intervals to achieve greater reach in the market.

SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS
An itemized list of shipping information for use by printers to ship sheets to plant operators.

SHOWING
The total number of panels in a buy. The common advertising weights are #100, #75, #50 and #25 RP/Showings which relate directly to the population of the market. Showing size does not indicate the actual number of panels involved.

SNIPE
An adhesive strip that is used to change a portion of copy displayed on an outdoor unit. Also refers to a small additional strip along poster design to announce special or revised messages.

SPOTTED MAP (Location Map)
Map of a market with dots (spots) showing the placement of panels for a general or specific buy. Some are now computer-generated. (Check out how we can customize your spotted maps using our in-house media planning software.)

STACKED PANELS
Advertising panels with the facings built one above the other. Also called decked panels.

SURFACE ARTERIES
The major streets of a city or town, easily accessible; usually have restricted parking.

THIRTY SHEET POSTER ” 30-SHEET POSTER “
A standardized Poster display structure commonly 12’3″ x 24’6″ in overall size with a copy area of approximately 10’6″ x 22’8″. (30-Sheet posters have been largely transitioned to eco-posters.)

TRAFFIC COUNT
Traffic count refers to the number of vehicles passing a given point. Official machine counts are regularly conducted by city, county and state governments, or hand counts may be performed. Factors are then applied to these raw numbers to convert them to daily effective circulation (DEC) for the location. (As of December 31, 2011 DEC figures will no longer be audited and updated. To learn more about the switch to Eyes On Impressions, visit our EOI page.)

TRI-VISION
An advertising display (usually bulletin size) where, through the se of triangular louver design, copy for three different advertisers can be displayed in pre-determined sequence of the moving panels.

WALLSCAPE
Murals painted or attached directly onto the exterior surface of a building.