Large formats: billboards, rooftops and building walls
A billboard is a big panel along a main road. Drivers and passengers see it, but they read it for a few seconds at most. The layout has to carry one idea: a recognisable logo, a short line, strong contrast. Addresses, long service lists and small print simply do not work at that distance.
Billboards suit brand awareness, mass-market products and the opening of a new location, when you want the city to notice you have arrived. Rooftop structures and firewall murals on the end walls of buildings are visible from far away and build image. They are also the most demanding formats: they need a serious budget, approvals and lead time.
City formats and bus stops
These structures sit at pedestrian eye level and are often lit at night. People wait for transport or walk past, so the contact lasts longer and the layout can include an offer, an address or a QR code.
For a neighbourhood business such as a clinic, a café, a training centre or a shop next to residential blocks, this format is often more useful than a huge panel on a highway, because it reaches people who actually live and walk nearby.
The shop sign: the most underrated format
A sign on the facade is the first ad your point of sale shows. It answers two questions: what is here, and how do I get in. Common mistakes are too much text, a decorative font that cannot be read from the road, and a sign that is visible from only one side of the foot traffic.
Try a simple test: walk past and say in a couple of seconds what the company does. Check the lighting after dark. For many small companies a good sign delivers more than any other type of outdoor advertising.
Transport, metro, screens and indoor
The remaining formats differ mainly in where they meet the audience:
- Branded buses and taxis: coverage along routes, moving through different districts.
- Metro and in-vehicle ads: passengers stay close for a long time, so the message can carry more detail.
- Digital screens in streets and malls: several advertisers in rotation, video, quick creative changes and scheduling by time of day.
- Indoor ads in shopping centres, business centres, lifts and fitness clubs: you choose the audience by place, such as mall visitors, office staff or residents of one building.
- Wayfinding signs inside malls: useful for shops inside, since visitors are already in a buying mood.
How to choose a format for your goal
Start with one question: where does your customer move, and where do they make the decision? The answer picks the format, not the other way round.
- City-wide awareness: billboards and transport.
- Foot traffic to a nearby location: shop sign, city formats, indoor close to the place of purchase.
- Image building: large formats in landmark locations.
- Flexible campaigns and testing ideas: digital screens.
Combining formats and checking that they work
Large campaigns rarely rely on one format: a billboard creates reach, while a city format or indoor ad reminds people closer to the point of purchase. A small business follows the same logic on a smaller scale: a good sign plus one or two formats within walking distance of the location.
Outdoor advertising is hard to measure directly, so plan tracking in advance: a separate phone number, a promo code, a QR code with its own link, or a simple question from staff, "How did you hear about us?". Think about what happens after the panel, too. People remember the name and then look for you on Instagram, Telegram or Google. If there is little to see there, or no quick way to message you and pay through Click or Payme, part of the interest is lost.
The price is built from the location, size, placement period, layout production, installation and approvals. Exact amounts depend on the specific site, so compare offers on equal terms.
Where to start
Before you rent a panel, define the goal, the audience and the budget, and decide whether outdoor ads are needed alongside Meta Ads or Google Ads. At markdev we help build that kind of marketing strategy and work out which channels fit your business and in what mix. If you want to talk through your own task, get in touch and we will go through it together.
FAQ
What are the main types of outdoor advertising?
The main ones are billboards, city formats and bus stop panels, rooftop structures and firewalls, shop signs, advertising on transport and in the metro, digital screens, and indoor ads in malls, lifts and fitness clubs.
Which outdoor advertising suits a small business?
Usually a clear shop sign plus small formats near the location, such as city formats, bus stops and nearby indoor placements. They reach people who can realistically walk in.
How is a billboard different from a city format?
A billboard is aimed at drivers and is read in seconds, so the layout must be very short. A city format sits at pedestrian level, is seen for longer and can hold more information.
How can I tell if outdoor advertising brought customers?
Use a separate phone number, promo code or QR code with its own link, and ask customers how they found you. It will not give an exact figure, but you will see the trend in enquiries.
Let’s look at your task for free
Leave your contact — in a 15-minute call we’ll show where leads get lost and what to fix first.