What is the Standard Size of a Billboard?

There are three standard sizes of billboards, each with its own unique purpose and advantages. Billboards are considered out-of-home (OOH) advertising and are stationary. Once they have been constructed, their location does not change.

What is the Standard Size of a Billboard?

What do you think of when you think of billboard advertising?

If you’re like most people, you probably picture the gigantic displays lining highway and interstates around the country.

However, there are actually many different types of billboards, all of which are different sizes.

That makes answering the question “What is the standard size of a billboard?” a little more difficult.

The reality is that the billboard sizes depend on their location.

There are three main sizes of billboards and several other forms of advertising that offer many of the same advantages as billboards with varying sizes.

Billboard sizing

When we talk about billboards, we’re referring to large outdoor advertising display signs that are typically seen on the sides of roads or buildings.

Billboards are considered out-of-home (OOH) advertising and are stationary.

Once they have been constructed, their location does not change.

There are three standard sizes of billboards, each with its own unique purpose and advantages.

Bulletins

A bulletin is the billboard you picture in your mind when you visualize what a billboard looks like.

These are the largest standard size billboards that are available, and they are predominantly found along busy roads like highways, freeways, interstates, expressways, and other primary arterial roadways.

Bulletins are 14 feet high and 48 feet wide, offering 672 square feet of advertising space.

Bulletins are so big that the audience’s eyes can’t help but look at them, especially when stuck in vehicular traffic.

They primarily target drivers, commuters, and long-distance travelers, and people often pass by them on a daily basis, taking in the same advertisements over and over again, which makes them very effective.

Bulletins can also be upgraded with three-dimensional designs, extended areas, and moving components that add visual interest.

Posters

The next size billboard down from a bulletin is a poster.

Posters are smaller than bulletins, with the standard size measuring 10 feet high by 22 feet wide, offering 220 square feet of advertising space.

Poster billboards are primarily positioned along primary and secondary arterial roadways, and they’re ideal for targeting local audiences.

Their location within the boundaries of cities and towns means that they are seen by drivers and pedestrians alike, and they are particularly effective when located in busy commercial and industrial areas.

Advertisements designed for posters are often mass-produced and suitable for an advertising blitz, posting the same ad in multiple locations.

It’s estimated that posters provide eleven times more impressions per dollar than newspapers, eight times more impressions per dollar than television ads, and four times more impressions per dollar than radio ads.

Junior Posters

The smallest type of billboard is the junior poster size. Junior posters are smaller than both bulletins and posters, with the standard size measuring 6 feet high by 12 feet wide, offering 72 square feet of advertising space.

Junior posters are primarily positioned in urban neighborhoods or on smaller roads and target a local audience.

Due to their smaller size, junior posters are often positioned just above eye level and can be found on the sides of buildings or on smaller freestanding units.

This type of billboard is best suited for use in close proximity to the business being advertised, helping to drive sales.

Junior posters can effectively reach target audiences that may be difficult to reach outside of their communities, including elderly people who do not travel long distances or ethnic groups that may be concentrated in one area.

They’re often used to promote seasonal items, advertise sales, and increase awareness of special events.

Other types of billboards

In addition to the standard size stationary billboards mentioned above, there are also three other types of billboards that demonstrate the ongoing evolution of this advertising medium.

Spectaculars

Nothing will catch your eye faster than a spectacular, as a result of both its size and the incredible technology that is used to create these advertising masterpieces.

Spectaculars incorporate technology like lighting, video, and interactive mobile technology to reach viewers.

Spectaculars come in many different shapes and sizes depending on their intended purpose and location, but they are usually at least the size of a standard bulletin, if not larger.

Digital billboards

Gone are the days of static billboards displaying the same image for month after month.

Digital billboards offer the option to display a dynamic message on a digital screen and change it as frequently as you like.

Several different advertisers can use the same digital billboard in order to help defray costs, or one advertiser can display several different messages.

Digital billboards are found in the same sizes as standard billboards, including bulletins, posters, and junior posters.

They represent a new evolution of billboard advertising that blends the benefits of traditional billboard advertising with new technology.

Wallscapes

Wallscapes are a slightly nontraditional form of billboard that is actually viewed by many people as a beautification effort in urban areas.

Wallscapes paint advertisements directly onto the sides of buildings or attach removable advertisements to exterior building surfaces.

Because they do not take up additional space beyond the existing building, wallscapes are an excellent solution for densely populated urban areas, where they can be seen by pedestrians and drivers alike.

Wallscapes are custom designed to suit the shape of the building, so they can come in many different shapes and sizes.

Benefits of billboard advertising

Although advertising is constantly changing and there are new ways coming out for brands to market their products each day, billboards remain a popular form of advertising used by large and small companies alike due to the many benefits of billboard advertising.

Lower cost

Advertising makes up a major component of the budget of most companies both large and small, so every dollar counts.

The cost of television, radio, and other ads is much higher than that of billboards, which are approximately 80 percent less expensive than television.

That makes advertising more attainable for small businesses and local retailers, as well as large companies that want to reach customers in multiple markets.

Size

As we’ve already established, billboards - especially bulletins - are massive, which makes them nearly impossible to ignore.

There are also different size options that make billboards a viable option regardless of whether you need to advertise on the side of the interstate or within an urban area.

New technology

Billboards today have proven to be an adaptable form of advertising that can change and evolve with the development of new technology.

Digital billboards and spectaculars represent exciting new ways to reach the public with dynamic, interactive content that also enjoys the benefits of traditional billboard advertising.

Maximum exposure, minimal effort

One of the best things about billboards is that your brand receives maximum exposure with minimal effort.

Once the billboard has been designed and posted, your work is done, and the billboard reaches new customers each day.

All different types of people will be reached by the billboard without worrying about targeting certain groups or trying to figure out which type of social media is best to promote your product.

Billboards are also extremely effective, with an estimated 71 percent of consumers regularly looking at billboards.

Increased audience

Speaking of minimal effort, billboards offer brands the chance to increase their audiences with very little effort.

Targeted advertising can be highly effective, but it also limits the reach of the ad to people that the brand thinks want to hear about it.

In reality, billboards increase brand awareness among all age groups, genders, and races, which could potentially increase the audience and reach customers that otherwise would never hear about the product.

Unavoidable

Billboards are unavoidable, which is one of many qualities that makes them such an excellent form of advertisement.

People look around at their surroundings as they drive and especially when stopped in traffic, and pedestrians also look ahead as they walk.

Billboards provide a captive audience that can’t change the channel or log out.

Always working

Due to the high cost associated with many types of advertisements, including tv and radio commercials, most brands are limited to the amount of money they can afford to spend to advertise their products.

This may mean that a commercial only airs once or twice per day for a few days or weeks.

Billboards are working 24 hours per day, reaching audiences and customers without any additional cost.

Location specific

Billboard advertising allows brands to choose exactly where they’d like their ad to be placed, which can be a major advantage when trying to draw in local customers or promote a special sale or event.

What better time to catch an impulse shopper than right as they are passing by your business?

Companies like AdQuick can help you locate available billboards and negotiate prices.

Increased brand awareness

Billboards aren’t great at causing a reactive action, but they make up for it by dramatically increasing brand awareness.

While you may not receive more clicks on your website right away, billboards do a great job of putting your brand at the forefront of people’s minds for the long term.

You might not need a new car today, but when you do, you’re more likely to remember the dealership from the billboard you saw every day than the television commercial you saw once.

Complete control

If you think about it, billboards are the only form of advertising where the advertising brand has complete control over the ad space.

You have 24/7 access to your audience with no interruptions or scheduling changes or conflicts, which makes billboards an extremely appealing option for advertising.