The out-of-home and advertising worlds are full of acronyms, jargon, and taxonomy that can feel like a language of their own. Whether you’re a media buyer placing your first OOH campaign, an agency planner comparing channels, or a brand marketer exploring billboard advertising for the first time, this glossary is your go-to reference.
APPROACH
The distance measured along the line of travel from the point where an advertising unit first becomes fully visible to the point where the copy is no longer readable.
BACKLIT
Printed on semi-transparent backlit vinyl, Backlits allow for light to shine through the unit creating an eye-catching visual for evening viewing.
BILLBOARD
General term for all sizes of inventory. Large format advertising displays intended for viewing from extended distances, generally more than 50 feet. Billboards include, but are not limited to, Digital Displays, Posters, Premiers, Trivisions, Backlits and Bulletins.
BULLETIN
The largest standardized Out of Home format, typically measuring 14’ x 48’ or 10’ 6 x 36’in overall size. Sold either as permanent displays or in rotary packages.
CREATIVE
The advertising displayed on an outdoor unit. The quality of the ad’s creative design can impact the number of people who notice it (see Noticing).
CROSS-READ
An advertising display which is visible across traffic lanes on the opposite side of the roadway.
DIGITAL DISPLAYS
Any Out of Home digital or L.E.D. display that can change its advertising content using dynamic technology such as real-time data, countdowns and various data feeds.
ECO-FLEX
Lightweight Vinyl material that is stretched across a poster face and held in with clips and cables. The material is not reusable, but it is recyclable and more environmentally sensitive. Eco-Flex is now the industry standard for poster creative production.
EXTENSIONS
Vinyl portions of the creative applied to plywood that extend beyond the frame of the display.
FACE
The surface area on an outdoor unit where advertising copy is displayed. A structure may have more than one face.
FACING
The cardinal direction that an outdoor unit faces. As an example, a north facing bulletin is viewed by vehicles traveling south.
ILLUMINATED UNIT
An outdoor unit equipped with lighting that provides night-time illumination of an advertising message, usually from dusk until midnight. The impressions for an illuminated unit are calculated using an 18 or 24 hour viewing period.
OOH – OUT OF HOME MEDIA
All media formats specifically intended to reach consumers outside the home. The term is primarily
associated with billboards, street furniture, transit and alternative media.
PERMANENT BULLETIN
A bulletin used in an advertising campaign, where the advertising 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.
POSTER
A standardized poster format, typically measuring 10’5” x 22’8”; formally known as a 30-Sheet Poster. Eco-Flex materials are now the standard for usage on Posters panels.
PREMIER PANEL
A standardized display format, typically measuring 12’ 3” x 24’ 6” in overall size. Premier panel units offer the impact of a bulletin by utilizing a single vinyl face stretched over a standard poster panel.
PREMIER SQUARE
A standardized display format, typically measuring 25’ 5” x 24’ 6” in overall size. The premier square utilizes a single vinyl stretched over two stacked poster panels. In some markets, this same technique can be applied to stacked junior poster panels, typically measuring 12’ 6”x 12’ 1” in over-all size.
ROTARY BULLETIN
A standard bulletin used in an advertising campaign, where the ad rotates to different locations in a market at fixed intervals, usually every 60 or 90 days, to achieve greater reach in the market.
RSS FEED
RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a content-delivery vehicle used on Digital Displays to provide dynamic content. When it distributes the content it is called a “feed.”
SIDE-BY-SIDE CREATIVE
Taking advantage of an out of home display that has two units arranged horizontally or side-by-side.
SNIPES
Self-adhesive vinyl portions that can be added to existing creative to change or update the message.
SPECTACULAR
A billboard execution that extends beyond the traditional rectangle and utilizes special embellishments, like 3-dimensional elements, lighting, or the surrounding area such as the pole and the landscape.
SPOT
A single broadcast of creative on a Digital Display for a minimum number or seconds each instance. Typically sold within a set of same duration spots with multiple advertisers.
STACKED CREATIVE
Taking creative advantage of an out of home display that has two units vertically arranged or stacked.
STATIC DISPLAY
Any traditional out of home display utilizing vinyl or Eco-Flex material for creative displays that are manually converted from design to design.
TEASE AND REVEAL CAMPAIGN
An out of home campaign with multiple stages of creative leading up to a final advertising message. The tease creative intentionally withholds detail in either visual or textual content. The reveal creative gives the detail and pay off for the advertising message.
TRAFFIC COUNT
The recording of the vehicles and pedestrians passing a given point; used by TAB to authenticate the circulation that passes outdoor advertising structures. Traffic counts are a basic component of the TAB Out of Home Ratings measurement.
TRANSIT DISPLAYS
Displays affixed to moving public transportation vehicles or in the common areas of transit terminals and stations. Transit displays include, but are not limited to, bus panels, train/rail panels, airport panels, taxi panels and mobile advertising signage.
TRI-VISION
An outdoor unit with a slatted face that allows three different copy messages to revolve at intermittent intervals.
UNIT
Any outdoor advertising display.
VINYL
Bulletin displays are produced on reusable vinyl material of various weight, typically 13 oz. or 7 oz.
WALLSCAPE
Murals painted on or vinyl creative attached directly onto the exterior surface of a building.
ALLOTMENT
The number of units required to achieve a desired GRP level in a market. Traditional poster campaigns consist of a quantity of displays that will vary by the size of the audience and the size of the market population.
AVAILS
Units/spots available during a defined time period. Applies to both static and digital inventory.
CBSA (CORE BASED STATISTICAL AREA)
Defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, a metropolitan area(s) within larger markets (e.g. DMAs) containing a substantial population nucleus, together with adjacent communities having a high degree of economic and social integration with that core. CBSA’s are a standard “geography” for buying and selling media.
CHARTING
The process of selecting and scheduling individual unit locations to maximize Out of Home advertising objectives.
COVERAGE
CUSTOM MARKET
Any market used by an out of home company or advertiser other than a DMA or CBSA. Custom markets are used by out of home companies or advertisers to highlight Out of Home delivery within relevant geographic areas. Custom markets are generally counties or groups of counties.
DAY-PARTING
Refers to a creative message that is specific to a time of day relevant to the advertising. Digital Displays offer the flexibility to change creative for day-parts.
DISPLAY PERIOD (FLIGHT)
The interval of time when an outdoor advertising campaign is run. The length of an advertising campaign, sometimes divided into distinct segments over the course of weeks.
DISTRIBUTION
The strategic placement of outdoor units across a market. The distribution of units will impact the reach of the campaign and the demographic profile of the audience that is delivered.
DMA – DESIGNATED MARKET AREA
A television market area defined by Nielsen Media Research that is also used by advertisers for multi-media planning. DMAs are non-overlapping and cover the entire United States.
MARKETS
Geographically defined areas used to buy and sell media. Standard markets definitions are DMAs and CBSAs. Out of Home media companies and advertisers also use custom geographies based on their geographic coverage of their panel or product sales distribution areas respectively.
POPULATION
The total number of people who live within a market. The population can be segmented by key demographic groups. Populations (also referred to as universe estimates) of defined geographic areas are the bases from which rating points are calculated.
SCHEDULE (ALSO SEE CAMPAIGN DELIVERY)
Time period during which out of home displays are utilized in a campaign.
AUDIENCE DELIVERY
The size of an audience that notices Out of Home advertising, usually measured over one or more weeks. Audience delivery can be represented using several definitions, including, impressions, ratings, and reach & frequency.
CAMPAIGN DELIVERY
The audience delivered by an Out of Home advertising schedule, expressed in impressions and/or gross rating points (GRPs). Reach & frequency can also be used. Campaign delivery is most valuable when expressed using the demographic target and market definition of the advertiser.
COMMERCIAL AUDIENCE
Audience estimates of people exposed to actual advertising. TAB Out of Home Ratings comprise the first media measurement system providing true commercial audiences who see advertising rather than audiences that are merely exposed to editorial content (e.g. read a magazine, read a newspaper or tuned to a TV program, etc.).
CPM – COST PER THOUSAND
CPP – COST PER GROSS RATING POINTS
The cost of advertising exposure opportunities that equals one gross rating point in any geographically-defined market or the delivery of in-market (Eyes On) impressions equal to one percent of the population (gross).
DEMOGRAPHIC AUDIENCES
Target audiences used to plan, buy and sell media. The demographic audiences available for TAB Out of Home Ratings include age, sex, ethnicity and income.
EYES ON MEDIA MEASUREMENT
The original name for what is now TAB Out of Home Ratings. Eyes On is now used to refer to the research program behind the ratings. The first and only system in the United States based on people who actually see advertising.
EXPOSURE (SEE NOTICING)
The reasonable opportunities for advertising to be seen and read.
FREQUENCY
IMPRESSIONS (AKA EYES ON IMPRESSIONS)
IN-MARKET IMPRESSIONS
JUNIOR POSTER
A standardized poster format, typically measuring 6’ x 12’; formally known as an 8 Sheet.
MALL DISPLAYS
Backlit advertising structures located at strategic points in shopping malls; usually two or three-sided.
MEDIA MIX
The combination of media types and associated audience weight levels used together to meet the objectives of a media plan (advertising campaign).
NOTICING
As derived from TAB’s visibility research, a physiological or behavioral measure of actual eye contact with an out of home media unit and its advertising. TAB Out of Home Ratings are derived from the adjustment of circulation or passing to those who notice the advertising.
OTS – OPPORTUNITY TO SEE
A basic measurement of media exposure. OTS estimates are measures of media exposure (e.g. magazine readership or the TV program exposures) and not the advertising. OTS is today’s standard for reporting ratings for all media types except Out Of Home. Circulation or DECs are OTS measures for Out of Home media.
PERCENT COMPOSITION
The percent of the total audience for a display or schedule that a brand target demographic group comprises (e.g. 65% of the total EOIs for Adults 18+ were Men 24-64).
P-O-P PROOF OF PERFORMANCE
Certification by an outdoor company that contracted advertising services have been rendered. TAB Out of Home Ratings are official measures of audience weight (audience delivery) and are essential components of POP.
RATING POINTS (ALSO GROSS OR TARGET – GRP/TRP)
REACH
TAB OUT OF HOME RATINGS
Audience rating system created by the Traffic Audit Bureau that measures impressions, reach and frequency for out of home campaigns. Formerly called Eyes On Ratings, the rating system is the first in the United States to be based on those people likely to see impressions versus simply the opportunity to see impressions.
TARGET AUDIENCE
In the TAB ratings system, any audience reflecting the most desired consumer prospects for a product or service, defined by age, sex, race, ethnicity or income; or their combinations for any geographic definition.
TO AND THROUGH AUDIENCE
A portion of the total impressions for a display that comprises people who do not live in the neighborhood, but travel past the unit. The demographic characteristics of the “to and through audience” can be significantly different from those of people who live in the surrounding neighborhood. All TAB ratings are based on “to and through audiences.”
TRAFFIC ORIGIN
A component of TAB measurement, traffic origin information is used to produce “to and through traffic” estimates that determine the amount of total impressions for a display derived from people who live outside of the market and those in the market.
VAIs – VISIBILITY ADJUSTMENT INDEX
A ratio or the percentage of a unit’s total OTS audience (DECs) who are likely to notice an ad. VAI’s are derived from TAB’s visibility study. The impact of common unit characteristics (size, road side, distance from the road, road type, and illumination) are taken into consideration. VAIs are not measures of audience.
Whether you’re building your first OOH campaign or optimizing a multi-market media plan, Adams Outdoor is here to help you navigate the terminology — and the strategy behind it. Contact our team to start the conversation.
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