Think your billboard needs only a week to make a splash? Think again; the right timeframe for any ad campaign can make the difference between an inactionable glance or an unforgettable experience.

What’s the Best Length for a Billboard Advertising Campaign?

Before diving into how long your ads should run, you need to figure out what types of advertisements are best suited to your needs.

Traditional and digital billboard formats come with their own abilities and perks, which means hitting the sweet spot for the perfect campaign duration will vary depending on a given format.

Here’s a little bit about the main billboard formats so you can decide the perfect medium for your advertising campaign.

Billboard Background Information

Types of OOH Billboards

• Traditional Out-of-Home (OOH):
  • Physical
  • Static and unchanging
  • Establishes a single but powerful presence
• Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH):
  • Exists on digital screens
  • Dynamic and able to display different messages
  • Encourages subconscious perception

Choosing the right billboard ad format largely depends on the goals of your campaign. If you want to establish an attention-commanding message that is attempting to establish a brand or business in a specific area, static OOH will serve to fulfill that expectation.

If you want your message to release subtle and underlying awareness to potential customers, such as near traffic lights and busy roadways, then DOOH will be the perfect medium for you.

The size of your billboard will also result in varied reach as bigger billboards will reach larger audiences and stand out in their environments, while posters and junior bulletins are great at directing traffic to a nearby local company.

Now that you have some background information on choosing the advertising medium for you, you’re ready to decide on the perfect timeframe for your campaign.

Timeframe & Duration

You may be wondering if four weeks, or about a month, is long enough for a billboard campaign. This duration is frequently considered by new billboard buyers, and the short answer is not really.

In order to maximize visibility and engagement while leaving a lasting impression on a given audience or area, a longer timeframe is needed. This is why we consider the perfect duration to be a minimum of 12 weeks.

Running a billboard campaign at the four-week length is effective for limited events and promotional endeavors that are typically short-lived. For the rest of the billboard buyers, 12 weeks will allow dominance in an area and allow the opportunity for viewers to truly soak up a message.

This timeframe ensures repeated exposure to individuals on their daily commutes and travels, allowing a billboard message to instill long-term awareness and deep recall and recognition. 

Cutting costs and opting for a shorter timeframe will have you missing out on the profitable marketing foundation that 12 weeks provides.

Reserve Your Billboard

You’re ready. Get out there and secure your next rockstar billboard ad campaign. Ensure you are allowing passersby and viewers ample time to gaze upon your billboard, and you’ll be sure to instill your message and capture the deliverables you seek.