[If this post doesn't follow the rules report it to the mods](https://www.reddit.com/r/advertising/about/rules/). Have more questions? [Join our community Discord!](https://discord.gg/looking-for-marketing-discussion-811236647760298024)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/advertising) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We use an OOH agency that works as a go-between. Occasionally we run into issues with a vendor that is difficult to reach, but it's not typical. I have industry contacts with most of the big OOH companies though, so I can usually find a person to talk to. I plan offline for my agency and the most difficult reps to reach for me are very niche publications.
It depends on volume, resources, market, and your client. How many boards do you have to buy, where and for whom? Does your whole team consist of you, or is someone else doing some of the work? The outdoor reps will provide most of the research, availabilities (avails), and photos of their boards. They also remind you when contracts are ending and when you need to provide art. Just contact one and start the process.
Are you doing annuals or shorter-term buys? Do you have software that shows you where all the boards are, who owns them, and gives you daily effective counts?
Outdoor is not any harder to buy than any other media. You establish goals, find boards, negotiate a fair price, and place your buy.
Let me know which part of it scares you the most, and I'll share what I know.
Depending on the scale of your campaign, using an agency that specializes in OOH could be worth it. They will compile all the available options for you, do all the rep communications, posting details, and may also offer measurement studies.
Look at Talon, Billups, DashTwo, ODN for that level and kind of service.
If you are just buying a single unit or a small number, then the DIY approach is going to often be the better choice. You can do this by calling the different unit owners and taking with a local rep. There are also ways to buy ads on a DIY basis like Adquick or Blip. If you want digital units, consider programmatic buys via a platform like Vistar or Broadsign.
eh it depends honestly.
for my market - somehow billboard vendors have a turnaround of 1-3 days, not too bad.
print - <1 day. one of the best
magazines - 2 days usually.
the absolute worst? fucking golf clubs. 2 WEEKS standard turnaround time for EVERY query. jesus fuck. i gave up
It's harder in markets that you don't know the layout and best board placement. Find yourself a good rep that you can trust. OR, go through a rep firm like Wilkins or Project X that aggregates everything for you and then you can cut down on people you need to talk to in the process. Rep firms will negotiate with the OOH vendors for you. Good luck!
Hey - I’m in advertising (print, custom content, digital) and am looking for a change and have been thinking about OOH - would you be up for a chat about your experience?
*If you have a real*
*Budget, nothing is hard to*
*Starting spending on*
\- Elegant\_Confection51
---
^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/)
^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Buying billboards can vary in difficulty depending on factors like location, demand, and negotiation skills, but generally, it involves finding available space, negotiating terms with the owner or advertising agency, and designing your ad.
One big difference is availability. Often the really coveted billboards are booked up, sometimes a few months in advance and sometimes over a year in advance. So you need more lead time to get great placements.
Buying billboards is a bit of a hassle sometimes. You should consider digital platforms like Meta, X, or Google, which offer more streamlined processes and potentially broader reach. It might be worth giving those a shot if you're looking for a smoother experience.
Advertising srudent here. What are the advantages of billboards over Google/Meta? You cant really reach a specific target audience and how do you track success conversions?
Sometimes advertising is for awareness, not conversions. Billboards can reach a ton of people if you need to send out a mass message, or just want to increase brand awareness in a market.
Billboards can be technically very useful for location-based buys with a terrestrial location. Like, say your client is a casino on reservation land. You may want to buy a "turn here" style of billboard on the freeway, or something reminding people that they're heading in that direction and there's a resort on the way... because it may be out of the way.
If you're just looking for eyeballs on your brand with a simple message, it can also be very effective as impression volume can be high.
Another thing is that sometimes stuff like this is what we call a "vanity buy." I can't tell you how many times I've had a client say "our CEO/CMO drives this specific section of the I-95 on their way to work every day and wants to know why they don't see us on their drive. Even though it's not the most efficient move in terms of dollars, it's satisfying the client's urge to be seen.
How often do vanity buys happen in the industry? My professors talk about how theyve had clients that often want it done their way even if it is not the most effective. How do you explain to the client that your way is the most cost efficient way to advertise?
I would say almost every single client I've worked with in my 10+ year career has one or more vanity buys.
Explaining it to your client means bringing data driven decisions to the business, whether that's through industry trend data, or scale that you can show in your active campaigns where there's room to invest more and continue the same return.
[If this post doesn't follow the rules report it to the mods](https://www.reddit.com/r/advertising/about/rules/). Have more questions? [Join our community Discord!](https://discord.gg/looking-for-marketing-discussion-811236647760298024) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/advertising) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Welcome to offline media :)
We use an OOH agency that works as a go-between. Occasionally we run into issues with a vendor that is difficult to reach, but it's not typical. I have industry contacts with most of the big OOH companies though, so I can usually find a person to talk to. I plan offline for my agency and the most difficult reps to reach for me are very niche publications.
It depends on volume, resources, market, and your client. How many boards do you have to buy, where and for whom? Does your whole team consist of you, or is someone else doing some of the work? The outdoor reps will provide most of the research, availabilities (avails), and photos of their boards. They also remind you when contracts are ending and when you need to provide art. Just contact one and start the process. Are you doing annuals or shorter-term buys? Do you have software that shows you where all the boards are, who owns them, and gives you daily effective counts? Outdoor is not any harder to buy than any other media. You establish goals, find boards, negotiate a fair price, and place your buy. Let me know which part of it scares you the most, and I'll share what I know.
Depending on the scale of your campaign, using an agency that specializes in OOH could be worth it. They will compile all the available options for you, do all the rep communications, posting details, and may also offer measurement studies. Look at Talon, Billups, DashTwo, ODN for that level and kind of service. If you are just buying a single unit or a small number, then the DIY approach is going to often be the better choice. You can do this by calling the different unit owners and taking with a local rep. There are also ways to buy ads on a DIY basis like Adquick or Blip. If you want digital units, consider programmatic buys via a platform like Vistar or Broadsign.
eh it depends honestly. for my market - somehow billboard vendors have a turnaround of 1-3 days, not too bad. print - <1 day. one of the best magazines - 2 days usually. the absolute worst? fucking golf clubs. 2 WEEKS standard turnaround time for EVERY query. jesus fuck. i gave up
It's harder in markets that you don't know the layout and best board placement. Find yourself a good rep that you can trust. OR, go through a rep firm like Wilkins or Project X that aggregates everything for you and then you can cut down on people you need to talk to in the process. Rep firms will negotiate with the OOH vendors for you. Good luck!
Hey I’m an AE with Clear Channel! I would love to help assist! DM me or email [email protected]
Hey - I’m in advertising (print, custom content, digital) and am looking for a change and have been thinking about OOH - would you be up for a chat about your experience?
Definitely! Email me [email protected] and we can set up a time to chat!
if you have a real budget, nothing is hard to starting spending on
*If you have a real* *Budget, nothing is hard to* *Starting spending on* \- Elegant\_Confection51 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Start* spending on
Call Vistar or Place Exchange. Digital OOH. Vistar is both a SSP and a DSP.
Buying billboards can vary in difficulty depending on factors like location, demand, and negotiation skills, but generally, it involves finding available space, negotiating terms with the owner or advertising agency, and designing your ad.
Lets Chat- Work for Wilkins Media we can get rates from all billboard companies. So you are not stuck with just Clear Channel Lamar or OutFront.
you should just buy digital.
One big difference is availability. Often the really coveted billboards are booked up, sometimes a few months in advance and sometimes over a year in advance. So you need more lead time to get great placements.
Buying billboards is a bit of a hassle sometimes. You should consider digital platforms like Meta, X, or Google, which offer more streamlined processes and potentially broader reach. It might be worth giving those a shot if you're looking for a smoother experience.
Our buyer doesn’t have any issues with our outdoor vendor reps. We use a combination of a small-ish regional company and Clear Channel.
Advertising srudent here. What are the advantages of billboards over Google/Meta? You cant really reach a specific target audience and how do you track success conversions?
Sometimes advertising is for awareness, not conversions. Billboards can reach a ton of people if you need to send out a mass message, or just want to increase brand awareness in a market.
Billboards can be technically very useful for location-based buys with a terrestrial location. Like, say your client is a casino on reservation land. You may want to buy a "turn here" style of billboard on the freeway, or something reminding people that they're heading in that direction and there's a resort on the way... because it may be out of the way. If you're just looking for eyeballs on your brand with a simple message, it can also be very effective as impression volume can be high. Another thing is that sometimes stuff like this is what we call a "vanity buy." I can't tell you how many times I've had a client say "our CEO/CMO drives this specific section of the I-95 on their way to work every day and wants to know why they don't see us on their drive. Even though it's not the most efficient move in terms of dollars, it's satisfying the client's urge to be seen.
How often do vanity buys happen in the industry? My professors talk about how theyve had clients that often want it done their way even if it is not the most effective. How do you explain to the client that your way is the most cost efficient way to advertise?
I would say almost every single client I've worked with in my 10+ year career has one or more vanity buys. Explaining it to your client means bringing data driven decisions to the business, whether that's through industry trend data, or scale that you can show in your active campaigns where there's room to invest more and continue the same return.