Common Industry Terminology

Confused about certain terms used in Out of Home? Get yourself up to speed with our glossary of terms.

• Approach - The distance measured along the line of travel from the point where an advertising face first becomes fully visible to the point where the copy is no longer readable.
• Awareness - The recalled recognition of an Out of Home advertising message by an individual or audience. Ad awareness is influenced by creative copy and the consumer's relationship with the product or category.
• Billboard or Board - Large format advertising displays intended for viewing from extended distances, generally more than 50 feet. Clear Channel Outdoor's billboard inventory includes Bulletins, Posters, Junior Posters, Premiere Panels®, Premiere Squares® and Wallscapes.
• Bleed - Printed material that extends beyond the edge of a panel frame.
• Bulletin - A standardized Out of Home format commonly measuring 14' x 48' in overall size. Typically sold in rotary packages or as permanent displays. Bulletin copy can be rendered using hand painting techniques, computer production or printing on paper.
• Charting a Program - The process of selecting individual locations to achieve a particular Out of Home advertising objective(s) (ie. GRP level, optimum CPP/CPM, saturated market coverage, etc.).
• Code of Industry Principles - A set of voluntary principles, prescribed by the OAAA, that pledges a commitment by its members to operate in the public interest.
• Continuity - The elimination of gaps in a media schedule by maximizing the duration of a campaign, ideally 52-weeks.
• CO-OP - The sharing of advertising costs between a manufacturer and distributor or dealer.
• Copy - The advertising displayed on an outdoor unit. The quality of the ad's creative design can impact the number of people who notice it.
• Copy Area - The viewing area on an Out of Home face.
• Coverage - The boundaries of a market. The term also refers to the percentage of a county or counties exposed to Out of Home advertising.
• Cross-Read - An advertising display which is visible across traffic lanes on the opposite side of the roadway.
• Digital Billboard - An off-premise sign capable of displaying words, symbols, figures or images that can be electronically or mechanically changed by remote or automatic means.
• Display Period - The interval of exposure when an Out of Home advertising campaign is viewed.
• 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.
• Eco-Poster or Eco-Flex Vinyl - Environmentally friendly, recyclable substrates made from 100% polyethylene (PE) material that attach as a single sheet to a poster or bulletin structure.
• Embellishment - Letters, figures, mechanical devices or lighting that is attached to an Out of Home face to create special effects.
• Extension - The addition of copy outside the restraints of a Bulletin or Premiere Panel® face. Sometimes referred to as cut-outs.
• Face - The surface area on an Out of Home unit where advertising copy is displayed. A unit may have more than one face.
• Facing - The cardinal direction that an Out of Home unit faces. As an example, a north facing Bulletin would be viewed by vehicles traveling south.
• Flagging - A tear that causes production to hang loose from an Out of Home face, typically due to natural elements (i.e. excessive wind or rain).
• Flight - The length of an advertising campaign, sometimes divided into distinct segments over the course of weeks.
• Foster and Kleiser - Founded in 1901, Foster and Kleiser Advertising Company established most of the standards used by the modern Out of Home industry. In 1995, the original Foster and Kleiser operation became Eller Media Company until 2001 when the company again changed it's name to Clear Channel Outdoor.
• Highway Beautification Act of 1965 - Federal legislation sometimes referred to as the Lady Bird Johnson Act. The act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson and mandates state controls regarding Out of Home media on interstate highways.
• Illuminated Face - An outdoor unit equipped with lighting that provides nighttime illumination of an advertising message, usually from dusk until midnight. The Out of Home ratings for an illuminated unit are calculated using an 18 or 24-hour viewing period.
• Junior Poster - A standardized Out of Home poster format measuring 6' x 12' in overall size with a distinctive frame around the ad face. Previously referred to as an 8-Sheet Poster.
• Line of Sight - Area in which an Out of Home face is viewed. Commonly used to refer to other units in the same viewing space or proximity to landmarks that pose restrictions on allowable Out of Home copy such as schools, churches, etc.
• Location List - A listing of all locations included in a specific Out of Home program.
• Market Ride - The physical inspection of the faces that comprise an Out of Home program in a market.
• Media Mix - The combination of media types and associated audience weight levels used together to meet the objectives of a media plan (or advertising campaign).
• Mobile Billboard - A truck that is equipped with one or more poster panel faces. The trucks can either be parked at specified venues or driven around designated localities.
• OAAA (Outdoor Advertising Association of America) - A national trade association representing Out of Home companies, suppliers and affiliates.
• OBIE Award - An annual award that recognizes creative excellence in Out of Home. The OBIE Award program is administered by the OAAA.
• Off-Premise Sign - A sign that advertises products or services that are not sold, produced, manufactured or furnished on the property where the sign is located. An Out of Home advertising face is an off-premise sign.
• On-Premise Sign - A sign that advertises products or services that are sold, produced, manufactured or furnished on the property where the sign is located.
• Out of Home (OOH) - All advertising signage found outside the home including Bulletins, Posters, Transit Shelters, Street Furniture, digital, mall signage, in-store signage, etc.
• Override - The continuation of an Out of Home advertising program beyond a contracted period. An override, if offered by an Out of Home company, is provided at no additional cost to an advertiser.
• PE (Polyethylene) - Recyclable substrate that is lightweight, durable and commonly used for the environmentally friendly production of Bulletins and Posters.
• Permanent Bulletin - A bulletin that 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.
• Plant - A term used to identify a media company and its entire outdoor advertising inventory in a market.
• Poster - An standard Out of Home format distinguished by its size and frame around the production/copy. A Poster (previously referred to as a 30-Sheet) typically measures 12' x 25' and Junior Poster (previously referred to as an 8-Sheet) measures 6' x 12'.
• Posting Date - The date when an Out of Home program is scheduled to commence. A 5-day leeway is customary. Clear Channel Outdoor posting dates are every Monday, except holidays.
• Posting Instructions - Detailed marketing objectives provided to an Out of Home company by an advertiser or agency. The information is used to chart a showing with the greatest efficiency in reaching a desired target audience.
• Premiere Panel® - A standardized display format measuring 12' wide x 25' high which utilizes a single-sheet vinyl face stretched over a standard Poster panel frame allowing for long-term impact similar to a Bulletin. An innovation developed by Clear Channel Outdoor.
• Premiere Square® - A standardized display format measuring 25' wide x 25' high, utilizing a single sheet vinyl face stretched over two stacked Poster panels. In some markets, this same technique can be applied to stacked Junior Poster panels measuring 12' wide x 12' high. An innovation developed by Clear Channel Outdoor.
• Proof of Performance - Certification by an Out of Home company that contracted advertising services have been rendered.
• Propinquity - Nearness in time and space to a purchase decision.
• Recency Theory - The idea that advertising messages sell to those consumers who are ready to buy.
• Rotary Bulletin - A standardized 14' x 48' Bulletin that is moved to different locations in a market at fixed intervals, usually every 60 or 90 days. A rotary Bulletin program can provide balanced reach in a market.
• Shipping Instructions - Information provided to printers for shipping billboard production to Out of Home companies for posting. Shipping instructions should include a description of the design(s), full snipe text (if applicable), the number of faces shipped, and the contact with full address of each location where the materials are being shipped.
• Sign - A structure used to display information regarding a product or service. An Out of Home face is a sign.
• Snipe - An adhesive strip that is used to change a portion of copy displayed on an Out of Home face.
• Spectacular - An Out of Home display that is usually larger than 14' x 48' and is positioned at prime locations in a market. A spectacular often utilizes special embellishments.
• Spotted Map - A map indicating all locations included in a specific Out of Home program. Also referred to as a location map.
• Standardized Face - Out of Home faces constructed in accordance with the specifications established by the OAAA.
• Street Furniture - Advertising displays, many that provide a public amenity, positioned at close proximity to pedestrians and shoppers for eye level viewing or at curbside to influence vehicular traffic. Clear Channel Outdoor's street furniture displays include Transit Shelters and Newsracks.
• Street Side (or Line) - The side of a highway or street on which an Out of Home face is positioned.
• Transit - Advertising displays affixed to moving vehicles or in the common areas of transit stations. Clear Channel Outdoor's transit opportunities include bus displays, rail displays, and mobile truck displays.
• Transit Shelter - Advertising displays affixed to a curbside structure located at regular stopping points along a market's bus routes. The ad displays are framed glass showcases that are typically backlit and measure approximately 69" high x 48" wide.
• Trivision - An Out of Home unit with a slatted face that allows three different copy messages to revolve at intermittent intervals. Sometimes referred to as a post-turn.
• Ubiquity - Omnipresent. Everywhere at the same time.
• Un-illuminated Face - An Out of Home unit that has not been equipped with lighting for nighttime illumination of an advertising message. The Out of Home ratings for an un-illuminated unit is calculated using a 12-hour viewing period.
• Vinyl - A single-sheet substrate on which an advertising message is rendered by either computer production or hand painting. Vinyl is primarily used on the face of Bulletins and premiere products.
• Wallscape™ - Murals painted or attached directly onto the exterior surface of a building.