Glossary A–ZLetter P
Poster advertising
Poster advertising is the traditional form of out-of-home advertising, in which printed posters are displayed on fixed advertising sites in public spaces.
Typical formats are large billboards, city light posters and advertising columns. Posters are booked for a fixed period and remain up throughout.
Digital screens in public spaces have grown out of poster advertising in many respects: many formats, locations and terms come from there, and advertisers often book both together. The difference lies in rotation: a poster shows one creative all the time, while a screen shows several creatives in turn and can change by time of day. An example: a furniture store books large billboards on arterial roads and adds digital sites at the station that show different creatives in the morning and evening.
Anyone showing poster creatives digitally should adapt them to the aspect ratio and the screen; motion is possible but often restricted near roads. The design rules still apply: one idea, large type, strong contrast. The rules on advertising structures and on content, such as advertising bans for certain products, apply to posters and screens alike.