Outdoor advertising, also called out of home advertising or OOH, is advertising displayed in public spaces outside private homes, using formats designed to reach people as they move through cities, transportation systems, commercial districts and other shared public areas. It is one of the oldest forms of mass communication, and the industry commonly divides it into four categories: billboards and other large format displays, street furniture advertising such as bus shelters, transit advertising placed on or inside vehicles and transit systems, and alternative or experiential formats, which include techniques such as aerial and mobile advertising. Modern outdoor advertising combines traditional static physical displays with digitally connected advertising networks, and the industry distinguishes conventional static advertising from digital out of home advertising, known as DOOH, which uses digital screens, changeable content and programmatic, data driven media buying to place and update advertisements.
Facts
Origin Year1867 marks the earliest known billboard rentals per the source consulted; outdoor advertising itself is far older, with flyposting practiced in Europe from the late 15th century and lithography enabling mass poster production from 1796. No place is recorded for the 1867 milestone, recorded as an open question. OriginOutdoor advertising is one of the oldest forms of mass communication; flyposting was practiced in Europe from the late 15th century, and 1867 marks the earliest known billboard rentals in the sources consulted. 1 Primary FormatOutdoor advertising spans billboards and large format displays, street furniture advertising, transit advertising, and alternative and experiential media. 1 Typical DistributionOutdoor advertising is displayed in public spaces outside private homes, in formats designed to reach people as they move through cities, transportation systems, commercial districts and shared public areas. 1 Open Questions
Place of OriginNot documented in the sources consulted
Wikipedia Billboard article dates the earliest known billboard rentals to 1867 but names no city, state or country for the milestone. The surrounding timeline entries are American (Jared Bell 1835 circus posters; lithography introduced in Bavaria in 1796), which is suggestive but not itself an attestation of where the 1867 rentals took place. A companion open question records this gap. Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationBillboard, History section, 1867 entry
1867: Earliest known billboard rentals
Out-of-home advertising, categories section
Billboards and large-format displays, Street furniture advertising, Transit advertising, Alternative and experiential media.
View the Source Outdoor advertising (Wikipedia)
Out-of-home advertising, lead section
Outdoor advertising is one of the oldest forms of mass communication
Out-of-home advertising, lead section, placement
advertising displayed in public spaces and environments outside private homes. It includes communication formats designed to reach people while they are moving through cities, transportation systems, commercial districts, and shared public areas.
View the SourceOpen Questions (1 open question)
Where did the 1867 earliest known billboard rentals take place?
The Wikipedia Billboard article dates the earliest known billboard rentals to 1867 but names no city or country for that milestone.
What would resolve this An advertising history source naming the place of the 1867 billboard rentals.
Billboard (Wikipedia)
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