- Bulletin
- A large-format billboard, typically 14×48 feet. The standard outdoor format for highway advertising.
- DEC (Daily Effective Circulation)
- The standard audience measurement unit for OOH. Estimated number of people passing a specific advertising face per day, adjusted for traffic patterns and viewing angles.
- Digital Billboard
- A large-format LED or LCD screen displaying rotating digital ads instead of a single static printed face. Typically rotates 6–8 advertisers per loop.
- Display Loop
- The sequence of ads cycling on a DOOH screen. A standard 8-second spot in a 64-second loop gives 1/8 share of voice.
- DOOH
- Digital Out-of-Home. Any advertising display in a public space using digital technology. Includes digital billboards, transit screens, place-based indoor screens, and retail venue screens.
- DSP (Demand-Side Platform)
- Software used by advertisers and agencies to buy programmatic advertising inventory, including DOOH, through automated auctions. Major DSPs with DOOH access include The Trade Desk and DV360.
- Dwell Time
- How long a person typically remains in proximity to a DOOH screen. Gas station pump tops: 3–5 minutes. Doctor's office waiting rooms: 18+ minutes. EV charging stations: 20–45 minutes. Dwell time is a key indicator of message absorption potential.
- FBO (Fixed Base Operator)
- Private aviation terminal. FBO DOOH screens reach private jet travelers — small total audience, very high income, minimal competing inventory.
- Geofencing
- Drawing a virtual boundary around a physical location to select nearby DOOH screens for targeting, or to capture device IDs in the area for subsequent mobile retargeting.
- Geopath
- Formerly TAB (Traffic Audit Bureau). The industry standard audience measurement body for US OOH. Provides impression counts and audience demographics for OOH inventory.
- Halo Effect
- The documented lift in performance of other advertising channels (paid search, social, display) that occurs when DOOH runs simultaneously in the same market.
- OOH
- Out-of-Home. The parent category covering both traditional static and digital outdoor advertising formats.
- pDOOH (Programmatic DOOH)
- Digital out-of-home inventory transacted through automated platforms using real-time bidding or programmatic guaranteed deals.
- Poster
- A mid-size OOH format, typically 10.5×22.8 feet. Smaller and typically lower-priced than a bulletin. Common in urban street-level locations.
- Share of Voice (SOV)
- The percentage of a display loop occupied by your ad. A 1/6 share means your creative shows once in every six spots in the rotation.
- Spectacular
- A large-format custom DOOH installation in a high-traffic, high-visibility location. Times Square is the most prominent example. Typically direct-only, not available programmatically.
- SSP (Supply-Side Platform)
- Software used by DOOH publishers to make screen inventory available for programmatic purchase by advertisers. Major SSPs include Vistar Media and Broadsign (which acquired Place Exchange).
- Transit Advertising
- OOH and DOOH placements in or adjacent to public transportation infrastructure: subway stations, bus shelters, airports, train stations, buses.
- Urban Panels
- Street-level digital screens integrated into sidewalk kiosks, newsstands, or bus shelter furniture in urban environments. High pedestrian dwell and proximity.
- Venue Type
- The category of physical environment where a DOOH screen is located: gym, gas station, bar, airport, office building, etc. The primary targeting dimension in place-based DOOH.
Related guides
Industry bodies referenced above: Geopath, OAAA, DPAA, IAB, Vistar Media, Broadsign, The Trade Desk.