The Different Types of Billboard Advertising in Australia

Supersite Billboards

As the standard for most out-of-home campaigns, supersite billboards are commonly found along major arterial roads and highways, capturing views from thousands of daily commuters. Supersite billboards are 12m x 3m in size and are impossible to miss - designed to deliver high-impact messaging.

Landmark Billboards

Landmark billboards are even larger than their supersite counterparts at 18m x 5m. As per its namesake, landmark billboards are positioned at premium locations such as landmark buildings within the CBD for maximum visibility.

Poster Billboards

Poster billboards are a smaller variation of roadside billboards, commonly sized at 6m x 3m, 4m x 3m or 2m x 3m. Poster billboards are a cost-effective option for small to medium businesses who want to reach local audiences. Poster billboards are positioned in concentrated pockets of foot and road traffic, such as connecting arterials, secondary roads, and suburban commercial areas. 

Billboard Extensions

An extension is an additional feature that makes a billboard stand out visually with a 3D appearance. A billboard extension allows the design of the artwork to pop out of the frame, creating an eye-catching visual. By breaking out of the standard billboard frame, extension designs are more likely to be viewed by commuters and remain top of mind.

There is generally a maximum extension height or width of 1.2m outside the billboard frame, and extensions may not be available at all sites.

Reflective Billboards

A reflective billboard uses an overlay that reflects light from oncoming traffic, helping it standout at night when visibility is poor. The whole artwork is usually created in reflective material - fast food billboards like those for KFC and McDonalds are the prime example. Custom reflective material can also be applied to parts of the billboard such as a contact number or brand logo.

Lightboxes

Lightboxes feature semi-transparent canvas artwork that is illuminated from within the billboard case, making them visible 24/7. Lightboxes are used in high foot traffic areas such as airports, train stations, and shopping districts.

Roadside/Junction Billboards

Digital billboards positioned along roadside and major traffic junctions within commercial areas offer the high-impact visibility around the clock - digital displays are always on, maximising views from commuters during on and off-peak periods.

The major difference for digital roadside billboards is that ads are shown in a rotation -- usually between 6 to 60 seconds for each display, with majority having 10 slots. One slot being 10% share of time. This is unlike traditional billboards where only your brand will be shown throughout the booked period. There is still the option to book multiple slots for a digital billboard to increase display times, or share of time, but at an added cost. 

Commercial Area Billboards

In commercial environments such as airports, train stations and shopping areas, digital billboards make the biggest impact. Digital billboards can show animations and motion graphics to engage with audiences in these areas.

Included among these billboards are the Collect and Connect digital billboards at airports’ luggage collection, and the Metro Executive billboards positioned along high-traffic walkways.

These billboards are designed to drive immediate results with calls to action, such as QR codes, short URLs and instant deals. 

Curved Screen Billboards

There are also digital billboards with curved screens - the Fish Tank billboard, a one of its kind billboard at Hamilton Island Airport has a unique display that prominently features animated visuals to attract the attention of travellers.