Billboard and Digital Billboard Formats in the U.S.
Out of Home (OOH) advertising remains a powerful medium in the United States, providing brands with high-impact visibility across both urban and suburban landscapes. Through its self-service portal, AllMediaDesk simplifies the process of booking these ads and offers a comprehensive introduction to the various billboard formats available.
Standard Billboard Formats
Classic static billboards in the U.S. follow industry-standard dimensions. The most common format is the Bulletin, typically measuring 14 feet high by 48 feet wide. These are usually placed along highways and major roadways, offering maximum visibility to drivers and commuters.
Another popular format is the Poster, which measures 10.5 feet high by 22.5 feet wide. Posters are generally located in urban areas, closer to pedestrian traffic and street-level views.
Smaller formats like Junior Posters are 5 feet high x 11 feet wide and are often seen in neighborhood settings or on smaller roads. These sizes provide flexibility and cost-efficiency, especially for local advertisers.
The Shift to Digital Billboards
While static formats still dominate in many regions, Digital Out of Home (DOOH) is rapidly shaping the future of outdoor advertising. Digital billboards are no longer limited to highways — they are now integrated into a wide variety of environments:
- Screens in subway stations
- Displays inside taxis and rideshare vehicles
- Large building facades
- Iconic mega-screens in Times Square
These digital placements vary greatly in size and shape. Unlike traditional billboards, which follow fixed dimensions, digital screens are scalable to fit their physical space.
That means a creative might appear on a small vertical panel inside a shopping mall or be scaled up for a massive horizontal screen above a stadium.
However, it's important to differentiate between landscape (horizontal) and portrait (vertical) formats. A creative made for one orientation cannot simply be scaled to fit the other without distortion. As such, advertisers typically produce multiple versions of their creative to match different screen orientations.
Creative Specifications for Digital Campaigns
To ensure smooth delivery across various digital screens, advertisers are generally required to submit their files in a standard 16:9 format — the most commonly accepted aspect ratio across the industry. This format can be scaled proportionally across most landscape screens.
Files should be delivered in high-resolution MP4 or JPEG format, depending on whether the content is animated or static. Most networks also define minimum and maximum durations for video content. A typical ad is less 10 seconds long. If the creative is a still image, it will simply remain on screen for the full duration of the allotted time slot.
This flexibility allows advertisers to tailor campaigns based on budget, target audience, and message complexity.