Outdoor Advertising: Bus Benches vs. Billboards

When putting an advertising campaign together, it’s wise to consider all advertising options and their pros and cons. Outdoor advertising, or out-of-home (OOH), has a huge audience –in cities like Los Angeles, for instance, bus bench ads can be seen by an audience of 35,000 to 50,000 people per day. Omaha bus bench locations average 30,000+/- vehicles per day. Essentially, bus bench advertisers have an enormous audience, held captive at red lights, busy areas, or in slow-moving traffic. You could say that OOH is today’s modern influencer.

Bus benches give your campaign “fresh air” in the real world with high-impact graphics and visuals to help take your message further. Just like billboards – bus bench advertising is highly visible and targets passengers, drivers, and pedestrians. Omaha bus benches do this for a fraction of the cost of billboard advertising.

Advertising with the Omaha Bus Bench Program will deliver your message to a highly- targeted area of your choice and provide effective coverage where traditional billboards or other out-of-home advertising may be limited. Not to mention, there isn’t an ad-blocker in the world of outdoor advertising.

Their Differences

There are a handful of ways bus bench advertising differs from billboard advertising; let’s discuss a few. First, bus bench ads can go from concept to “on the street” in as few as 24 hours, rather than a lead time that can take 3 weeks or more. This gives you the power to say what you want to say when you want to say it quickly.

Second, bus benches are located at street level, making them ideal advertising mediums and easily viewable to both drivers and pedestrians. Bus benches are located at key convergence points throughout selected markets, following bus routes in urban areas and residential neighborhoods. Because of that, they are visible to thousands, sometimes millions, every month and establish a strong local presence in the community. This also gives advertisers the ability to direct customers straight to their door with effective point-of-purchase marketing near supermarkets, malls, movie theaters, tourist attractions, and more.

Third, bus bench ads can provide big, impactful coverage in specific geographic areas where traditional billboards are non-existent or restricted. Because there can be multiple bus benches in the same area where only one billboard can be visible, bus bench advertising works amazingly for businesses. The local family restaurant, bakery, pharmacy, boutique, etc., can benefit from brand recognition and more in a saturated area.

Then, geographic targeting can be used as the basis for targeting business-to-business or consumer demographics. We’re in a very mobile world and research shows that consumers are traveling farther than before, so it is wise to consider expanding your advertising to match their movement.

Consumer Engagement

Bus bench advertising amplifies other out-of-home and digital advertising media when added to any campaign. By extending the reach and frequency of ad campaigns, bus bench ads drive mobile, social, digital, and real-world consumer engagement.

Because of their location and size, they give the public ample time to read and retain what they’re advertising. 83% of OOH ad viewers report looking at the ads at least part of the time. 20% of OOH viewers report they’ve immediately visited a business after seeing an OOH ad, and 75% of those visitors made a purchase.

Bus bench advertising delivers mass reach and has a maintained audience while all other traditional channels have been beset with audience loss and fragmentation. OOH reaches 90% of US travelers in a month and 80% in a week. 66 percent of US travelers report taking an action on their smartphone after exposure to an OOH ad.

Cost Comparison

Bus bench ads are typically priced the same across all markets but vary depending on the location of the bench and length of the advertising contract. Whereas billboards can range from a few hundred dollars per month to many thousands a month, depending on their size, location, traffic volume, and length of your campaign.

In Omaha, one static billboard for 30 days can be the same cost as 23 bus benches across the Metro. Having that many touching points throughout the OOH market means more views, stronger results, and less of a dent in your budget.

Another way to compare cost-effectiveness between bus bench ads and billboards is by Cost Per (1,000) Impression – CPM. Bus bench advertising has an average CPM of $0.07, compared to the average $2.00 – $4.00 CPM of billboards, or $6.00 – $16.00 for TV ads. That’s up to 35+ times less expensive for the same (1,000) impressions. So, you can save that money or advertise at multiple locations to maximize the impact of your campaign and gain more impressions.

Things to Consider

Whatever your advertising budget, bus bench ads will give you more Return on Investment (ROI) while providing great market coverage. In our fast-paced world, bus bench advertising is easily the most cost-effective way to deliver effective outdoor advertising for pennies on the dollar. With a street-level media network of bus benches across Omaha, the Omaha Bus Bench Program is outdoor that fits your needs.


For more information on bus bench advertising in Omaha browse the Omaha Bus Bench Program website HERE, or give us a call at 402-861-0384.

Sources: AllOut Media, Blue Line Media, Gaebler, Todd West Media, Creative Outdoor - October 2016, 2stallions.com, Hauler Ads, Outfront Media 2017, Outdoor Advertising Association of America 2018, Lamar Advertising Company, Ace Sign Co., Nielsen 2019.