OOH channel comparison: what should you buy?

The seven channels at a glance

Every channel in this comparison, its core role, the published entry benchmark and the one thing it does better than the rest. Deeper pricing lives on each channel’s own guide and on the full 2026 pricing page.

The proper head-to-head comparison

This is the table I would use when comparing channels at planning stage. It deliberately puts AdVans alongside the established OOH channels rather than treating mobile billboards as an add-on.

What the current 2026 pricing says

The figures below are the published planning benchmarks used in the current Loud! OOH channel guides. They are not promises that every site or campaign will trade at exactly these rates. For the complete rate card, see the 2026 pricing page.

AdVans vs the other channels

This is where I would make the decision in a real campaign.

I would never start an AdVan campaign by asking where the vehicle can go. I would start by asking where the audience is. The route should follow the brief, not the other way around.

Channel profiles

What each channel actually does in a campaign - and when I would reach for it.

Billboards

Billboards are still the straightforward choice for broad awareness. The strength is consistency: the site stays where it is and the audience repeatedly passes it. They are particularly useful when a brand needs a recognisable physical landmark in a town, city or region. See the full billboard advertising guide.

Bus and bus stops

Bus advertising is strongest when repetition and geography matter. Rears give moving visibility, supersides increase physical presence, and shelters give you fixed, eye-level exposure with natural waiting time. A strong bus plan can make a brand feel like it owns a neighbourhood. See the full bus advertising guide.

Rail

Rail is a frequency channel. The strongest planning is about the stations, corridors and audiences that matter rather than simply buying the largest station available. Traincards add longer dwell inside the carriage, while digital formats introduce scheduling flexibility.

London Underground

The Underground is different from roadside OOH because passengers are often stationary or travelling long enough to absorb more information. It is particularly strong for London launches, commuter campaigns, brand credibility and repeated exposure. Lower-entry Tube car panels and outer-zone posters make it possible to build targeted campaigns without automatically going straight to flagship takeovers. See the London Underground advertising guide.

Airport

Airport advertising trades on dwell and context. The audience is concentrated in a premium environment and can spend significant time around the advertising. It makes most sense when the target audience travels or when the campaign benefits from a more premium setting. See the full airport advertising guide.

Taxi

Taxi advertising gives you two environments in one campaign: the exterior audience moving through the city and the passenger inside the vehicle. Screens and interiors are particularly useful when a campaign has a response mechanic or more detailed message. See the full taxi advertising guide.

AdVans / mobile billboards

AdVans are the most route-led option in this comparison. The Standard and Electric formats are 20sqm, while the XL is 35sqm. I would use them when there is a clear reason for the vehicle to be somewhere: agency offices, business districts, retail areas, events, transport hubs, competitor locations or a specific postcode. See the full AdVan & mobile billboard guide.

Budget thinking

The right answer changes as the budget increases. I would rather create real presence in one or two environments than spread a modest budget across seven channels and make every channel look small.

What I would avoid

• Choosing the format before defining the audience.
• Comparing only the cheapest unit price.
• Buying the biggest site, station or airport simply because it looks impressive on a media plan.
• Spreading a modest budget so thinly that no channel gets enough repetition.
• Treating an AdVan as a gimmick rather than planning the route as part of the media.
• Assuming one AdVan gives blanket city coverage.
• Using the same creative approach for a Tube panel, roadside billboard and moving vehicle.
• Ignoring production, posting, installation, operating requirements and lead times when calculating the real campaign cost.

The final answer

If you want broad, fixed visibility, start with billboards. If you want to own a neighbourhood, look at bus and bus stops. If commuters are the audience, rail is a natural fit. If the audience is in London and frequency matters, the Underground becomes very compelling. If the environment and dwell are part of the brand proposition, look at airports. If you want exterior visibility plus a captive passenger audience, taxi is worth serious consideration.

If you have a very specific audience, location, event, business district or timing requirement, I would put AdVans firmly on the shortlist. The advantage is not simply that the billboard moves. It is that the media plan can move with the audience.

That is the point of this comparison. There is no universal best OOH format. There is a best format for the job the campaign actually needs to do.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and pricing convention

This comparison is designed to sit above the individual Loud! OOH channel guides and direct readers into the deeper pricing and format pages.

At Loud! OOH we plan and buy OOH campaigns for SMEs and challenger brands across the UK. We publish our pricing openly and do not mark up media costs. See our 2026 rate card or contact hello@loudooh.co.uk / 020 4514 9147.

Loud! OOH · Updated September 2026