Build a 90 day out of home advertising plan that reaches sign-off

What to take away

• Decide first whether the 90 days is a test, a launch or a seasonal push, because that choice drives site selection and how you judge success.
• Work backwards from the live date: creative approval and site booking take longer than buyers expect.
• Phase the budget rather than spending it evenly; frequency builds, so the middle weeks do more of the work.
• Agree the measurement method before booking, so the review compares like with like.

Set the objective before you pick a format

The first decision is what the 90 days has to prove. A test needs reach against a defined audience. A launch needs presence near the points where people decide. A seasonal push needs timing tied to demand.

Write the objective as one sentence with a number in it. For example, a team paying £400 a month for a small digital panel might aim for a measurable lift in branded search in the same postcode district.

If you are choosing between reach, frequency and proximity, the out of home advertising strategy and planning guide sets out how each objective changes the sites you shortlist.

Map the ninety days into four blocks

Treat the quarter as four working blocks rather than one long campaign.

1. Weeks 1 to 2: confirm objective, budget ceiling and the postcodes or travel corridors in scope. Check whether any site needs planning consent or a landlord agreement.
2. Weeks 3 to 4: shortlist sites, request availability and rates, and check the audience data behind each location. Build a first cost model with a 10 per cent contingency.
3. Weeks 5 to 6: produce creative in the sizes the shortlist demands and route it through approval. This is the block most often squeezed.
4. Weeks 7 to 13: go live, monitor weekly, and hold a review in the final fortnight against the measure you agreed at the start.

Keep the blocks in one document so finance sign-off and the media booking refer to the same dates.

Check the rules that apply to the creative

Out of home copy is advertising copy, so the same standards apply as anywhere else. Claims about performance, comparisons and testimonials must be evidence-based and capable of substantiation. The rules on claims, endorsements and testimonials from the Advertising Standards Authority set out what that means, and they are worth reading before creative sign-off rather than after.

Two checks catch most problems. Can the claim be read in the time a passing viewer has? Is there a file that proves it? If either answer is no, change the copy.

Phase the budget instead of spreading it flat

A flat weekly spend ignores how out of home works. Frequency builds, so the middle weeks usually do more of the work than the first.

A workable shape for a 13 week campaign is roughly 20 per cent in the first three weeks, 50 per cent across the middle seven, and 30 per cent in the final three. For example, a team with a £30,000 illustrative budget might hold back enough to add a second panel in weeks five to ten.

Build the cost model before you commit. The out of home advertising planning template gives you a structure for site costs, production and contingency in one place.

Decide how the campaign will be judged

Choose the measure before the first panel goes live. Options include site traffic, branded search volume, code redemptions or a short prompted recall study.

If the campaign collects personal data, for example through a QR code that captures an email address, the collection and any follow-up messaging sit inside data protection law. The Information Commissioner's Office publishes a step-by-step guide to direct marketing for your small business covering consent, records and opt-outs.

Where the plan touches shared industry standards, such as viewability definitions or common reporting formats, joining a working group shows how others handle the same questions. IAB UK publishes a guide to its communities and what they offer if you want to take part.

Common questions

How long before launch should creative be ready?

Aim to have final artwork approved at least two weeks before the live date. Production, printing and any landlord sign-off absorb that window quickly.

Can a 90 day plan work on a small budget?

Yes, if you narrow the geography rather than the duration. One well-placed site held for the full quarter often outperforms several sites held briefly, because frequency needs time to build.

What should the final review cover?

Compare the agreed measure against the result, note which sites carried the campaign, and record what you would change. That record makes the next quarter faster to plan.