Billboard facts & stats

Question 1

In the word 'billboard', what did 'bill' originally refer to?

Accepted Answer

A printed notice or poster. A bill was a printed public notice, and billboards were boards where bills were posted.

Question 2

Most modern digital billboards create their images using what?

Accepted Answer

LEDs (light-emitting diodes). Digital billboards use grids of LEDs that can change messages electronically.

Question 3

The Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles was first built in 1923 with which longer wording?

Accepted Answer

Hollywoodland. It advertised a housing development called Hollywoodland; the last four letters were removed in 1949.

Question 4

Which US state banned billboards by a law passed in 1968?

Accepted Answer

Vermont. Vermont's 1968 law banned billboards, and the last ones came down in the 1970s.

Question 5

In advertising, what does the abbreviation OOH stand for?

Accepted Answer

Out-Of-Home. Out-of-home advertising reaches people outside their homes, through billboards, transit ads and street signs.

Question 6

Which large Brazilian city banned most outdoor billboards under its 2006 Clean City Law?

Accepted Answer

São Paulo. São Paulo's Clean City Law removed thousands of billboards and oversized shop signs.

Question 7

Which French artist is often called the father of the modern color poster?

Accepted Answer

Jules Chéret. Jules Chéret's bright, large posters in late 1800s Paris set the style for modern advertising posters.

The basics