CTV vs Billboards for Law Firms

Billboard: 6 words, 2-second glance, unmeasurable. CTV: 30 seconds, 94% completion, verified attribution. Billboards = location only. CTV = strategic growth.

Billboards and CTV both build awareness. But they work very differently. Understanding the trade-offs helps you allocate budget effectively.

The Fundamental Difference

Option A

Option B

Reach Comparison

Billboards

  • Reach: Everyone driving past
  • Targeting: Geographic only (this road, this intersection)
  • Frequency: Depends on driving patterns
  • Control: None. You get everyone or no one

A well-placed billboard might get 50,000+ daily impressions. But how many are potential PI clients? How many are even from your service area?

CTV

  • Reach: 90% of U.S. households via streaming
  • Targeting: Geographic + demographic + behavioral
  • Frequency: Controlled per household
  • Control: Full. Reach exactly who you define

CTV reaches 1,000 targeted households more efficiently than billboards reach 100,000 random passersby.

Targeting Comparison

Billboard Targeting

What you can target:

  • Physical location (this highway, this intersection)
  • General demographics of traffic (commuter routes vs. downtown)

What you can’t target:

  • Specific behaviors
  • Income levels
  • Age ranges
  • People who actually need lawyers

CTV Targeting

What you can target:

  • Specific zip codes
  • Behavioral signals (auto loans, motorcycle owners)
  • Demographic filters
  • Intent signals (legal research behavior)
  • Your first-party data (client lookalikes)

See Why Demographic Targeting Wastes Budget.

Message Comparison

Option A

Option B

You can communicate a brand impression with a billboard. CTV delivers your full message with emotional impact.

Measurement Comparison

Billboard Measurement

What you can measure:

  • Estimated impressions (traffic counts)
  • Location visibility studies

What you can’t measure:

  • Who actually saw your billboard
  • Whether it drove action
  • Website visits from billboard exposure
  • Calls attributed to billboard
  • ROI with any confidence

Billboards are essentially unmeasurable at the response level.

CTV Measurement

What you can measure:

  • Exact impressions delivered
  • Household-level exposure
  • Verified website visits
  • Attributed conversions
  • Cost per lead and cost per case

CTV accounted for 38% of impressions but 63% of attributable conversions. Measurement that proves ROI.

Cost Comparison

Billboard Costs

MarketMonthly Cost
Small market$1,500-3,500
Mid market$3,000-8,000
Major market$5,000-15,000+
Premium locations$10,000-30,000+

Plus production: $500-2,000 for design/printing.

Cost per impression: Extremely low (fractions of a cent) Cost per qualified impression: Unknown (unmeasurable)

CTV Costs

MarketMonthly Budget
Small market$15,000-25,000
Mid market$30,000-50,000
Major market$50,000-80,000
Top market$75,000-150,000+

Plus production: $15,000-40,000 for initial creative.

Cost per impression: $0.035-0.050 (CPM) Cost per qualified impression: Measurable (targeted audience)

CTV’s higher absolute cost comes with targeting and measurement that billboards lack.

Strategic Uses

When Billboards Make Sense

  • Specific location relevance: Near hospitals, crash sites, major intersections
  • Pure brand building: When measurement isn’t required
  • Budget constraints: Can’t afford minimum viable CTV
  • Supplement: Adding to existing TV/CTV presence
  • Iconic placement: “Own” a famous location

When CTV Makes Sense

  • Growth objectives: Need to build market presence with measurement
  • Targeting needed: Want to reach specific household types
  • Accountability required: Must prove ROI to partners
  • Competitive markets: Need differentiation beyond location
  • Full-funnel approach: Integrating awareness with search capture

The Attention Factor

ATTENTION COMPARISON
1-2 sec billboard glance time
15-30 sec CTV engagement time
56% CTV attention rate Source: Decentriq
94% CTV completion rate

Option A

Option B

The depth of attention is incomparable.

Integration Considerations

Billboard + CTV

Billboards can reinforce CTV messaging:

  • Same visual identity
  • Same tagline
  • Location presence + household reach
  • Brand consistency across touchpoints

Billboard Without CTV

Billboards alone provide:

  • Location-based awareness
  • Brand presence in physical space
  • Unquantifiable impact
  • Limited targeting

CTV Without Billboard

CTV alone provides:

  • Targeted household reach
  • Measurable attribution
  • Full messaging delivery
  • Optimization capability

Most firms prioritize CTV over billboards given measurement advantages.

The Verdict

For most PI firms with growth objectives and accountability requirements, CTV outperforms billboards:

FactorCTVBillboard
Targeting✓✓✓✗
Measurement✓✓✓✗
Message depth✓✓✓✗
Attention quality✓✓✓✗
Location specificity✗✓✓✓
Budget flexibility✓✓✓
ROI provability✓✓✓✗

Billboards are a supplemental tactic for specific location objectives. CTV is a strategic growth driver.

For complete channel comparison, see Best Marketing Channels for PI Firms.

References