Shop window poster advertising and how it works
Shop window poster advertising is the paid display of printed posters in the windows and counters of independent shops, cafes, pubs and community venues. iDO, the biggest print distribution network in the UK, places posters across 150,000 print points from 20 local distribution centres, and photographs each one as proof of display.
Sugandan Balaji
What is shop window poster advertising?
Shop window poster advertising is a print media service that places your poster in the windows, counters and noticeboards of independent businesses across a defined area. iDO (Info Display OOH Ltd) sells it by the number of sites covered and the number of display cycles, not by the number of posters printed.
The working format is usually A4 (210 x 297mm) or A3 (297 x 420mm) on 170gsm or heavier stock, because a window poster has to stay flat and readable in daylight for several weeks. A2 (420 x 594mm) sheets suit community noticeboards and the corridors of pubs and gyms rather than a small shop window.
Which businesses accept posters in their windows?
Independent, owner-run businesses accept posters. National chains almost never do, because display decisions sit with a head office rather than the manager on the floor. Across its 150,000 print points, iDO places posters with the venues that decide locally and gain something by having news for their own customers.
- Newsagents, corner shops and post offices
- Cafes, bakeries, delis and takeaways
- Pubs, bars and social clubs
- Barbershops, salons and gyms
- Libraries, community centres and places of worship
- Tourist information centres, farm shops and garden centres
How are relationships with poster stockists built and kept?
Relationships with poster stockists are built by the same local person calling in, in person, on a repeating cycle. iDO runs 60+ distribution centres across the UK and each team covers its own area, so the person asking a shop to take a poster this month is the person who asked last month and will call again next month.
That continuity is the asset. iDO has been placing print since 1997 and holds display permission at 150,000 print points, the biggest print distribution network in the UK, because those venues are visited rather than cold called. Posters are replenished on each visit too, so a torn or sun-bleached sheet is replaced instead of being left up for the rest of the campaign.
How do you prove a shop window poster was actually displayed?
You prove a shop window poster was displayed with a timestamped, geo located photograph of that poster in that window. iDO has invested more than £250,000 in a reporting system that GPS tracks the distribution team, photographs proof of display, and publishes both to a live dashboard with geo located maps.
Ask for photographs at site level rather than a sample. A poster campaign covering a town should produce a photograph per site per cycle, which lets you see coverage on a map, check the sites that matter most to you, and challenge a gap while the campaign is still running instead of after it has finished.
Is a poster blanket better than one large billboard for a local venue?
For a local venue with a single catchment, a blanket of shop window posters usually beats one large billboard, because it puts the message where the audience already stops rather than in one spot they pass at speed. iDO covered every retail, food and drink, supermarket, community and heritage site in St Albans for Trestle Theatre, and the performance was oversubscribed.
A billboard still earns its place for broad city-wide awareness. For a one-venue event with a date on it, repetition across many small sites does more work than a single large one.
| Measure | Shop window poster blanket | Single large billboard |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Dozens to hundreds of sites in one town | One fixed location |
| Dwell time | Read at a counter or in a queue | Seen in passing at speed |
| Proof | Photograph per site per cycle | Site photograph at posting |
| Flexibility | Sites added, swapped and replenished mid-campaign | Fixed for the booked period |
Frequently asked
- What size poster works best in a shop window?
- A4 (210 x 297mm) and A3 (297 x 420mm) work best in a shop window. A3 is readable from the pavement, A4 suits counters and small panes. Print on 170gsm or heavier so the poster stays flat for a full display cycle.
- Do shops charge to display a poster?
- Most independent shops, cafes and pubs display a poster free when the subject is relevant to their customers and the request comes from someone they already know. iDO holds that display permission across 150,000 print points, so there is no per site fee to negotiate.
- How long does a shop window poster stay up?
- A shop window poster typically stays up for a display cycle of two to four weeks. iDO teams revisit on the next cycle to replace damaged or faded sheets, which is why poster display is priced by site and cycle rather than by poster.