Cidewalk offers billboard ads at an incredibly low entry price of just $10 per day, without long-term contracts or setup fees. This is possible because we use a programmatic, non-reserved, real-time bidding system to purchase ad spots. Unlike traditional billboard advertising—which typically requires thousands of dollars in committed ad spend and long-term contracts—Cidewalk’s dynamic model allows advertisers to secure ad space as it becomes available, keeping costs low and flexible.
However, since ad spots are purchased dynamically through real-time bidding, the exact timing of when your ad will display cannot be predicted. While the system aims to deliver the total number of ad plays each day, specific time slots cannot be guaranteed.
How to See Your Ad Live
To increase your chances of catching your ad on a billboard, follow these steps:
- Run Your Ad for a Day:
Start by letting your ad run for a full day. Check the live stats on your online dashboard to confirm that your ad is actively displaying on the selected screen. - Visit the Billboard Location:
On the following day, visit the billboard location around 9 AM EST, when ads typically start playing. Stay for about 30 minutes to increase your chances of seeing the ad live. - Understand Variations in Ad Availability:
If you don’t see your ad during the 9 AM hour, it doesn’t necessarily mean your ad is inactive. Ad availability is based on when screen owners make space available in the open market. If they have direct (reserved) ads running, fewer slots might be open for programmatic ads. Nevertheless, the system will continue to monitor and aim to deliver the total number of ad plays as slots become available throughout the day.
If the system cannot fulfill 100% of the set ad plays in a day, any undelivered plays will roll over as credits to the next day, with the system attempting to deliver the remaining plays.
