What Is CPM in Advertising? DefinitionDefined.
CPM (cost per thousand) is the price to deliver 1,000 ad impressions. In OOH, CPMs range widely by venue and market.
- 500,000+ locations
- AAM-audited delivery
- English, Spanish + 15 more languages
- Fully managed
CPM
CPM, or cost per thousand, is the price an advertiser pays to deliver one thousand impressions. ("M" is the Roman numeral for 1,000.) It is the standard pricing and comparison metric across both out-of-home and digital advertising, calculated as total cost divided by impressions, multiplied by 1,000.
In out-of-home, CPMs vary by a factor of ten or more across venue types. A community-center poster might run around $5 CPM, while a premium high-frequency screen in a major-market specialty clinic can run $50 CPM or higher. The drivers are venue and audience desirability, market size (top-10 DMAs typically cost 2-3x smaller markets), format (digital generally prices above static), and verification (audited inventory prices above unaudited). The right benchmark is never the category average — it is the CPM for the specific audience you are trying to reach.
Related terms: impressions
OOH.
Tool: OOH CPM Calculator.
Pair it with
Public health
Campaigns for health departments and nonprofits.
Explore public health →Point of care
Waiting rooms, exam rooms and HCP lounges.
Explore point of care →Pharmacies
Counter, shelf and screen, at pickup.
Explore pharmacies →Community centers
Rec centers, gyms and youth sports.
Explore community centers →DOOH
Digital screens across every venue type.
Explore DOOH →