OutdoorAdvertising.es — Rethinking outdoor advertising in Spain
Methodology

How we research

OutdoorAdvertising.es Research · Updated November 2026

What we set out to do

We want to answer one practical question for every Spanish municipality we cover: can you run an advertising bicycle, an advertising van or a street team here, and on what terms? We answer it from the council's own rules, not from guidance, news reports or industry claims.

Which places we cover, and why

Spain has about 8,132 municipalities. We have researched 25 so far, about 0.3%.

We chose them for relevance, not at random: - the largest cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Zaragoza, Málaga, Murcia, Palma, Bilbao, Alicante); - the main tourist municipalities, where street advertising matters most (the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Costa Brava and Costa Daurada, Mallorca, Ibiza and the Canaries).

This is an initial research sample, not a statistically representative survey of Spain. We never describe our results as "Spain" or "most Spanish towns". When we give a count, it is a count of the places we have researched.

How we find and read the rules

  1. We search the council's own website (sede electrónica, transparency portal or ordinance list) and the official bulletins: the provincial bulletins (BOP), the Balearic BOIB, the Madrid BOCM, the Murcia BORM and the state BOE.
  2. We read the primary text: the ordinance as published or the council's consolidated version. Where automated access is blocked, we open the official document directly in a browser.
  3. We record the ordinance's name, approval and publication dates, the article numbers, and a short quotation in Spanish.
  4. We check whether a newer text has replaced it. If we can't confirm the text is current, we say so.

We distinguish between: - an ordinance in force, as published in an official bulletin; - a final draft or a proposed amendment, not yet confirmed as enacted; - an official interpretation, such as a council's FAQ; - a press report, used only where nothing better exists, and always labelled.

How we classify each format

For each of six formats (bicycles, vans moving in traffic, parked advertising vehicles, sign-holders, street promoters and leaflets) we record one of four states:

  • Allowed: the text permits it, or expressly places it outside the rules.
  • Conditions: allowed with a notice, a licence, or limits on place, time or purpose.
  • Banned: the text prohibits it.
  • Not mentioned: the text we read says nothing about it.

"Not mentioned" does not mean allowed. An ordinance that is silent on advertising bicycles has not given them permission. Other rules, such as traffic, public-space or cleaning ordinances, may still apply.

How we give a verdict

  • Proportionate: moving bikes, vans and people are allowed freely or after a simple notice, and the rules target real problems such as parking as a billboard, blocked pavements, litter and noise.
  • Restrictive: mobile advertising is possible only with a demanding licence or for certain purposes, or a whole format is banned.
  • Blanket ban: commercial advertising on vehicles, or commercial advertising in public space generally, is banned as a rule.
  • Provisional: we have not yet read enough of the rules to give a firm verdict.
  • Not yet readable: we could not find or open the relevant texts.

The verdict is our editorial judgement, and we say so on every page. The facts it rests on, the articles and quotations, are given alongside it so readers can disagree with us using the same evidence.

Statistics

We use official sources where they exist (INE, Aena, Ibestat, the CNMC) and say when a figure comes from an industry-funded source (such as InfoAdex, whose results are published by the outdoor advertising federation). Our own calculations are labelled: - Solid: taken directly from official counts; - Indicative: comparing sources that measure slightly differently; - Estimate: relying on an assumption, which we state.

What we do not do

  • We do not give legal advice. Our pages describe rules; anyone planning a campaign should check with the council.
  • We do not allege wrongdoing. Where we point out who benefits from a rule, we say clearly when we have no evidence of lobbying or intent.
  • We do not use another organisation's interpretation as if it were the rule itself.