Out-of-Home Advertising: Five Reasons to Use This Powerful Blend of Physical Presence and Digital Innovation



Working professionals don’t stay still for long. Post-pandemic, we’re back to traveling, networking, and attending events as in-person connections thrive once again. This renewed mobility has quickly propelled out-of-home (OOH) advertising into the spotlight.

OOH advertising seamlessly integrates your brand into the physical environments of your audience, ensuring visibility at key moments throughout their daily routines. With its unique mix of scale, flexibility, and precision, OOH empowers your advertising to cut through the noise and stay top of mind.

Here are five compelling reasons to leverage the potential of OOH and elevate your advertising strategy with this impactful and versatile medium.

1. High Ad Recall

Audience retention is key when it comes to ad spend. In 2023, OOH advertising surpassed traditional channels like print, radio, and television—and even digital platforms on desktop and mobile—for the highest consumer recall. In an increasingly competitive and crowded advertising landscape, OOH stands out by effectively capturing audience attention and keeping brands top of mind.

OOH is particularly effective for advertisers wanting to reach annual medical conference attendees. Visibility in high-traffic locations, such as airports, transit hubs, and convention centers, ensures thousands of impressions as eventgoers navigate the host city. From static ads on transit shelters and branded wraps on rideshares like Uber to digital screens and urban murals, OOH delivers consistent exposure to your target audience.

2. Static or Digital? Advantages to Both

OOH advertising has two primary forms: traditional (static) and digital (DOOH). Both offer unique benefits depending on campaign goals, duration, and budget.

  • Static OOH—a long-time cornerstone of traditional OOH placements—is perfect for brand-focused designs that provide advertisers with a 100% share of voice and always-on visibility. It’s also ideal for advertisers who want to maximize their reach on a budget.
  • Digital OOH delivers more flexibility and targeting, enabling advertisers to deploy dynamic, data-driven campaigns on public buildings, on mobile signs mounted on trucks driving around town, and on airport screens, to name a few. Many digital displays also support video ads, making campaigns even more engaging.

Static and digital OOH will often thrive alongside each other in today’s landscape. Advertisers can create a unified approach by integrating static OOH with online ads and social media for a cross-channel strategy that not only increases audience engagement but also amplifies campaign impact by meeting consumers where they interact— in the physical world and online.

3. Increasing Prevalence

OOH is on an upward trajectory. This chart from EMARKETER highlights the growing prominence of DOOH advertising within the broader OOH market. In 2024, digital formats comprised over one-third (34.8%) of total OOH ad spend in the U.S. By 2028, DOOH spending is projected to reach $4.60 billion, accounting for 43.5% of the market. This growth highlights the value of dynamic digital screens, transit ads, and place-based displays in high-traffic locations.

4. Enhanced Targeting

While DOOH isn’t new, capabilities have expanded over the last few years. DOOH allows advertisers to tailor messaging based on factors like time of day, audience demographics, and even behavior. One example of DOOH targeting technology that’s recently become more widespread for marketers is mobile geofencing. It enables advertisers to connect with people near a specific location by using their mobile devices to place a virtual “geofence” around that area and deliver targeted ads or promotions to that audience. These advancements, combined with enhanced data capabilities, enable advertisers to refine their targeting based on the audience or environment, ensuring consistently scalable and relevant content.

5. Programmatic DOOH

Programmatic DOOH furthers digital advertising by allowing ad slots to be purchased and delivered to programmable digital screens in real time. Advertisers can target specific demographics, locations, or environmental conditions, providing precision and responsiveness that static ads can’t match. Programmatic purchasing is gaining popularity due to its streamlined workflows and benefits, including improved operational efficiency, more precise campaign targeting, and increased measurement capabilities. By combining data-driven precision with flexibility, programmatic DOOH ensures optimal ad performance.

Conclusion

As the way we move through the world continues to evolve, OOH advertising offers a rare constant: the ability to connect with people in the environments they navigate every day. Whether through bold, static billboards that dominate the skyline or dynamic digital screens tailored to the moment, OOH has become more than just an advertising medium—it’s a bridge between your brand and your audience’s real-world experiences.

So, as you plan your next campaign, ask yourself: Where do you want your message to meet your audience? Because with OOH, the possibilities are everywhere.

Contact us to learn how OOH options from TriStar can transform your next campaign!