The news: Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is maturing.

• Clear Channel Outdoor, recently acquired by asset management company Mubadala Capital, has tapped two TV executives from Paramount and Univision to modernize OOH advertising.
• The new hires include John Halley, Paramount’s former ads leader, and Wade Davis, vice chair and former CEO of Univision. Their appointments reflect a broader shift in OOH toward competing with established media channels on measurement, accountability, and business impact.
• Clear Channel aims to better connect OOH ad exposure to actual business outcomes like customer acquisition, store visits, and ROI.

Why it matters: OOH has proven to be consistently effective at garnering exposure and building brand credibility. But despite its effectiveness, OOH lacks the mature buying and measurement infrastructure associated with TV advertising.

• OOH significantly boosts key brand metrics, increasing ad awareness by 13.3%, purchase intent by 9.8%, brand favorability by 7.8% and both message association and aided awareness by 3.8%, per 2025 Kantar and Clear Channel Outdoor data.
• These improvements surpass those seen in connected TV and digital across the board.
• OOH ads consistently draw consumer attention, with 26% saying they notice OOH ads several times weekly and 21% multiple times a day, according to YouGov.

But strong performance doesn’t eliminate the structural challenges that have made OOH harder for advertisers to buy, measure, and compare with other media.

• OOH measurement standards remain inconsistent, making it challenging for marketers to compare audience estimates across providers or reconcile forecasted impressions with actual campaign performance.
• Buying infrastructure remains immature compared with online channels. Inventory is often fragmented across media owners, meaning marketers may need to negotiate separately for billboard locations, transit placements, and digital screens rather than activating a campaign through one centralized platform. Automation is also less universal than many digital formats.

Implications for marketers: As OOH providers work to strengthen measurement and buying infrastructure, marketers should look beyond reach to evaluate how campaigns contribute to business outcomes.

• Plan OOH alongside TV and digital. Marketers should consider how OOH can complement these formats, using it to build brand awareness and purchase intent while reinforcing messaging across channels. The potential for more standardized buying and measurement through developments like Clear Channel’s could make it easier to navigate this coordination.
• Seek opportunities to negotiate broader buys. As leaders like Clear Channel work to streamline OOH buying, marketers should watch for packages that span different OOH formats to reduce the need to negotiate placements individually.
• Reconsider OOH budget allocations. If Clear Channel successfully makes its inventory easier to buy and demonstrates value, OOH could become a more practical option for brands that have historically favored digital or TV.

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