“Out-of-home (OOH) is cost-effective. It's measurable. It's targetable. You can be hyperlocal with it,” said founder and CEO at Quan Media Brian Rappaport. It’s also growing. US OOH ad spend will increase by 6.5% this year, reaching $9.51 billion dollars, according to our October 2023 forecast. But an added benefit is OOH’s potential to create organic impressions on social media.

A strong out-of-home (OOH) ad leverages creative thinking, puts content where people will see it, and has the potential to be shared online. From cleverly branded buses to bizarre alien billboards, here are five recent OOH campaigns that caught our eye and why we think campaigns like this will help drive a projected 6.5% YoY growth in US OOH ad spend this year, reaching $9.51 billion.

US out-of-home (OOH) ad spend will total $9.51 billion next year, and grow past $10 billion in 2026, according to our forecast. One unusual place those dollars are headed is advertising on wheels. That includes transit, taxis and ride-hailing services, and one of the most fun brand marketing tools there is: machines like the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

TikTok is extending its video content to an array of public screens, including those at airports, gas stations, and movie rental machines. The expansion into out-of-home (OOH) advertising marks TikTok’s ambitions to go beyond its roots as a mobile app.

Smart carts enable brands to put their products right in front of shoppers as they move through the store. Digital cooler screens use bright, informative visuals to pique consumer interest. And digital end caps add an element of interactivity to the old-school format. Here’s how retailers can put them to use to up their retail media game.

S digital out-of-home (DOOH) will make up 31.4% of out-of-home (OOH) ad spend this year, showing recovery after a pandemic dip, according to our forecast.

While advertising areas like connected TV and retail media boast strong potential, other channels, like social media and linear TV, are losing some steam. That’s why it’s important to explore other ad channels. For example, digital out-of-home advertising has made technological and creative leaps in the past few years, while the women’s sports ad opportunity is expanding. Here are some areas within digital advertising where you may be missing out on unlocking potential.

Historically traditional channels are being digitized, theoretically opening the door to more robust measurement. At the same time, third-party identifiers are being ousted in favor of identity solutions that preserve consumers’ privacy.

OOH keeps gaining ad spending dollars, but its share of media budgets remains below pre-pandemic levels.

US marketers are allocating more of their advertising budget to social media and TV (19% each) than digital (14%), email (12%), and out-of-home (OOH) (7%) media channels, according to Quad.

With $9.15 billion in US ad spending going to OOH advertising this year (up 7% from last year) and an increasing portion of that spending going to digital (31.4% this year, rising to 40.4% by 2027), per our forecast, advertisers should be innovating on this somewhat traditional format. Here are three unique OOH ad activations.

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