Out-of-home advertising (OOH) may be the oldest form of advertising in the world.
According to the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), ancient Egyptians used stone obelisks to publicize new laws and treaties—and OOH was born.
As printing techniques developed and improved, handbills and posters became popular until
the billboard made its debut in the 1800s.
What started as large-format roadside posters promoting the circus evolved into static
locations where brands could advertise their products.
So, What Is OOH?
The billboards you see along the highway are probably the most common and well-known types of OOH advertising.
But here’s the cool part—OOH is so much more than just billboards.
It includes digital billboards, transit interiors and exteriors, transit shelters, street furniture, kiosks, vehicle wraps, mobile billboards, wallscapes, and… well, you get the idea.
OOH advertising is everywhere!
Why Buy OOH?
OOH offers brands a chance to create eye-popping visuals that, when placed in the right spot, are impossible to miss.
But where OOH really shines is in its ability to provide broad reach and high frequency for advertisers.
If a billboard is placed along a major commuter route, not only will it be seen by thousands of people per day, but those same individuals are likely to see it multiple times a week during their commutes.
Another great benefit? If your business operates in a specific county or city, you can target your OOH placements to that area, reducing ad waste.
Since we've built OOH campaigns for clients ranging from traditional roadside billboards to grocery carts, we thought we’d share a little about how we buy OOH media for maximum impact.
We May Be Left Hand Agency, But We Love RIGHT-Hand Reads
When you’re driving, it’s much easier to see billboards on the same side of the road as you—these are called right-hand reads.
If you have to look across a six-lane divided highway filled with traffic while driving 65 mph, you’re more likely to miss the board.
We Cherry-Pick Locations
Sometimes, OOH vendors offer big savings for a network run of digital billboards at a lower CPM. This can be a cost-effective reach strategy if broad market awareness is your end goal.
However, depending on your needs, it can be more beneficial to pay a little extra and hand-pick boards and locations.
For example:
If you’re a CPG brand sold exclusively at Target, we can strategically place OOH ads within a specific radius of the Target locations where your product is available.
If you have a fast-casual restaurant at Exit 48 off the Interstate, it’s a smart move to place a billboard a few miles before to lure hungry drivers into stopping.
Doesn't That Take Forever?
Believe me, it would be much easier to just book a vendor's package deal. But as former in-house marketing directors, we know how important it is to pick the perfect spot to help your message break through.
You can’t always trust the sample photos vendors send. Let’s be honest—it’s their job to showcase the board in the best light. A sample image might make a board look fantastic, but in person, you could find poles, trees, or other obstructions that reduce visibility.
That’s why we hand-select locations for our clients and pride ourselves on booking high-quality, high-visibility boards.
Google Maps Street View FTW
Here’s one of our secrets for hand-picking billboards (or any other OOH on a public street):
Google Maps.
From the comfort of our desks, we "drive" the locations and check them out.
Using coordinates and Pegman (yes, that’s the official name of that little person icon in the lower right corner of Google Maps who can be dropped onto the map for street level views), we can drive those boards first hand.
We love using this tool to look for read time (how long you can see the board when driving), obstructions (trees grow and billboards don’t), and anything else that would make the location a win or a hard pass.
Static OOH: Benefits & Challenges
Static billboards are often considered the traditional form of OOH advertising, but the category also includes transit shelters, street furniture, and grocery cart ads, just to name a few.
The benefits of static OOH include:
100% Share of Voice:Â Your ad is up 24/7 with no competition on that unit.
Great for Broad Reach:Â Ideal for brands wanting extended exposure.
However, there are a few challenges:
Production & Installation Costs:Â Can range from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.
Longer Lead Time:Â Creative must be printed and installed, which can take weeks. And, board space can sell out months in advance.
Because of the upfront costs and longer setup time, we often recommend booking longer durations to get the most bang for your buck.
We Love Static Billboards, But Digital OOH Is Fantastic, Too
With digital OOH (DOOH), there’s no production cost—creative can be easily delivered and updated, sometimes in real-time. It can even be dayparted or linked to an RSS feed for live updates.
A great example is a heating and cooling company changing its messaging dynamically based on the current temperature outside. It's hot out? Maybe you need an AC check up. It's cold? Call us for a furnace tune-up.
One thing to consider with DOOH: It’s not 100% share of voice—units rotate between multiple advertisers, with ads typically appearing for 8 to 30 seconds at a time.
If you think our strategic approach to buying OOH media sounds like a good fit for your business, let's chat! Our team can create a bespoke OOH plan campaign for you!