OOHGuide

What Is Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising? A Plain-English Guide

Updated 2026-10-07

Out-of-home advertising (OOH) is any advertising people see while they are outside their homes. Billboards are the best-known example, but OOH also includes bus and subway ads, bus shelters and benches, airport displays, and screens in places like gas stations, gyms and malls.

It is one of the oldest forms of advertising, and it is still growing. US out-of-home revenue reached a record $9.46 billion in 2025, up 3.6% from the year before, according to the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA).

The four main types of OOH advertising

1. Billboards

Large roadside displays along highways and major roads. The standard highway bulletin is 14 by 48 feet; posters and junior posters are smaller boards on main streets and local roads. See our billboard sizes guide for all the formats.

2. Transit advertising

Ads on and inside buses, trains, subways, taxis and rideshare vehicles, plus displays in stations and airports. Transit was the fastest-growing OOH segment for the second year in a row in 2025, rising 9.2% (OAAA via Digital Signage Today).

3. Street furniture

Bus shelters, benches, kiosks, newsstands and other displays at street level, where pedestrians and drivers see them up close. Bench advertising is one of the most affordable ways to start; some operators publish bench rates under $150.

4. Place-based media

Screens and posters inside venues: gas stations, grocery stores, gyms, elevators, doctors' offices, bars, stadiums and airports. These reach people in a specific setting, often while they wait.

What is digital out-of-home (DOOH)?

Digital out-of-home is any OOH format that uses a screen instead of printed vinyl or paper: digital billboards, digital transit displays, and place-based screens. Digital lets several advertisers share one screen and lets ads change by time of day without printing anything.

DOOH is the fastest-growing part of the industry. It made up 36.3% of total US OOH revenue in 2025 and grew 10.5% year over year. Read more in our guide to digital billboard costs.

Why businesses use out-of-home advertising

  • It can't be skipped or blocked. There is no ad blocker for a billboard.
  • It reaches people in the real world, on their commute, near a store, or at the moment they are deciding where to eat.
  • It builds local awareness fast. A few boards in the right spots can make a small business feel like a fixture in its town.
  • It works with digital. Many people search for a brand online after seeing it outdoors.
  • It is flexible on budget. Rural boards and benches can cost a few hundred dollars a month.

Who advertises on billboards?

Everyone from national brands to the local plumber. According to OAAA's 2025 numbers, legal services was the largest OOH category, up 21%, and wireless carriers, consumer banking and software companies all grew fast. Locally, common billboard advertisers include law firms, healthcare providers, restaurants, auto dealers, real estate agents, home services companies, colleges and churches.

How much does out-of-home advertising cost?

It depends heavily on format and market:

Format Typical cost
Static billboard $250 to $25,000+ per 4 weeks
Digital billboard $770 to $20,000 per month
Bus bench From about $75 with small operators
Mobile billboard truck Roughly $175 per hour or more

For detailed pricing, see How Much Does a Billboard Cost? or try the billboard cost calculator.

How OOH is bought

There are three common ways to buy out-of-home:

  1. Directly from the operator. The company that owns the boards sells you space. This is the most common route for local businesses, and independent operators are often flexible on terms.
  2. Through an agency or marketplace. Media agencies and online marketplaces bundle inventory from many operators, which helps for multi-market campaigns.
  3. Programmatically. Many digital screens can be bought through ad tech platforms, much like online display ads, with targeting by time, location and audience.

The OOHGuide directory lists 529 operators across the US and Canada. Browse them by city or see the full company directory.

How OOH is measured

Out-of-home is priced by impressions, the estimated number of people who see the ad, usually based on traffic counts and audience measurement. Buyers compare boards using CPM (cost per thousand impressions). Digital CPMs commonly run about $6 to $10 in standard markets (Business.com).

To measure results from your own campaign, use a unique web address, phone number or promo code on the ad, and watch for lifts in branded search, website visits and store traffic in the areas near your boards.

Frequently asked questions

What does OOH stand for?

OOH stands for out-of-home, meaning advertising people see outside their homes, such as billboards, transit ads and street furniture.

What is the difference between OOH and DOOH?

DOOH, or digital out-of-home, is the subset of OOH that uses digital screens. OOH covers both printed and digital formats.

How big is the out-of-home advertising industry?

US out-of-home advertising revenue was a record $9.46 billion in 2025, according to the OAAA.

Is out-of-home advertising effective for small businesses?

It can be, especially for businesses that serve a local area. Start with a small number of well-placed boards, run long enough to build repetition, and track response with a unique URL or phone number.

Get started with out-of-home

Find the operators in your area with our city guides, estimate your budget with the billboard cost calculator, and request quotes from up to 3 operators.

Sources

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