OOH Ad Spend In US Up 4.6% For 2024: OAAA

November 25, 2024 by Dave Haynes

Out of home (OOH) advertising revenue in the U.S. increased 4.3% in the third quarter of 2024, nudging past $2B, reports the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA). The numbers are up for the year by 4.6%.

Key Q3 findings:

• Digital OOH is key growth driver;
• Digital OOH, which accounted for 33.2% of quarterly sales, increased 7.3% from a year ago;
• Urban formats mirror increased return to office mandates;
• The Transit category generated the greatest growth compared to the third quarter of 2023, increasing by 8.3%, followed closely by Street Furniture at 7.3% growth;
• OOH growth across diverse industries reflects broad appeal.

Four of the top ten product industries generated double-digit growth:

• Automotive Dealers & Services +18%;
• Retail +17.7%;
• Local Services & Amusements +13.4%;
• Government, Politics & Organizations +11%.

With a remarkable 50% increase compared to the same period last year, says the OAAA, the Computer Software category spearheaded the charge. Chain Food Stores & Supermarkets, Architects, Contractors & Engineers, and Legal Services also posted impressive double-digit growth compared to a year ago, growing 23.8%, 18.1%, and 17.7%, respectively.

The top 10 OOH product categories in volume for the third quarter were:

• Legal Services
• Hospitals, Clinics & Medical Centers
• Consumer Banking
• Domestic Hotels & Resorts
• Quick Serve Restaurants
• Local Government
• Colleges & Universities
• Chain Food Stores & Supermarkets
• Computer Software
• Architects, Contractors & Engineers

OOH political spend increased 31.6% compared to the third quarter of the last presidential cycle in 2020. Campaigns for ballot issues, U.S. House and Senate races, and the presidential race all grew significantly, increasing 60.7%, 184.3%, and 4075.8%, respectively.

Top Brands Investing in OOH 

Ranked in order of OOH spending, the top 10 advertisers in the third quarter were

1. McDonald’s,
2. Apple,
3. Verizon,
4. Amazon,
5. Anheuser-Busch,
6. Morgan & Morgan Attorneys,
7. Heineken,
8. Coca-Cola,
9. Universal Pictures,
10. T-Mobile.

StackAdapt, which was number 11 on the top brands list, drove the Computer Software category growth with a quarterly increase of over $4.5 million in OOH spend.

“Digital out of home advertising continues to gain momentum as advertisers increasingly seek precision targeting and scalable solutions. Programmatic DOOH empowers brands to execute real-time, impactful campaigns that connect physical and digital experiences seamlessly,” said Greg Joseph, VP of Inventory Development at StackAdapt. “With advertisers recognizing its potential for driving measurable outcomes, DOOH has seen a surge in demand, highlighting its role as a critical component of modern marketing strategies.”

Among the top 100 OOH advertisers, over half increased their OOH spend from Q3 2023, and 17 more than doubled their spend including (listed by spend % increase): Party City, Smart & Final, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, GlaxoSmithKline, Walmart, ABC, David Yurman, Nike, StackAdapt, Verizon, Total Wine & More, Meta, Sixt, Heineken, Max and 7-Eleven.

Technology and DTC Brand Adoption

Over one-fifth of the top 100 OOH spenders were technology or direct-to-consumer brands, including these eleven brands which finished among the top 30 (according to spend): Apple, Verizon, Amazon, T-Mobile, StackAdapt, Uber, Paramount+, Samsung, Netflix, Comcast, and Hulu.

OAAA issues full industry pro forma revenue estimates that include, but are not limited to, Miller Kaplan and MediaRadar/Vivvix (which is not adjusted to reflect changes in data sources), and member company affidavits. Cinema September data was not included in the quarterly analysis because it was unavailable from Vivvix. Revenue estimates include digital and static billboard, street furniture, transit, place-based, and cinema advertising.