Apple, McDonald’s Still Biggest OOH Ad Spenders IN US; DOOH More Than Third Of All Buys : OAAA

April 10, 2025 by Dave Haynes

The big spenders in out of home advertising in the United States continue to also be some of the biggest global brands, according to a new Megabrands report from the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA).

The 2024 MegaBrands and 2024 OOH Advertising Facts & Figures reports show Apple, McDonald’s, Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Verizon still top ad spending, but there are some fast-risers like the payments firm Stripe. The reports also reveal that legal services is the fastest-growing category (think injury-accident lawyers billboards, which are everywhere).

The OAAA says DOOH now represents 34 percent of total OOH ad spend.

“These reports paint a clear picture that OOH isn’t just growing, it’s evolving — and the brands leading the charge are doing so with intention, creativity and measurable impact,” says Anna Bager, President and CEO of the OAAA. “From local businesses to global icons, advertisers are embracing the scale, flexibility and cultural power of OOH.”

From the press release:

The 2024 MegaBrands report is led by Apple, McDonald’s, Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Verizon, with Apple retaining the top spot for the third consecutive year. These brands were joined by cultural and category leaders including Netflix, Samsung, Disney, Google, Paramount, and Meta, reflecting how OOH continues to serve as a key driver of visibility and relevance.

Top five OOH advertisers in 2024:

• Apple – $68.3 million
• McDonald’s – $61.0 million
• Amazon – $55.1 million
• Coca-Cola – $46.8 million
• Verizon – $44.2 million

The list also features a large number of direct-to-consumer brands, as digitally native companies continue to embrace OOH to build awareness and drive real-world engagement. In total, 13 advertisers more than doubled their OOH spend, and 60 percent of the top 100 increased investment year-over-year.

Brands with the largest year-over-year increases:

• Stripe – up 823,951,800 percent
• Old Navy – up 10,954 percent
• Honda – up 456 percent
• Nike – up 443 percent
• Hotels.com – up 389 percent

Over 25 percent of brands on the list are tech or DTC-driven, including rising players like Doordash, Instacart, Cash App, and Roku, which climbed the rankings or appeared for the first time in 2024.

OOH’s Biggest Category Surges and Digital Gains

While the MegaBrands list shows who is spending, the 2024 Facts & Figures report offers insight into where and how. Among the standout trends:

• Legal Services was the fastest-growing category in 2024, with a 16 percent increase in OOH spend
• Chain Food Stores & Supermarkets increased investment by 15 percent, followed closely by Hospitals & Clinics and Domestic Hotels & Resorts
• Quick-Service Restaurants, Consumer Banking, and Colleges & Universities also ranked among the top 10 product categories for OOH spend
• Digital OOH (DOOH) accounted for 34 percent of total spend, reflecting its growing adoption among performance-focused advertisers
• Apparel, Online Travel Services, and Motion Pictures appeared in the Top 25 OOH categories — indicating momentum from e-commerce, tourism recovery, and theatrical releases
• Wireless Telecom Providers and Computer Software both posted solid gains, underscoring OOH’s utility for tech and connectivity brands
• Religious and Humanitarian Organizations also made the Top 25 — a unique indicator of OOH’s reach beyond traditional commercial categories

These trends reinforce how advertisers across sectors, from healthcare and retail to travel and technology, are leveraging OOH for its targeting power, creative impact, and ability to reach audiences at scale.