As OOH celebrates another revenue record, the new OAAA Agency Council signals a push for a bigger role in brand strategy.
Out of Home Advertising Association launch
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising just marked its 16th consecutive quarter of growth, hitting record revenue in early 2025. But while the dollars keep flowing in, industry leaders want something even more valuable than budget share: strategic relevance.
That’s the thinking behind the Out of Home Advertising Association of America’s (OAAA) newly launched Agency Council. On paper, it’s a group of senior agency leaders offering guidance on media trends and planning strategies. In practice, it’s OOH’s bid to move from being the leftover line item on a media plan to a central part of brand strategy.
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OOH’s growth streak is hard to ignore. In Q1 2025, US out-of-home revenue hit a record $1.98bn, up 2 % year over year, according to OAAA data. Full-year 2024 figures show $9.1bn in total US spend, a 4.5 % jump from the previous year. It marks four straight years of quarterly growth, bucking the trend in other traditional media channels.
But it’s not just about static billboards any more. Digital out-of-home (DOOH) is powering much of that growth, with Q1 2025 showing 9 % year-over-year gains. DOOH now accounts for 34 % of total OOH spend in the US.
Globally, DOOH is projected to grow at over 15 % compound annual growth rate, reaching around $26.6bn in 2025. Features such as programmatic buying, AR-enhanced displays and real-time audience targeting have made DOOH more measurable and interactive. Some AR-enabled campaigns have generated 300 % higher engagement than static ads.
These aren’t small tweaks. They’re reshaping how advertisers think about the channel and how OOH positions itself in the larger media mix.
If OOH is growing so well, why does it need an agency council? It’s because revenue alone doesn’t guarantee respect at the strategy table.
Historically, OOH has often been planned last and cut first. It has been a tactical buy to fill in gaps after TV and digital budgets are set. Even with double-digit quarterly growth, it’s still fighting that perception.
The OAAA’s Agency Council is meant to address that head-on. With founding members from major agencies including Wavemaker, Dentsu, Mindshare, Havas and MRM Media, the council’s goal is to help make OOH a strategic, not just tactical, part of campaigns.
Anna Bager, OAAA president and chief executive, summed it up, saying: “As media becomes more fragmented, OOH stands out as a powerful connector, bridging physical presence with digital impact.” That’s a bold promise, but one that brands are increasingly interested in testing.
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Attribution in out-of-home has advanced significantly, with mobile location data now tying ad exposure directly to store visits. Digital out-of-home (DOOH) enables dynamic creative and real-time audience targeting, while AR activations are delivering engagement rates well above traditional formats. Some studies suggest OOH can deliver up to $6 in return for every $1 spent. Meanwhile, surveys show 74 % of consumers take action after seeing directional billboards and 73 % prefer DOOH over TV or social for certain types of messaging.
For brands and agencies, that means OOH can now be planned with the same accountability as digital channels. It’s no longer just about ‘eyeballs,’ but about driving real-world actions.
The new OAAA Agency Council isn’t just another industry committee that meets over coffee. Its members represent the people actually buying, planning and negotiating media on behalf of the world’s biggest brands.
Including agency voices from Wavemaker, Dentsu, Mindshare and more signals a shift. Agencies want to take OOH seriously. They’re demanding better data, clearer attribution and creative formats that match what consumers expect from modern advertising.
For brands, it’s an important signal to rethink how they approach media planning. An integrated media strategy can’t treat OOH as an afterthought. Used well, it can provide real-world relevance that cuts through digital clutter, bridge online and offline experiences from QR codes to mobile retargeting and reinforce brand trust with highly visible, contextually relevant placements.
OOH’s strength is its ability to act as omnichannel glue and serve as a physical anchor that connects different parts of the media plan.
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Of course, none of this is guaranteed. For the Agency Council to succeed, it will need to focus on standardizing measurement in ways agencies and brands trust, making buying easier through programmatic options or strong partnerships and proving that out-of-home can deliver not just awareness but real performance outcomes.
OOH’s growth story is impressive. But if the industry wants more than budget share, if it wants strategic relevance, it will have to show it can deliver the accountability and integration modern marketers demand.
As brands grapple with an increasingly fractured media landscape, out-of-home has a chance to prove it’s not the garnish on the media plan but a critical part of the main course.
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