In a recent panel at OAAA’s OOHMediaCon25, Veridooh discussed what the out-of-home (OOH) industry can learn from the explosive growth of digital advertising. The panelists focused on the importance of independent verification for the PDOOH market, which is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, writes Veridooh’s global president, Nick Parker.
The out-of-home (OOH) advertising industry stands at a pivotal moment. Once only seen as a supporting role in marketing campaigns, OOH is now poised to become a significant driver of growth, capturing a larger share of advertising budgets. An important component of this transformation? Independent verification.
During a recent panel discussion at Out of Home Advertising Association of America’s (OAAA) OOHMediaCon25, which I moderated, Veridooh’s co-CEO, Mo Moubayed; Billups’s global head of programmatic, Alex Grieves; and AdQuick’s vice president of demand and analytics partnerships, Jason Kunkel-de Cesero, discussed what the OOH industry can learn from the explosive growth of digital advertising. Between 2000 and 2024, US online advertising revenues grew by more than 3,000%, fundamentally reshaping the media landscape. All panelists agreed that this expansion was crucially intertwined with the rise of independent verification.
Emerging in the late 2000s in response to growing concerns about transparency, fraud, and ad quality, independent verification providers have become integral components of the digital ecosystem. The establishment of dedicated independent verification companies like DoubleVerify in 2008 and Integral Ad Science in 2009 marked a critical inflection point for digital advertising. These early vendors provided advertisers with greater assurance regarding campaign execution, focusing on verifying site context, ensuring correct geo-targeting, checking ad placement, managing competitive separation, and providing early forms of fraud detection and viewability assessment.
In the US, where independent verification of outdoor advertising is in its infancy, OOH ad spend hovers around 3%. However, in Australia, where Veridooh was born and where independent OOH verification has seen widespread adoption already, OOH’s share of ad spend has surpassed 15% in 2024. This isn’t a coincidence; it’s a direct result of increased accountability and confidence in the medium.
I believe that if the US market follows the Australian playbook, OOH ad spend could grow from 3% to 10%.
In Australia, the numbers tell the story. A decade ago, OOH ad share in Australia was at 11%. By 2022, it had climbed to 12%. But the real surge occurred alongside the mass utilization of independent verification in 2022. By 2024, OOH had captured almost 16% of the advertising market. This explosive growth demonstrates the power of transparency. When advertisers know their campaigns are being accurately measured and delivered, they are more likely to invest a greater share of their marketing budget.
This verification-driven growth in Australia has set a global standard. The Australian OOH industry now boasts some of the fastest year-over-year growth rates in mature markets. Between 2017 and 2019, before independent verification arrived on the scene, the average growth rate for the OOH industry was 10%. Then, following the mass adoption of independent verification, the average growth rate between 2021 and 2023 jumped to an impressive 21%. This is an extraordinary pace of expansion in a traditionally stable market.
This data highlights the vital role of independent verification. It provides advertisers with the assurance they need to allocate larger portions of their budgets to OOH. It builds trust, demonstrating that OOH is a quantifiable, impactful medium that can deliver real results. This isn’t just about numbers; it’s about a fundamental shift in perception. We are moving from a world where OOH was perceived as difficult to measure to one where it is validated by real-time data.
As the global programmatic (PDOOH) market continues to expand, independent verification will become ever more critical. The opportunity is massive, with global PDOOH expected to grow nearly twentyfold over the next eight years. To truly capitalize on this trend, the OOH industry must continue to prioritize accountability and transparency.
I believe that independent verification is not just a feature but a fundamental requirement for the future of OOH. It’s the key to unlocking further growth and establishing OOH as a central pillar of the modern marketing mix. As our panelists emphasized, we can’t wait to see the OOH industry reach its full potential.
