5 Out of Home Trends You Need to Know for 2025

Introduction

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is a term used to describe any form of paid media advertising targeting potential customers outside their homes. Examples range from billboards and digital displays to posters, transit ads, and street furniture. As technology advances, new marketing and sales tools become available, consumer preferences change, and new trends emerge. Keeping up to date with changing trends and staying ahead of the curve can help brands and businesses blaze a trail, gain or maintain a competitive advantage, and impress customers to boost lead creation and conversion rates.

In this guide, we’ll explore and discuss the top OOH advertising trends for 2025, focusing on the expansion of DOOH (digital out-of-home) advertising, its integration with retail media, the rise of owned media networks and self-service advertising platforms, and the growing popularity of interactive and smart screens.

Tapping into new OOH trends in 2025 can help advertisers capitalize on new approaches and make campaigns more impactful, unique, and cost-effective. The top OOH trends to look out for in 2025 include:

1. Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) Expansion

Spending on digital out-of-home advertising (DOOH) is increasing year on year. Statista data shows digital OOH spending will rise to over $19 billion in 2025. Digital OOH advertising offers many benefits for advertisers and brands looking to use innovative technology. It provides access to data and customer insights while offering consumers new and exciting ways to view and interact with ads. In 2025, expect to see an expansion of digital tools and features and increased adoption of AI technology and data analytics.

One key benefit of embracing AI technology in DOOH advertising is gaining access to consumer insights and feedback to target key audiences and optimize impact and conversion rates. By using accurate, real-time data, marketers can evaluate and react to audience behaviors and preferences, increasing the chances of winning over customers with effective, tailored DOOH ad strategies. AI enhances personalization while delivering opportunities to boost ROI. A 2024 study shows that personalization is the top reason why marketers use AI-driven solutions.

2. Integration with Retail Media

Retail media is a form of advertising that brands use to target customers at or near their point of purchase. Retailers and advertisers entice buyers and boost sales by advertising products within retail spaces. Examples of retail media marketing include:

• In-store displays
• Advertising boards
• Posters
• Kiosks
• Digital screens
• Product demonstrations

Statistics show that the global retail media market is expected to hit $176.9 billion in 2025. Brands are capitalizing on the growing popularity of retail media by integrating retail media within OOH and DOOH strategies. In-store and close-proximity digital signage, as an extension of retail media networks, can point consumers in the direction of products and increase sales. Advertisers can also integrate additional techniques, such as social media marketing, to bring in-store and retail space ads and other channels together to boost sales.

AI also has a significant role to play, offering opportunities for location-based ad targeting and geofencing to target specific places and audiences and create hyper-personalized ads. Data shows that the average CTR for geofenced ads is 7.5% compared to 0.9% for Facebook ads.

3. Owned Media Networks

A recent report from Sonder Media revealed that over 60% of marketers are planning to increase owned media leverage in 2025. Owned media networks are expected to explode as more non-traditional players, including airlines, financial organizations, and telecom firms, launch owned media networks. Owned media networks are all the company’s channels, such as websites, emails, in-store screens, catalogs, and apps. Using owned media networks rather than high-profile giants, such as Google and Meta, offers opportunities for businesses, including:

• Increased creative control
• Improved ad targeting
• Enhanced integration across multiple channels
• Improved customer communications
• Improved customer engagement
• Potential to unlock new revenue streams
• Potential to form new strategic partnerships
• New ways to connect with customers

4. The Rise of Self-Service Advertising Platforms

Self-service advertising platforms enable users to develop and run advertising campaigns independently. They are popular among small businesses due to their affordability, impact, and opportunity to target specific audiences to optimize ROI and ad relevance. In 2025, self-service advertising platforms are expected to increase in popularity, with more and more advertisers set to use these platforms to launch, manage, and adapt OOH campaigns autonomously. As our Sales Director, Matthew Rohrs, explains, self-service allows companies to “do more with less.”

In addition to gaining autonomy, managing budgets, and streamlining processes, marketers and business owners who use self-service advertising platforms can also benefit from access to real-time analytics, which allows for rapid modifications and enhanced customization and personalization.

5. Interactive and Smart Screens

2025 will see a rise in interactive and smart screens with more widespread access to interactive billboards, displays with touchscreens, and signage that offers opportunities to perform actions or gather more information through features such as QR codes. Advertisers can use NFC and QR codes to drive customer engagement from OOH ads to digital platforms. CMI data indicates that interactivity increases engagement by 66%. A study by MAGNA shows that viewing time increases by 47% when ads have interactive features. Interactive adverts are also more memorable. Almost 80% of marketers believe interactive digital signs enhance retention of brand messaging when combined with traditional marketing tactics.

Examples of interactive DOOH include:

• Touchscreens
• Social media, for example, using hashtags
• QR codes
• Motion tracking
• AR (Augmented Reality)

Conclusion

OOH (out-of-home) advertising is increasingly influential. Staying ahead of the curve, being agile and adaptable, and embracing innovative, emerging advertising trends are essential for advertisers looking to attract and impress customers, gain a competitive advantage, and boost sales. In 2025, top OOH and DOOH trends include digital OOH expansion, integration with retail media, new owned media networks, a rise of self-service advertising platforms, and the growth of interactive and smart screens.

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