Ep 8: Out-of-Home Advertising Trends: Why the U.S. Lags Global Markets

Kelly and Sean examine global trends in out-of-home advertising, why the U.S. market trails international growth, and which industries are driving recent spending increases.Kelly and Sean begin the episode with a light conversation about long-running broadcast partnerships after a Western Australia news anchor duo set a Guinness World Record for more than 40 years and 10,000 broadcasts together.The discussion then shifts to the topic of out-of-home advertising and why the format continues to generate mixed reactions among U.S. marketers despite strong growth in many international markets.Using Guideline data, Sean explains how the U.S. market compares globally and why the share of out-of-home spending is significantly lower than in countries such as China and the United Kingdom. While the U.S. represents roughly 70% of total advertising spend in Guideline’s dataset, it accounts for only about 40% of out-of-home spending—suggesting the channel is more mature and widely adopted internationally.Kelly and Sean also explore structural reasons behind the difference, including geography, population density, transportation habits, and the pace of digital billboard adoption.Although out-of-home represents a smaller portion of the U.S. media mix, the format is still projected to grow in the coming year. The growth is being driven primarily by digital placements and by industries that benefit from location-based targeting.Key topics include:The role of out-of-home advertising in the global media mixWhy the U.S. market trails other regions in adoptionGeographic and infrastructure factors affecting reachThe importance of digital out-of-home inventory growthIndustries currently increasing investment in the channelHow localized advertising strategies influence spendingSean also highlights emerging spend patterns from industries such as insurance and legal sports betting, which increasingly rely on geographic targeting and regulatory considerations when placing out-of-home campaigns.If you’d like access to the benchmark report or want to suggest a topic for the next part of the programmatic series, reach out to [email protected] you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments.And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.