OOH is Driving Real Revenue as the Measurement Gap Starts to Close

Digital marketing returns are under pressure as targeting weakens, costs rise, and audiences tune out. At the same time, attention is shifting back to the physical world, where brands carry more weight and visibility signals credibility. OOH is gaining ground because it delivers trust, reach, and measurable impact across the funnel. The real challenge is helping marketers confidently prove that value to leadership.

Greg Wise, Founder of OneScreen.ai, a platform modernizing OOH advertising with data-driven planning and measurement, is a founding member of HubSpot's eCommerce team and ranked in the top 1% of global sales reps selling against billboards. Managing 5 million square feet of retail space for Simon Property Group in a prior role let him see firsthand how physical space is monetized and how the industry’s technology lagged, insights that shape his understanding of why OOH is surging and what holds teams back.

"The majority of marketers already get it. It's not about convincing themselves; it's about giving them the confidence to sell it internally to a CEO, a board, or investors who still expect everything to look like last-touch attribution," Wise says. While linear TV, radio, and newspapers have declined, OOH has continued to grow, reflecting a deeper cultural shift.

• Strong punch: "There are two realities we're heading into: full-blown AI vaporware and nonhuman, or very human, real-world, IRL, and physical," Wise explains. Built spaces create influence and prestige that screens alone can’t deliver. "Real-world real estate is undefeated. Always has worked, always will work. It adds validity, trust, and makes brands feel premium. A human was behind it, placing it, and in a world of $20 Instagram ads, that trust still matters." Translating that impact into something stakeholders can evaluate is where challenges emerge.

• Selling the invisible: "There may be a board or investors that are a little bit allergic to out-of-home because they believe you can't measure it like everything else," Wise adds. That perception is rooted in how the industry has traditionally operated. "When I say legacy, it’s very much a pencil, paper, Post-it note type of vibe, sometimes in the literal sense. It’s about giving marketers confidence before launch: that they’re spending the right amount, buying the right inventory, in the right market, targeting the right audience."

• Pitch perfect: "Marketers have to be the best salespeople internally. The earlier you talk about it, show examples, and highlight what competitors are doing, the more you can educate. It’s about planning in advance and building the business case, what’s working and what’s not. Get your sales team or CRO involved early and explain how out-of-home drives pipeline. Always tie it back to the business outcome," says Wise. That business case gets easier when teams know which metrics to point to.

"We’ve been hell-bent on the bottom of the funnel and ignore that 95% of our audience isn’t ready to buy," he highlights. Shifting focus upstream means tracking signals that show real engagement. "Look at overall search volume and website traffic, did it increase in those geos? Branded search is the holy grail. Are people actually searching for us? Are we driving more quality traffic?" Those upper-funnel signals also show up in active deal cycles.

• Proof in the pipeline: "Did an account mid-sales cycle close faster because of the billboard?" Wise asks. The campaign didn't just raise awareness, it influenced actual buying decisions. "The salesperson confirmed the client found or heard about us through that campaign, a tangible impact on the business." Layering digital with OOH amplifies results. "Together, it lifts all boats." The results show up in the metrics and reactions across the organization. "Did digital ads in the same geo perform better? Is CPC down? Channels more efficient? CEOs and customers noticed, social posts amplified it, all measure of success." The approach works outside the booth too.

• Dodging the napkin tax: One fast-growing trend is using spaces around conferences, where in-venue sponsorship gets expensive. "We have a booth and drive pipeline, then get upsold on wraps, dinners, or other inside sponsorships, all adding up. You get more bang for your buck outside the conference," Wise notes. At the RSA cybersecurity conference, Maze flew an aerial banner instead of a booth. "It went gangbusters; rooftop parties, hundreds of calls and texts, and real target accounts booking meetings.”

• Caffeine and conversions: At NVIDIA's GTC conference, Crusoe deployed branded coffee carts and wrapped Uber and Lyft vehicles outside the venue. "Who doesn't love a good coffee? It's that surround sound effect. Attendees see your brand outside, go to your booth and say, 'How did you do that?' That sparks a conversation, a lead, pipeline, and revenue," Wise explains. The buzz generated outside the venue is proof of the broader impact OOH can deliver.

As marketers embrace a world beyond screens, OOH proves its power to create attention, elevate perception, and drive results that matter. For teams willing to build the case internally and harness physical presence strategically, the opportunity is clear: influence, visibility, and revenue grow together. "Out-of-home is fantastic, seeing your brand in the sky, on a plane, train, or billboard makes you smile 100% of the time; and tied to real business outcomes, it works," Wise concludes.