McLarney urges unity to strengthen the industry, Spooner calls for better measurement methods, and SignValue partners with Walmart for nationwide billboard opportunities. Here’s your weekly roundup of the top stories across Out-of-Home, curated with commentary from BB for the week ending April 12, 2025.
1. Securing the Future of Out-of-Home Advertising: A Call for Industry Unity
Betsy McLarney, CEO of EMC Outdoor, highlights the vital role of Geopath, the industry’s measurement body, in providing standardized and trustworthy data. She strongly urges the industry to rally behind Geopath, warning that any efforts to undermine it could destabilize the foundation of the OOH sector. McLarney’s call to action emphasizes the importance of collaboration to overcome challenges and ensure a prosperous future for OOH advertising.
The industry is already experiencing record-breaking revenue growth, fueled by the rise of digital OOH advertising. The article champions industry unity and the adoption of standardized measurement as the key to unlocking the full potential of OOH, ensuring that it continues to thrive in the years ahead.
B.B.’s Take: Kudo’s to Betsy McLarney, one of the few OOH principals to step forward and comment on the vital role of Geopath.
2. Why your OOH brand lift results are statistically flawed
This article delves into the complexities of measuring the effectiveness of out-of-home (OOH) advertising. Spooner highlights the issue of spatial autocorrelation, where proximity to an advertised location influences consumer behavior, potentially confounding the true impact of the ad exposure. He points out that traditional methods matching control groups solely based on demographics fail to account for this proximity factor, leading to misleading performance metrics. This oversight hampers accurate evaluations of campaign effectiveness and complicates comparisons across different measurement approaches.
To address these challenges, Spooner advocates for more sophisticated measurement techniques that consider both demographic and locational data. By integrating these factors, advertisers can achieve a more precise understanding of OOH advertising’s true impact. This approach transforms OOH from a medium measured by impressions and reach into one evaluated by tangible business outcomes.
B.B.’s Take: Shawn Spooner’s measurement narrative is very different then the standard Kool-Aid the OOH Industry is consistently poured . Well worth the read.
3. SignValue Named Exclusive Billboard Leasing Representative for Walmart
SignValue has been appointed as the exclusive billboard leasing representative for Walmart, unlocking out-of-home advertising opportunities across over 5,000 high-traffic retail locations nationwide. This collaboration allows brands to engage with millions of Walmart shoppers daily through strategically placed digital and static billboards, enhancing the shopping experience and providing valuable exposure for businesses.
Paul Wright, CEO of SignValue, expressed enthusiasm about delivering innovative advertising solutions that boost customer engagement while increasing property values for both Walmart and advertisers.
B.B.’s Take: 5,000 Walmart locations are now in play for OOH ad space. Instead of Saul, you better call Paul.