Will OOH see its shadow this year?

OOH Today: Groundhog Day, But Make It Billboards

By Brent Baer, Publisher, OOH Today

Good morning, OOH pros. It’s Monday, February 2. 2026. It’s Groundhog Day — that magical moment when a rodent predicts the weather and the rest of us pretend this makes sense. But before we laugh too hard, let’s acknowledge something uncomfortable:

OOH has its own version of Groundhog Day

Same decks.
Same advertisers.
Same conversations.
Same categories.
Same objections.

Wake up. Check pipeline.
“Fast food?” Yep.
“Wireless?” Of course.
“Personal injury?” Naturally.

Roll over. Hit snooze. Repeat. Same, Same, Same…

Bill Murray, But in a Sales Meeting

If Bill Murray sold OOH, his day would go something like this:

• Wake up to “I Got You Babe” (aka last year’s rate card)
• Pitch the same three advertisers
• Hear “Let me check with my agency”
• Get ghosted
• See the same brands on the same boards
• Go home
• Repeat… forever

And like the movie, the loop doesn’t break until something changes.

The Real Groundhog Problem

The issue isn’t OOH.

The issue is how predictably we sell it.

Audiences notice.
Advertisers notice.
Even the groundhog notices.

When the same categories dominate public space year after year, OOH stops feeling dynamic and starts feeling… seasonal. Like pumpkin spice, but with fewer lattes.

How to Break the Loop (No Time Travel Required)

In Groundhog Day, Bill Murray escapes the loop by changing behavior.

OOH can do the same.

• Stop selling inventory. Start selling outcomes.
• Stop chasing only the top 10 advertisers. Start welcoming new ones.
• Stop saying “that’s not what we do.” Start saying “let’s test it.”
• Stop recycling decks. Start recycling categories.

New advertisers.
New verticals.
New ways to buy.

Same boards.
Very different results.

The Irony That Would Make a Groundhog Laugh

OOH is the most real-world medium there is.

Yet sometimes, we sell it like it’s stuck in a time loop.

Meanwhile:

• Screens are smarter
• Measurement is better
• Buying is easier
• Cities are changing

The medium moved forward.
Some habits didn’t.

The Forecast

Will OOH see its shadow this year?

If we keep doing the same thing, yes — six more months of the same advertisers, the same pitches, the same excuses.

If we change the approach?

Spring comes early.

It’s a warning about repetition without evolution.

Final Thought

Groundhog Day isn’t a warning about the weather.

It’s a warning about repetition without evolution.

So this year, let’s break the loop.

Because OOH doesn’t need another shadow.

It needs new advertisers, new ideas, and new energy.

And unlike the groundhog…

We actually get to choose.