OOH into Action: Travel Surges, Consumer Habits Shift, and Brands Respond
How disruptive was the Covid-19 pandemic? So much so that it is still being used barometer to measure everything from travel to consumer sales.
“COVID was a major inflection point that reshaped routines, mobility patterns, and media consumption,” said Anna Bager, President and CEO of the OAAA (Out of Home Advertising Association of America). “Using it as a benchmark helps us understand how behaviors have evolved and what new habits are sticking.”
She cited increased driving and local exploration as post-COVID behaviors that continue to grow, which is integral for OOH and local-ad planning and media investment decisions.
The Association recently released its 2025 Travel and OOH Impact Study, conducted in partnership with The Harris Poll. Findings showed nearly four in 10 consumers are driving more today than before COVID. Eighty-three percent of U.S. adults and nearly nine in 10 Gen Z adults are planning leisure trips in the months ahead. OOH ads are influencing consumer plans on the road, Bager said.
She sat down with StreetFight to discuss the findings more in-depth.
How has the surge in post-pandemic travel reshaped the role of Out of Home (OOH) advertising in brand strategy, particularly during peak seasons like summer?
With Out of Home audiences at historic highs, the acceleration of travel has reaffirmed OOH’s role as a real-world trigger for action. During peak travel seasons like summer, more consumers are in the OOH world, more observant, and more open to inspiration. This puts OOH at the center of brand strategies that aim to meet consumers where they are, both geographically and mentally. Brands are using OOH not just for awareness but for discovery, inspiration, and direct influence on purchase decisions.
How are brands adjusting OOH placements to meet this growing mobile audience?
OOH highway and roadside advertising is at record levels, particularly along popular travel corridors and near key destinations. Digital OOH is driving our industry growth and we see more brands leaning into dynamic creative; tailoring messages to time of day, traffic patterns, and even weather. This approach ensures OOH campaigns are relevant in the moment and positioned to reach travelers when they’re most attentive.
The study shows 79% of people rode in a car and 58% walked in a downtown area in one week—how are advertisers using this mobility data to refine hyperlocal targeting through OOH?
Advertisers are becoming more surgical with their OOH placements. They’re using real-time mobility data and geolocation insights to identify targeted traffic zones by demographic, behavior, and time of day. This allows for precise placement and creative rotation that speaks directly to the audience, whether it’s commuters, city walkers, or tourists exploring a downtown area.
Given that 87% of travelers who notice airport OOH ads take action, what kinds of creative strategies are most effective in capturing attention in high-foot traffic travel hubs?
In travel hubs like airports, simplicity and immediacy win. High-impact visuals, concise calls to action, and QR codes that drive direct engagement are proving highly effective. We also see brands leaning into context, speaking to the mindset of travelers who are anticipating a journey or making plans on the fly. Contextual relevance combined with visual clarity makes a strong airport OOH campaign stand out.
More than half of consumers say they’ve added a destination to their bucket list after seeing it in an OOH ad. How can tourism boards and hospitality brands best leverage this discovery behavior?
OOH is a discovery engine. For tourism and hospitality brands, this means using evocative visuals, storytelling, and aspirational messaging to spark the imagination. The goal is to capture interest and imagination , on the highway, in the airport, or even walking through a city, and translate that inspiration into research and bookings. The right creative and placement can make OOH the first spark in a consumer’s travel journey.
How are marketers tailoring OOH messaging to different generational behaviors and intent signals?
Generational behaviors vary, but intent signals, like travel planning or commuting frequency, are often more telling. Gen Z, for instance, is highly mobile and digitally connected, so brands often leverage OOH to drive online activation such as search and social amplification or to enhance mobile retargeting. Boomers may respond more to scenic, nostalgic messaging. Ultimately, smart OOH campaigns use both demographic insights and behavioral data to speak to the right audience with the right tone.
The study notes that OOH ads spark decisions “at the exact moments decisions are being made.” How can hotel brands use OOH to influence booking behavior in real time?
Hotels can leverage OOH in proximity to key decision points, like highways leading into major cities, airport arrival zones, or near event venues. Real-time messaging such as “Book Tonight,” “Vacancy Nearby,” or “Limited Summer Rates” creates urgency and relevance. When paired with mobile activations or QR codes, OOH becomes a direct response driver, not just a branding tool.
What emerging technologies or data partnerships do you see enhancing the effectiveness of travel-related OOH campaigns in the next 12–18 months?
Relevancy drives effectiveness, so programmatic OOH and data-driven creative optimization will continue to gain traction. Brands are tapping into location intelligence, weather data, and even flight arrival schedules to serve contextually relevant ads in real time. We’re also seeing more collaboration between OOH companies and mobile/location data companies, allowing for precise measurement and cross-channel retargeting. This convergence of tech, data, and creativity will continue to drive ROI for travel-focused campaigns.
To learn more about the evolution of OOH, join us September 30th at StreetFightLive , in Los Angeles.
