Outdoor advertising in the media mix
Outdoor advertising does not only work on its own. It also makes TV, social and search work better. Here are the key figures from the research, in one place.
Does this apply to scaffolding advertising too?
The studies measure outdoor advertising as a category: billboards, building banners, buses and street furniture. Scaffolding and facade banners are large formats on buildings, and they work the same way: they are seen before the search, they build trust because they are physically present, and they are seen again and again by people who take the same route every day. Large formats are also the ones most often photographed and shared. The figures are not measured on scaffolding specifically, so use them to explain how the medium works, not as a promise of what one site delivers.
The figures come from US and UK studies as cited in OUTFRONT Media’s 2026 media kit. They are not measured on our own sites, but they show how the medium works. The source is given with each figure.
The first impression
When people both see an outdoor ad and meet the brand on social media or in a search, the outdoor ad almost always comes first. It creates the curiosity, and search and social harvest it afterwards. That is why last-click measurement undervalues outdoor: it rarely gets the last click, but it often starts everything.
It makes the other media better
Campaigns that add outdoor to TV, social or search perform markedly better than campaigns without it. That is what analyses of hundreds of campaigns in the IPA effectiveness databank show. Outdoor works as an amplifier: it makes people recognise the brand when they meet it again on a screen.
Trust a screen cannot give
It is getting harder to trust what you see on a screen. An ad in the physical city shows that a brand is real, serious and present where people live. That is why outdoor is one of the media people trust most.
Impact you can measure
Outdoor is not measured in clicks, but it can certainly be measured. Awareness, consideration, website visits and store visits rise while the campaign is up. These figures are averages from one provider’s own effect studies, so treat them as a benchmark rather than a guarantee.
How to use it in your plan
- Start with outdoor. Put the banner up at the start of the campaign so it builds awareness before the digital ads begin.
- Use the same look. When the image on the scaffolding and the ad on the phone match, people recognise the brand straight away.
- Follow up digitally in the same area. Target social and search at the neighbourhoods where your sites are.
- Measure the right things. Track brand searches, direct traffic and store visits during the campaign, not just clicks.
Questions and answers
Does outdoor advertising work with digital marketing?
Yes. Studies show that outdoor exposure comes before the search and the social post in the vast majority of cases, and that campaigns combining outdoor with search or TV more often reach their goals. Outdoor creates the awareness, and the digital channels harvest it.
Why does my attribution model not show the effect of outdoor?
Because most models credit the last click. Outdoor rarely gets the last click, but it often creates the curiosity that leads to the search. Measure brand searches, direct traffic and visits during the period instead, and compare with a period without.
How much of the budget should go to outdoor?
It depends on the goal. For launches and awareness, outdoor can carry a large part of the plan. For performance campaigns it works best as an amplifier on top of search and social. We are happy to help find the right split.
Want to see how outdoor fits your next campaign? We will put together a proposal with sites, period and expected reach.