By Jeffrey Hayzlett
I’ve been in marketing and media long enough to see just about every channel evolve — print, radio, television, digital, mobile. But one of the most fascinating transformations happening right now is in a place people have been advertising for centuries: outside.
On a recent episode of All Business with Jeffrey Hayzlett, I sat down with Barry Frey, President and CEO of DPAA, the global trade organization leading the charge in digital out-of-home advertising. Barry has spent his career helping reinvent media from launching networks like Syfy and Euronews to driving digital innovation across the advertising industry.
What we talked about wasn’t just billboards; it was the future of how brands connect with consumers in the real world.
And let me tell you, it’s bigger than most people realize.
The Oldest Medium Is Becoming the Smartest
Out-of-home advertising might be the original marketing channel. As Barry joked during the show, it probably started when someone drew on a cave wall thousands of years ago.
But the medium we once thought of as static billboards is undergoing a massive transformation.
Today, traditional billboards are rapidly turning into digital screens. Instead of one ad sitting there for a month, a digital display can run multiple ads, change messages instantly, and adapt based on factors like time of day, weather, or even current events.
That’s a massive leap forward.
Companies like Daktronics, LG, and Panasonic are powering the technology behind many of the displays you see everywhere from stadiums to transit stations to the giant screens lighting up Times Square.
But what really makes this transformation interesting isn’t the screens themselves, it’s the data and intelligence behind them.
Digital Out-of-Home Is Becoming a Data-Driven Channel
For years, marketers viewed billboards as a broad-reach awareness tool. You put the message out there and hoped the right people saw it.
That’s no longer the case.
With digital out-of-home, advertisers can now use mobile data and audience insights to understand who is actually in front of a screen and what they do afterward.
Did someone see the ad and walk into a store?
Did they visit the brand’s website?
Did purchases increase in the area?
Those insights help marketers measure real ROI, not just impressions.
And thanks to programmatic buying, brands can even adjust campaigns on the fly.
If the weather turns cold, a coffee brand can push ads for hot drinks.
If a sports event ends nearby, a restaurant can promote late-night specials.
That kind of flexibility didn’t exist in outdoor advertising just a few years ago.
Why Marketers Are Paying Attention Again
One of the biggest themes Barry and I discussed was how digital out-of-home fits into today’s omni-channel marketing environment.
The smartest marketers aren’t thinking about channels in isolation anymore. They’re thinking about the entire customer journey.
Where do people live?
Where do they travel?
Where do they shop?
Digital out-of-home now sits right in the middle of that journey.
And it’s everywhere, elevators, gyms, gas pumps, office buildings, retail stores, and transportation hubs. Companies like Captivate have built entire networks of screens targeting professionals in office buildings, while retail locations increasingly use digital displays to influence purchasing decisions right at the shelf.
That’s powerful.
Here’s a stat that should get every marketer’s attention: roughly 85% of purchases still happen in physical stores. Yet only a tiny percentage of retail media spending goes toward in-store digital screens.
That gap represents a massive opportunity.
AI Is Changing the Game Again
Of course, no conversation about media today would be complete without talking about AI.
Barry shared how artificial intelligence is already transforming media planning in digital out-of-home. Instead of spending weeks building a campaign plan, marketers can now ask a system to target a specific audience. He used the example of women shopping for cars in a particular city and instantly generating a digital out-of-home media strategy for that target audience.
And we’re only scratching the surface.
In the future, AI will help optimize campaigns in real time, adjust creative messaging based on audiences, and make outdoor advertising as dynamic as any online campaign.
The Next Frontier: Retail Media and Autonomous Vehicles
Two trends Barry highlighted really caught my attention.
First is the explosion of retail media. Brands are investing heavily in advertising that influences consumers at the exact moment they’re making purchase decisions.
Digital out-of-home screens in stores, on the path to purchase, and inside retail environments are going to play a big role in that growth.
The second is autonomous vehicles.
As self-driving technology becomes more common, companies like Waymo are already scaling their services, people may spend less time watching the road and more time interacting with the world around them.
That means more engagement opportunities with the screens and experiences outside the vehicle.
Think QR codes, augmented reality, or interactive content built directly into the environment.
What I Learned from This Conversation
Here’s the big one from this episode:
Digital out-of-home isn’t just evolving, it’s becoming one of the most powerful channels in modern marketing.
From the roadside billboards that helped build iconic businesses like Wall Drug decades ago to the massive digital displays lighting up cities around the world today, outdoor advertising has always been about visibility.
Now it’s about intelligence.
Screens are getting smarter.
Data is getting deeper.
And marketers finally have the tools to measure what happens after someone sees the ad.
That combination is going to reshape the advertising landscape in a big way.
And if you’re a business leader thinking about how to reach customers in the real world not just online, you’d better start paying attention.
Because the biggest screens in marketing are only getting smarter.
Watch the full episode of All Business with Jeffrey Hayzlett, live from the New York Stock Exchange.
