Do Billboards Still Work? A No-BS Look at the Effectiveness of Out-of-Home Advertising

June 16, 2025

Billboards: relics of a past when we actually looked up on the highway—or still a viable weapon in the modern marketer’s arsenal?

Turns out, the answer isn’t black or white. It’s more like a 48-foot-tall gray area—visible to thousands, measurable by few, and effective… if you know what you’re doing.

We combed through dozens of real-world stories and industry perspectives from marketers, business owners, and billboard veterans to give you a grounded, no-fluff perspective on whether billboard advertising is worth it—for local businesses, national brands, and everything in between.

1. Billboards Still Work—But Only If You Respect the Medium

Let’s get one thing out of the way: OOH advertising isn’t dead. It’s just misunderstood.

From seasoned pros to local restaurateurs, most agree: when executed well, billboards can drive serious brand lift. Especially for:

Law offices
Fashion brands
Restaurants and entertainment venues
Political campaigns
Local service providers

One advertiser recalled branding a local Italian restaurant as the most authentic in town. Years later, that perception still stuck, long after the ad came down. Another marketer noted that strategic billboards led to noticeable lifts in digital KPIs—even when the billboard didn’t include a link, QR code, or offer.

The takeaway: Billboards shine for brand awareness and perception. Not direct conversion. Think echoes, not clicks.

2. Location Is Half the Game

Billboard success hinges on three things:
Location. Location. Location.

A high-impact board before a major interchange? Gold. A dusty panel on a backroad? Probably not moving the needle.

As one longtime OOH strategist put it: “Pick a market to launch OOH, and watch your digital KPIs jump. But don’t try to track performance by slapping on a unique URL or phone number—it’s not that kind of party.”

The most effective placements often align with daily routines—commutes, school runs, or heavily trafficked neighborhoods. And yes, that includes the one by the drive-thru.

3. Creativity Still Wins (Or Fails Loudly)

A billboard is a punchline with a 5-second window. That’s it.

The creative must be:

Instantly digestible
Visually bold
Emotionally sticky

One legendary example still making rounds? Wonderbra’s “Hello Boys” campaign from the ’90s. Just 17 billboards across the UK made global noise. That’s the power of killer creative.

Billboards also work when the content is hyper-relevant—like a real estate development sign reading: “If you lived here, you’d be home by now.” Simple. Contextual. Memorable.

4. Tracking Is a Gray Area (But Not Impossible)

Let’s be honest: attribution is a weak spot for OOH. It’s rarely as clean as digital’s click-to-buy trail.

Still, it’s not hopeless. Some use techniques like:

Vanity URLs with UTM parameters
Redirects to track billboard-based traffic
Lift studies (comparing campaign vs. control markets)
Mobile geo-fencing and retargeting (yes, that’s a thing now)

Agencies like Reveal Mobile and Accretive Media are pushing tracking tech, but the truth is—billboards are a long game. They support brand equity, not impulse purchases.

5. Use It to Prove Legitimacy—Especially for Startups

One overlooked perk? Perception.

Startups and online-first brands often use billboard campaigns not for direct ROI, but to prove they’re real. To show up in the physical world and shed the “sketchy dot-com” image.

One commenter summed it up well: “A billboard says: I’m not just some internet scam—I’m a legit company that bought a damn billboard.” And in a cynical ad environment, that presence matters.

6. Don’t Touch It Unless Other Channels Are Dialed

OOH can amplify, but it can’t save a weak funnel.

If your business hasn’t dialed in digital acquisition, website UX, or basic conversion tracking, dumping money into billboards is like buying a megaphone when you’ve got no message.

In other words: Don’t lead with billboards—layer them in once the machine is humming.