top of page
Search

Why Big Brands Still Undervalue Hoardings & Billboards ?


For decades, out-of-home (OOH) advertising—especially hoardings and billboards—has been one of the most powerful branding tools. It dominates city skylines, captures mass attention, and delivers unmatched physical presence.

Yet, when major brands sit down to plan marketing budgets, OOH is often an afterthought. And even when it is considered, budgets allocated to hoardings and billboards remain minimal compared to digital, TV, or performance media.

The question is why?

It’s not because OOH doesn’t work. It’s because the system around OOH is broken.


The Hard Truth: Why Brands Avoid Heavy Investment in OOH

Let’s be honest. Large brands don’t dislike OOH—they distrust it


1. Lack of Transparency

In digital marketing, a brand knows:

  • Where the ad is shown

  • When it is shown

  • How much it costs

  • Who saw it

In traditional OOH, brands are forced to rely on:

  • WhatsApp photos

  • Vendor promises

  • Manual confirmations

  • Post-campaign excuses

There is no single source of truth.


2. Zero Real Campaign Tracking

Once a billboard goes live, brands usually ask:

  • Was it actually installed on time?

  • Did it stay up for the full duration?

  • Was it visible or blocked?

Most of the time, there is no real-time proof, no live dashboard, and no standardized reporting.

In 2026, that’s unacceptable.


3. No Demographic or Audience Data

Digital ads come with:

  • Age group

  • Income bracket

  • Location heatmaps

  • Interest behavior

OOH? Mostly just “high traffic area” as a justification.

Brands don’t know:

  • Who passes the hoarding

  • At what time

  • With what intent

  • On which days

Without audience intelligence, CMOs can’t justify scaling budgets.


4. Vendor Mistrust & Execution Risk

OOH campaigns often involve:

  • Multiple intermediaries

  • Local operators

  • Sub-vendors

  • Site owners

Each layer increases:

  • Cost

  • Risk

  • Miscommunication

Payments are often made before execution, leaving brands exposed if things go wrong.


5. Inflated Pricing Due to Middlemen

A single billboard may pass through:

  • Site owner

  • Aggregator

  • Local agent

  • Media buyer

By the time it reaches the brand, the rate is 30–60% higher & sometime 2X, with no added value.


The Result?

Most brands say:

“Let’s keep OOH budget small. Focus more on digital.”

Not because OOH lacks impact—but because it lacks accountability.

Real-World Budget Reality (Illustrative Industry View)

The chart above shows a common pattern seen in many media plans:

  • Digital dominates with ~45% of spends

  • TV still commands strong trust

  • Print is declining

  • OOH gets barely ~10%

This isn’t due to performance—it’s due to measurability bias.


The Core Problem: OOH Never Became Tech-First

Digital advertising didn’t grow because banners were beautiful. It grew because:

  • It became trackable

  • It became automated

  • It became data-driven

OOH never evolved at the same pace.

Until now.


Enter OOTER: Rebuilding OOH for the Modern Brand

Why OOTER Exists

OOTER is not just another media agency. It is India’s first structured AdTech platform built exclusively for hoardings and billboards.

OOTER exists to solve exactly what brands hate about OOH.


What OOTER Changes (Fundamentally)


1. Transparent Digital Booking System

Brands can:

  • Search hoardings like hotel rooms

  • Check real-time availability

  • View standardized pricing

  • Book without negotiation chaos

No phone calls. No hidden margins.

2. Real-Time Campaign Visibility

OOTER enables:

  • Live campaign status

  • Execution confirmation

  • Time-stamped proof of display

  • Centralized Mobile App

Brands finally know what they paid for.

3. Demographics & Location Intelligence

OOTER’s roadmap includes:

  • Traffic density mapping

  • Area-based audience profiling

  • Daypart visibility insights

  • Future impression modeling

This brings OOH closer to programmatic thinking.

4. Post-Campaign Performance Insights

Instead of “campaign completed” emails, brands receive:

  • Visibility reports

  • Execution timelines

  • Location-wise summaries

  • Future optimization suggestions

OOH finally speaks the language of CMOs.

5. Reduced Cost Through Direct Network

By digitizing and organizing inventory:

  • Middle layers reduce

  • Prices become rational

  • Brands get better ROI

  • Vendors get fair volumes & Rates

A win-win ecosystem.


Why This Matters Now More Than Ever

India’s cities are exploding:

  • Higher urban mobility

  • Longer commute times

  • Denser traffic corridors

Digital fatigue is real. Ad blockers are everywhere. Attention is fragmented.

OOH is inevitable.

But only platforms like OOTER can make OOH:

  • Scalable

  • Accountable

  • Data-backed

  • Boardroom-approved


The Bigger Vision

OOTER isn’t just fixing hoardings. It’s building infrastructure for the offline advertising economy—just like what Google Workspace & Meta did for digital. Blinkit Partner & Zepto Cares did for retails

The future of OOH is not posters. It’s platforms.


Final Thought

Brands don’t underinvest in hoardings because they don’t work. They underinvest because they can’t measure, trust, or optimize them.


OOTER changes that.

And when trust meets transparency, budgets follow.

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page