Out of Home is Driving More Than Awareness—It’s Driving Shoppers to Showrooms

For years, Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising has been proving its effectiveness in driving awareness and brand recall. But today’s OOH does much more—it’s a proven catalyst for lower funnel activity, including store traffic, sales and customer loyalty. Now, with advances in measurement and attribution, OOH is converting exposure into real-world visits and the automotive industry is accelerating as a result.

Nearly Doubling Auto Retailer Visits with OOH

A recent automotive case study leveraged Clear Channel Outdoor’s industry-leading RADAR solutions. The results speak volumes about the direct response power of OOH. Dealerships that ran OOH campaigns experienced an 83% increase in visits compared to control groups. That’s nearly double the foot traffic and represents an extraordinary uplift that demonstrates how OOH isn’t just making impressions, it’s making customers.

And these aren’t just casual passersby. Our analysis showed that 36% of those exposed to the OOH campaign visited a dealership within just one week. That’s immediate, measurable impact. For auto brands, this speed-to-action is especially important, as it shows OOH’s unique ability to capture attention and drive urgency at key decision-making moments in the consumer journey.

Repeat Visitors, Not Just One-Timers

What’s more compelling? OOH is attracting new visitors for brands and bringing them back. The campaign delivered a 66% increase in repeat visits, proving that the medium has a lasting influence on consumer behavior. Whether it’s a second look at a vehicle, follow-up test drives, or simply the reinforcement of brand credibility, OOH leaves an impression that sticks.

Incrementality, the measure of activity that would not have occurred without the campaign, becomes clearer in these kinds of outcomes. When customers visit more frequently than they did before, or when first-time visitors begin regular interactions with a brand, that’s “incrementality” at work. And in the auto sector, where each additional visit represents deeper engagement with high-ticket purchases, this matters more than ever.

OOH Measurement That’s Evolved

Today’s OOH campaigns come equipped with robust attribution capabilities. With RADARProof and integrated solutions from top measurement partners, we can now connect consumer behavior from exposure to action. Brands can determine not only who visited but how often, how recently after exposure, and understand whether those visits were net new or accelerated by OOH.

This kind of actionable insight is what modern marketers need to justify and optimize spend. And it’s why performance-driven categories like automotive are leaning into OOH with renewed confidence.

OOH’s Role in a Full-Funnel Strategy

Auto sales aren’t the only sector seeing impact. Recent campaigns across CPG and food service delivery verticals reveal similar patterns of incremental visits, increased purchase intent, and repeat behavior. In one CPG campaign, the brand saw 72% of sales among exposed audiences were from new customers. And importantly, 50% of consumers purchased the advertised product within two weeks of OOH exposure.

In addition, a leading delivery app wanted to acquire new users and dominate select markets in Florida via a high-reach digital bulletin campaign market-wide in key DMAs within the state. Working with an industry-leading mobile measurement partner panel, this campaign drove significant lift in orders from new app users and repeat orders from existing customers. There was a 31% lift in new order rates and a 2x lift in repeat orders among exposed audiences.

Across categories of advertisers, the pattern is consistent: OOH works. It’s the visibility that can’t be skipped, the prompt at just the right intersection, and now, the channel that can be tied directly to footfall and sales.

Turning Impressions into Outcomes

The message is clear: OOH is no longer just about reach and frequency. It’s about driving business outcomes with measurable precision. For auto brands, this means showroom visits, website vists, engaged buyers, and loyal customers. As the landscape of media continues to evolve, the resurgence of OOH, powered by data, fueled by creativity and focused on performance, is making it an essential part of every marketer’s toolbox.

With capabilities like these, it’s no wonder OOH is one of the fastest-growing traditional media formats in the U.S. The road ahead is bright, and brands that want to stay ahead of the curve know it’s time to put OOH in the driver’s seat.