What Happens After Someone Sees Your Billboard Ad?

Every marketer has wondered: What really happens after someone sees a billboard ad? Do they visit a store, search online, or keep the message in mind for later?

For years, out-of-home (OOH) advertising has been recognized for its reach and visibility. But as digital media continues to dominate attention and budgets, some marketers still question whether billboard exposure translates into measurable results. Kantar’s recent industry research and research studies from RADARProof, Clear Channel’s proprietary data and measurement solution, suggest it does: OOH drives impact across the full funnel, from building awareness and shaping brand perception to driving measurable impact on visits and sales.

Building awareness and brand perception

Billboard advertising excels at the top of the funnel, where brands need to build awareness and shape how consumers think and feel about them. Kantar's five-year study found that OOH outperforms both digital and connected TV in driving ad awareness, brand favorability, and purchase intent.

OOH accomplishes this through visibility that feels natural, not intrusive. It integrates brand messages into people's everyday environments where brand perceptions are formed and reinforced, building trust through familiarity and consistency.

Our own case studies demonstrate these brand-building effects across categories. The premium Spanish liqueur brand, Licor 43, partnered with CCO to increase brand awareness and position itself as the key ingredient in a popular cocktail. Among affluent adults 21 and older, brand favorability increased by 40%, purchase intent rose by 33%, and 34% of respondents associated the brand with its signature drink. Results like these show how OOH can positively shape brand perception and deepen consumer connection.

Driving consideration and engagement

As consumers move down the funnel, billboard exposure continues to influence behavior. A number of case studies show billboards drive measurable online engagement and consideration across categories.

A regional credit union saw website visits increase significantly in the first three days following campaign exposure, demonstrating how OOH can trigger quick digital engagement. Twitch, the streaming platform popular among gamers, saw a 90% incremental lift in monthly active users on the platform from those exposed to their billboard campaign.

These examples highlight how billboards keep brands memorable and move consumers toward action. This memorability helps brands remain part of the consideration set, supporting both immediate and delayed conversions.

Driving store visits and sales

Billboard campaigns deliver measurable response at the bottom of the funnel as well. No matter the industry, time and again, studies prove that OOH drives both visits and sales - often within hours or days of exposure. Here are some examples from our case study library:

These results show that billboards help brands connect with consumers during daily moments of decision: on commutes, near retail centers, and in high-traffic corridors when they are ready to act.

Frequency multiplies results

Exposure matters, but repetition amplifies impact. Because people tend to travel the same routes each day, a billboard campaign can engage them multiple times without feeling intrusive. This steady repetition helps move audiences from awareness to action.

Research tracking OOH exposures against real-world behavior consistently demonstrates that higher frequency drives stronger results. Across multiple CCO studies, consumers exposed to an OOH ad 14 or more times were four times more likely to visit the advertised location than those who saw it once. In app-based campaigns, repeat OOH exposure led to users being 10 times more likely to install the app and place repeat orders. The frequency effect works across categories:

What this means for your campaign

The path from billboard exposure to action is not a mystery. Across hundreds of case studies and years of industry research, the evidence is clear: billboard advertising drives stronger recall, improved brand favorability, increased consideration, and more visits - online and in-store.

Whether your goal is building awareness, shaping perception, driving consideration, or generating visits and sales, OOH delivers measurable impact across the full funnel. If you want to understand how billboard advertising can move your audience from awareness to conversion, explore our case studies to see how brands across industries are achieving results with OOH campaigns and CCO’s media solutions.