How much does Out-of-Home advertising cost?

Over 20+ years working in Out-of-Home across Europe and the US, I’ve worked with every type of brand — from behemoths spending tens of millions a year like Apple and Diageo, to local Mom and Pops trying to drive traffic into their stores.

And no matter the size of the brand or the market, one question always comes up:

“How much does OOH cost?”

Or, more bluntly: “Isn’t OOH too expensive?”

There’s a long-standing perception that Out-of-Home is a high-cost channel — and sometimes, that’s true. If you’re running a brand fame campaign in New York, you may be investing in premium inventory or landmark placements. Those boards can sit at the pricier end of the spectrum, and the demand for them may yield higher CPMs.

But OOH isn’t one-size-fits-all. A tightly targeted proximity campaign designed to drive foot traffic into a store can look very different — and cost very differently — to a huge awareness push.

That’s why the first question should never be “How much does OOH cost?”

It should always be: "What do you want OOH to do?"

If its brand awareness, OOH is one of the most powerful channels available. Studies consistently show high recall — in some cases up to 86% — outperforming most digital channels and making it a strong driver of brand fame.

If your goal is website or app traffic, OOH can still deliver. Strategically placed ads often trigger mobile searches and site visits, with some campaigns driving 100%+ lifts in web traffic during flight.

And for physical store visits, OOH is especially effective as the final nudge before purchase. Research shows it’s the highest-recalled medium within 30 minutes of shopping, which makes proximity placements incredibly effective for driving foot traffic.

Let's not forget Out-of-Home's hidden superpower... it improves the performance of other channels!

So — how much does OOH cost?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there's no silver bullet on this one. It depends entirely on your objectives.

Over the course of my career, I’ve overseen hundreds of millions of dollars in Out-of-Home spend across markets, categories, and brand sizes. But one of the campaigns that still stands out most in my mind was one with a budget of under $30,000.

In 2022, I worked with an uber premium jewelry brand located off of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The brand had low unaided awareness, and the goals were simple: raise awareness of the store and increase foot traffic to it.

With a very modest budget, we placed just three transit shelters within walking distance of the location, carefully chosen along Magnificent Mile - in proximity to both the store and its competitors.

Despite the small-scale campaign (sadly, too small for us to measure with actual data), the results were meaningful. The client saw a noticeable increase in foot traffic, and sales peaked both during and after the campaign period. It was a clear example of how smart placement and a precise objective can outperform the campaign budget.

So, what's the point of this?

The point is that cost is relative. Not every brand needs, nor can they afford a splashy, high impact plan in ten markets... and they don't all need to.

They just need to stand out enough to influence their target audience in the right place, at the right time.

And the reality? Average CPMs for OOH are $10-12, significantly less than TV & Video without the heavy production outlay.

So yes, OOH can be expensive - but it doesn't have to be.

The good news is that there are some great OOH specialists, like us at CLIQSTREET, who'll make any budget work harder through smarter placements and creative executions.