Outdoor advertising has been around as long as advertising itself, but the old medium is showing new life. In fact, as digital, video and wireless technologies redefine
the sector over the next few years, out-of-home will rank second only
to Internet advertising in ad spending growth.

eMarketer projects that US outdoor advertising revenues will rise from $6.8 billion in 2006 to $10.2 billion in 2011.

"Outdoor advertising is bucking the trend," says Ben Macklin, eMarketer Senior Analyst and author of the new report, Outdoor Advertising: A New Look.
"While other traditional advertising sectors are struggling to adapt to
increasingly fragmented audiences and changing media consumption
patterns, the out-of-home advertising sector is actually reaping the
benefits of the evolving media landscape."

Unlike TV or radio, out-of-home advertising is immune to
channel or Web surfing and digital and video technologies are making
the medium more compelling and effective.

As an example of the opportunities that new technologies are
opening up, out-of-home video advertising networks will comprise the
largest component of what is described as the "alternative" out-of-home
advertising sector.

"Out-of-home video, also known as narrowcasting, is video
content and advertising distributed to captive audiences in such places
as retail outlets, transit vehicles, office buildings, shopping malls,
theatres, bars and restaurants, gas stations, hotels and gyms," says
Mr. Macklin.

eMarketer forecasts that out-of-home video advertising
spending in the US will total $2.25 billion in 2011, up from $1.26
billion in 2007.

The falling costs of flat panel LCDs, combined with the emergence of
IP and wireless Internet technology are driving the out-of-home video
advertising market.

"Another significant driver of the out-of-home advertising
sector is that US consumers are spending more time outside their homes,
shopping, dining, walking, traveling and waiting," says Mr. Macklin.

According to Veronis Suhler Stevenson,
US consumers spend twice as much time away from home than they did 30
years ago and the average daily commute has doubled to about an hour.

"New delivery and measurement tools are also giving
advertisers the confidence to embrace the emerging new creative
possibilities that out-of-home offers," says Mr. Macklin.

Via eMarketer