Billboards — Yes, Billboards — Are Having A Heyday In A Digital World

It’s the era of internet advertising. The era of targeting that tracks you across browsers, platforms and across the city. The era of apps that know what you want before you do. But surprisingly, a seemingly retro ad format — outdoor advertising — is also having its heyday. Ads on billboards, buses and at venues like baseball stadiums are expected to see record spending this year. Worldwide ad spend on so-called “out-of-home” advertising is expected to reach $38 billion this year, up 3 percent since last year and 35 percent since 2010, according to data from ad measurement company Zenith. That’s the fastest-growing non-internet ad media besides cinema, which is drastically smaller — making percentage gains easier — and where the growth is mostly in China. Out-of-home ads, which make up 7 percent of total ad spending, have outperformed the rest of non-internet media, including TV, for the past six years. Read more at Recode.