How revenue generated from advertising in public spaces directly funds and maintains essential infrastructure.
‘Life Without Out of Home’, a video campaign from the Outdoor Media Association (OMA), shows how the OOH advertising sector contributes to public infrastructure across Australia.
The campaign, created by Howatson+Co, reveals how revenue generated from advertising in public spaces directly funds and maintains essential infrastructure, like bus shelters, public toilets and pedestrian bridges.
“People see an ad in a public space, but what they don’t see is how that ad is helping pay for the infrastructure we all rely on, and how much it saves taxpayers,” said Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO at OMA.
In 2024, the OMA commissioned Deloitte Access Economics and found that the OOH industry contributes an estimated $1.3 billion to the Australian economy and develop, manage and maintain over 21,500 public infrastructure items valued at more than $650 million, directly supporting infrastructure and services used by millions of Australians.
McIntyre said it’s not just about ads.
“It’s about jobs, infrastructure, and creating value that would otherwise come from the public purse,” she said.
“For every dollar of value added by OOH advertising companies, there is more than another dollar of value added across the broader economy.”
The ‘Life Without OOH’ campaign is being launched as governments consider further restrictions on advertising, including a ban on occasional food and drink ads on Adelaide Metro buses, trains and trams from July 1.
Industry leaders are urging a more balanced understanding of the role OOH advertising plays in supporting communities.
