Roadside
Large screens on main roads and highways, seen for a moment at speed.
Best for: Being remembered locally. Seven words or fewer, name front and centre.
Digital
billboards.
DOOH, digital out-of-home, means ads on digital screens: roadside billboards, shopping centres, airports, gyms and petrol stations. It's now most of the outdoor industry in Australia: 76.6% of out-of-home revenue in 2025. Unlike a printed billboard, you can buy it by the hour, change the message in minutes and target by place and time. It works best for being remembered locally, not for getting clicks, so it needs a way to measure that isn't a click.
Written by Dan Picken, founder. Last checked 28 October 2026.From my audits
What I see
with outdoor.
I've run DOOH alongside search and social. These are the patterns that matter most.
- 1
Too many words
Roadside screens carrying a phone number, a web address and three offers. Nobody reads past the first line at 60 km/h.
- 2
Nothing to land on
People see the screen, search the name, and the business barely shows up. The billboard did its job and the search result lost the customer.
- 3
Judged on the wrong thing
Outdoor gets dropped because 'it didn't drive clicks'. It was never going to. It needed an area test and a look at brand searches.
- 4
Booked by the map, not the buyer
Screens picked because they're near the business, rather than where customers live, drive and shop.
How DOOH works now
Billboards,
bought like ads.
Digital screens changed outdoor from a long contract for one sign into something closer to online advertising.
- 01
It reaches almost everyone
The industry's audience measure, MOVE, found outdoor advertising reaches 97% of Australians aged 14 and over each week.
What I do: Use it for reach in a place, not for a narrow audience. Pick screens by where your buyers live, work and drive.
- 02
Bought by time and place
Digital screens rotate several advertisers, so you can buy specific hours, days and locations instead of a whole month on one sign.
What I do: Match screens to moments: breakfast-run roadsides for a café, Friday afternoons for a weekend trade, near the showroom for a car dealer.
- 03
Rules about where ads go
The Outdoor Media Association's placement policy bans ads for products like alcohol and gambling within a 150-metre sightline of a school, with alcohol covered everywhere in Australia.
What I do: Check the screen's surroundings before booking if you sell anything age-restricted.
- 04
No clicks to count
Nobody clicks a billboard, so the platform can't report sales. The honest way to measure is to compare areas with screens against similar areas without, the geo experiment approach Google's researchers describe.
What I do: Plan the measurement before booking: which areas get screens, which don't, and what you'll compare.
Industry figures from the Outdoor Media Association as reported by Mediaweek. The industry's own numbers, so read them as the industry's case for itself.
Screen copy check
Can they read it
in a glance?
People see a roadside screen for a moment, often while driving. Paste the words you want on yours, and your business name. It checks them against the rules of thumb most outdoor planners use.
Words on the screen
0
These are rules of thumb used across the outdoor industry, not research findings. A walk-past screen in a shopping centre can carry more words than a roadside one.
Where screens are
Four places,
four different jobs.
A screen's location decides what it can do. The words that work on a roadside fail in a gym, and the other way round.
Retail and shopping centres
Screens near shops, often seen on foot with time to read.
Best for: Nudging a purchase nearby. Room for an offer and a direction: 'Level 1, near Coles'.
Transport
Train stations, bus shelters and airports, with waiting time.
Best for: Longer messages and repeat exposure to commuters.
Venues
Gyms, petrol stations, cafés, medical centres.
Best for: Reaching a specific crowd in a specific mood, like health products at the gym.
How most outdoor is bought.
How I plan it.
Most outdoorHow I do it
LocationsNear the business, or what the sales rep offers.Where your buyers are, at the times they're there.
MessageEverything about the business.One thing to remember, readable in a glance.
SearchNot considered.Brand searches checked first, so people who look you up find you.
MeasurementImpressions from the screen owner.Areas with screens compared with areas without.Cause Testing
How it works
Four steps.
Nothing hidden.
- 01
Free audit
I check how you show up when people search your name, before anyone pays for a screen.
- 02
Plan places and times
Screens chosen by where your buyers are, with test and comparison areas set up front.
- 03
Write for a glance
Copy and design briefs built for the screen type, roadside or walk-past.
- 04
Measure
Enquiries, sales and brand searches in screen areas compared with the rest.
What you get
- A plan of screens by place and time, based on your buyers
- A measurement plan with test and comparison areas
- Copy written for the screen type
- Brand search checks, so people who look you up find you
- A plain read-out of what the campaign did
- Direct access to me, start to finish
Signals this works on
Out of the 8 signals every page and ad sends.
- Pattern interrupt
- Relevance signal
Questions
people ask.
What is DOOH advertising?
Digital out-of-home: ads on digital screens in public places, like roadside billboards, shopping centres, transport and venues. Unlike printed billboards, the message can change by the hour and be bought for specific times and places.
Is DOOH worth it for a small business?
It can be, in a small area. A few screens near where your customers live and shop, for a few weeks, can make your name familiar. It's not worth it if people who search your name can't find you.
How do you measure billboard advertising?
Compare areas with screens against similar areas without, on enquiries, sales and searches for your business name. It's the same geo experiment idea used for online ads.
How many words should a billboard have?
For roadside screens, the usual rule of thumb is seven words or fewer. Walk-past screens in shopping centres or stations can carry more.
Are there rules about outdoor advertising near schools?
Yes. The outdoor industry's placement policy keeps ads for products like alcohol and gambling out of a 150-metre sightline of schools.
Be the name
they remember.
Takes a minute. Audits come back within 1 to 2 business days. For anything else, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
What happens next
- 1I'll ask for read-only access, or just your website for a search audit.
- 2I go through it and write up the 3 biggest fixes.
- 3A 20-minute call to walk you through it. No pitch unless you ask.
Keep going