Why OOH Formats Sell Out During Holidays

› Published by

Every year, as soon as the holiday season approaches, one thing is always sure: OOH inventory sells out fast! Billboards can book up (and should) months in advance, and if the placement is premium, it can disappear overnight. 

The holidays cause spikes everywhere in demand, and premium, secondary, and even tertiary placements become extremely hot commodities. This occurs as a perfect storm forms from purchase-forward consumer behavior, increased travel, and brand competition. 

If you want to make sure you’re early to the game next year, here’s why outdoor formats go fast and why it is vital that brands secure placements in advance.

Holiday Shoppers Are Everywhere

The holidays bring massive increases in daily movements and traveling as people are:

  • Shopping more frequently
  • Traveling to see family
  • Attending events and gatherings
  • Running errands before the New Year

This incredible surge in foot and vehicle traffic makes OOH visible to all and very difficult to ignore. There are a myriad of ways to reach larger and diverse audiences with billboards, transit ads, mall displays, and digital screens. Conveniently placed in all the right locations, valuable audiences cannot avoid seeing an outdoor ad.

Competition Skyrockets Across Industries

The holidays are the most competitive season for:

  • Retail
  • E-commerce
  • Restaurants
  • Streaming services
  • Travel and hospitality
  • Local businesses
  • Luxury brands
  • CPG and grocery

With a ton more brands fighting for visibility, demand for premium OOH placements explodes! High-impact formats like airport digital displays, highway billboards, and city-center digital screens are often reserved months ahead because brands know outdoor ads capture attention like no other format during this peak spending season.

A Time-Sensitive Season

Holiday campaigns often operate on tight timelines. One missed week in November, a high-value month, can mean missing:

  • Early shoppers
  • Black Friday and Cyber Monday
  • Peak travel days
  • Last-minute buyers

Because the holiday spending window is so short, advertisers bid aggressively for limited inventory options. Once a premium placement is reserved, it’s gone for the entire season, which creates even higher demand and urgency.

Don’t Be On Ad Lockdown

OOH formats sell out during the holidays for one simple reason: the holidays are the most high-traffic, high-spending, and high-attention times of the year. Brands want to dominate visibility and reach ready-to-spend shoppers, and the key is to plan early.

Don’t let your placement get away from you next year; the sooner you secure it, the stronger your holiday impact will be.