Out-of-home (OOH) advertising, also known as ‘Outdoor,’ refers to any ad placed outside the home, including billboards, transit ads, murals, street posters, place-based media, and retail screens. It’s unskippable, always-on, and delivers both mass-reach broadcast campaigns and hyper-targeted messaging in public and commercial spaces.

It depends on the format. Traditional OOH (static billboards, transit ads) runs in fixed weekly, fortnightly, or monthly cycles with full share of time (100% SOT). Direct-booked digital OOH (DOOH) runs on the same booking cycles with increased flexibility through dynamic creative and is usually booked in rotation with other brands running on the same site (often 10% SOT). Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) enables more granular, time-based bookings where advertisers can book daily or even hourly slots, and also supports dynamic real-time activation triggers based on weather, cultural moments, or custom data signals.

Absolutely. Beyond building brand awareness, trust, and engagement (all integral to conversion), OOH converts attention into action through contextual CTAs, event-centric campaigns, proximity targeting, QR codes, onsite engagement, and retail media integration. Advancements in measurement and digital retargeting of exposed audiences further enhance OOH’s ability to drive both digital and in-store conversions.

Not quite. While TV, print, and radio face steep declines, OOH has become Australia’s largest-reaching media channel, engaging 93% of metro and suburban Australians daily. Even as the broader ad market tightens, investment in OOH is growing, driven by real-time targeting, advanced measurement, programmatic buying, and expanded digital capabilities.

Think again. Digital OOH (DOOH) is expanding rapidly, but static formats remain essential for maximizing reach and ROI. Digital enables dynamic content and precision targeting, while static ensures sustained presence, frequency, and share of time. Some placements will always be digital, such as programmatic and motion video, while murals, street posters, and most transit ads remain static. The most effective campaigns integrate both, delivering 43%+ higher ROI than digital alone.

OOH audience measurement uses the industry-standard MOVE (Measurement of Outdoor Visibility and Exposure) system, which analyzes each placement’s Visibility Index (VI), including traffic flow, dwell time, sightlines, audience travel mode, time of day, and location context to estimate ad viewership through Opportunity To See (OTS) and Likelihood To See (LTS). Additionally, publisher and third-party data providers offer real-time reporting, tracking anonymized mobile IDs and movement patterns to map audience exposure.

Of course. OOH targeting combines first-party data, mobile audience analytics, geospatial insights, and behavioural segmentation to reach the right audiences in high-density locations. Advertisers can target based on demographics, movement patterns, purchasing behaviours, competitor activity, and one of over 6,500 audience segments—ensuring an unprecedented level of precision and relevance at scale.

OOH audience exposure is tracked using anonymized Mobile Advertising IDs (MAIDs) like Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) or Google’s Advertising ID (GAID). These IDs, detected within the geo-fenced location of an OOH placement, strip personally identifiable information (PII) while enabling ad tracking, exposure measurement, movement analysis, and engagement. This data supports retargeting across mobile, social, digital, and connected TV in full compliance with GDPR and CCPA.

OOH attribution measures brand impact through multiple performance signals, combining traditional and advanced methodologies. Brands have long used sales data, brand tracking surveys, and market share analysis to assess OOH effectiveness. Today, advertisers enhance attribution by using mobile location data to link OOH exposure to website visits, app activity, and in-store traffic—connecting ad impressions to real-world actions, foot traffic, and online conversions.

We believe that in 2025, when brands look to explore ‘above-the-line’ advertising or broadcast advertising, they can already access most low-cost and premium digital TV, video, audio, and radio using existing digital media technology and processes through their digital teams or agencies. However, the majority of OOH is not available through tech platforms or programmatic desks and still relies heavily on manual, one-to-one rate negotiations and placement access—even for programmatic buying. This is something not all agencies or brands are set up to handle—and not something they need all the time.

With those channels covered, there’s often no need for a full-service agency just to buy OOH. Instead, our on-demand, specialized OOH buying solution delivers the expertise, coverage, and cost-efficiency brands need—without the ongoing commitments or overhead of a traditional agency.

Polara operates on a zero-fee model, adding value—not cost—to your media plan. Media owners depend on agencies like us to deliver strategy, planning, and buying for advertisers while also facilitating their bookings. Because of this, accredited buying agencies receive an ‘agency commission’ when they book media.

This commission is a longstanding industry practice already built into media costs, though not always disclosed to brands. While some agencies charge an additional fee on top, we don’t. We maintain a consistent commission structure across all media owners, ensuring neutral, unbiased media planning and delivering transparent, conflict-free campaigns.

1 - Transparent Market-Driven Rates (No “Pre-Committed” Deals or “Principal Media”) Many agencies pre-commit budgets or bulk-purchase inventory at discounted rates before receiving a brief, then resell it to clients at inflated prices. This model limits inventory options, raises costs, and compromises site suitability. When a buying agency also acts as a “Principal Media” owner, it excludes other media owners, shrinking available inventory and reducing flexibility. We charge the media owner's rate, ensuring fair market value, full access, and no hidden markups, reselling, or backroom deals.
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2 - Transparent Campaign Bonuses (No “Bonus Banking”) We negotiate campaign bonuses from media owners—extra sites, extended display time, added value, or discounts. Some agencies withhold these bonuses, charging clients as if they were paid inventory or reselling them at full profit. We provide detailed campaign breakdowns and ensure your media plan reflects exactly what was booked—no hidden bonuses or inflated costs.
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3 - Transparent Service Fees (No Inflated "Commission Refunds") Some agencies offer a "commission refund" by ‘returning’ the media commission and instead charging head-hour rate card fees or retainers. However, the costs of planning, research, strategy, buying, delivery, management, and reporting often exceed the original commission—especially when retainers apply during periods of non-use. We are open to tailoring our service model and billing to fit your brand's needs while maintaining clear, upfront pricing that never exceeds the media owner's rate. This ensures you pay fair, transparent rates and that we add value—not unnecessary costs—to your media plans.

No, not really. Media owners rely on agencies like Polara to handle strategy, planning, buying, campaign management, and reporting for brands, as well as bookings for media owners. In return, media owners pay agencies a commission and, to maintain brand demand while minimizing workload, they actively avoid undercutting agencies.

Booking directly requires significant time and effort from brands, including market-wide research, negotiation, and management. It also increases the risk of overpayment due to limited market experience and site bias when working with a single media owner.

Our scale, experience, and negotiation power secure better placements, bonuses, and added value—advantages easily lost when booking direct.

We can be your co-pilot or secret weapon. Whether that means jumping in as part of your team or acting as a white-label media buying partner, we work collaboratively with brands and agencies—integrating with your processes and workflows.

Whether for ongoing campaigns or one-offs, we take the time to understand your brand, industry, and business goals to develop tailored strategies and plans. Our focus is on collaborating with you and media owners to maximize your OOH ROI—saving you time, optimizing media spend, and keeping your business agile.

Yes, we can get your out of home printed and your murals paints but no, we don’t provide full creative services. We do know that strong creative is crucial—it drives 41% of OOH effectiveness. So while we're not a creative agency, we collaborate closely with your team or agency partners, providing data-driven insights and leveraging best practices to ensure your OOH creative is optimized for maximum impact. If you need creative services, we can also connect you with our vetted network of creative and design specialists.

We work across all OOH vendors, formats, and placements, including classic billboards, digital screens, transit, street furniture, posters, murals, retail media, and place-based advertising. Whether static, digital, or programmatic, we customize the right mix to align with your brand’s objectives.

We book directly with media owners and work with programmatic desks. And call us old school, but we love, like we really love a deal—each month, we source last-minute unsold classic and digital inventory at discounted rates for existing advertisers who can fill space immediately, helping brands maximize value while maintaining flexibility.

Programmatic Digital Out-of-Home (pDOOH) offers precise day, time, and audience targeting, along with dynamic creative and real-time triggers—like weather, events, or cultural moments—for highly targeted, context-aware campaigns.

Unlike online display, pDOOH isn’t truly biddable. Most inventory is secured through directly negotiated Private Marketplace (PMP) deals and then executed programmatically.Just like online display, targeted CPMs are higher because you’re minimising impression wastage by targeting only the most valuable audiences at precisely the right moment.

While accounting for less than 10% of the OOH market, when paired with clear strategy, smart timing, strong audience targeting data, robust attribution and a fair amount of anecdotal market knowledge, pDOOH unlocks powerful new possibilities for challenger and incumbent brands alike.

But without those factors in place—brands risk accessing a smaller pool of inventory and simply paying more for the convenience of automated booking.

Static OOH requires 2–3 weeks for production and installation and follows a lunar installation calendar—see details [here]. Digital OOH and programmatic (pDOOH) can launch almost instantly.

Longer booking lead times improve availability; however, last-minute bookings with ready creative can take advantage of distressed deals on unsold space. We recommend campaigns stay in-market for 4–8 weeks to maximize effectiveness.

Since we speak with OOH media owners daily, we move fast—getting your campaign live as quickly as your strategy and market conditions allow.