• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 19, 2015

Out-of-home advertising revenues rose 3.8% from $2.17 billion in the second quarter of 2014 to $2.25 billion in the second quarter of 2015, according to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, based on estimates from sources including Miller Kaplan and Kantar Media.

These figures mark the 21st consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth in OOH ad revenues. For the first six months of the year, total OOH expenditures increased 4.2% to $3.84 billion.

Second-quarter growth in outdoor ad spending was led by categories, including miscellaneous services and amusements, up 10.1% to $463.7 million; retail, up 5.4% to $242.7 million; government, politics and organizations, up 2.2% to $119.9 million; financial, up 1.3% to $116.6 million; and communications, up 7.9% to $105.4 million.

Turning to specific advertisers, top spenders included McDonalds, Apple, Metro PCS, Warner Bros Pictures, Geico, Verizon, Chase, AT&T, Citi and 20th Century Fox Pictures.

As noted above, over the last few years, out-of-home has managed to defy the downward trend affecting other traditional media, including newspapers and magazines, thanks in part to the rise of digital out-of-home displays.

The OAAA also highlighted the complementary role OOH advertising can play with mobile, now the fastest-growing digital ad category, for example in cross-channel, place-based campaigns.

Earlier this year, the OAAA released a study that tracked 1,837 smartphone users via a smartphone eDiary, recording various factors, including their location, media consumption, purchase activity and moods.

The results showed that OOH ads reached consumers in the hour prior to 43% of mobile shopping activity, ahead of other media like TV, radio and newspapers.