Confessions of an OOH marketer: I’d never run OOH until now

I have a confession.

For years, I’ve spent thousands of hours talking and writing about the value of OOH advertising. It’s so impactful! So beautiful! So easy to run a campaign! And it moves the needle for your marketing!

I’ve attended countless OOH events, sponsored them—even spoken on stage at a few. I’ve participated in industry groups and chaired committees. I work for a company that has run more programmatic OOH campaigns than any other company on the planet.
But until now, I had never actually run an OOH campaign myself.

Gasp!

Early days: OOH off limits

When I joined Vistar in 2017, one of my first questions was, “I assume we run OOH ads, right?” The answer was a resounding no. At the time, media owners wouldn’t allow it. They were hesitant about programmatic, and Vistar was still proving if we—and our technology—could be trusted to bring growth without disruption. The programmatic marketplace back then wasn’t transparent, so buyers didn’t even know which media owners were participating. There was no way a Vistar ad would get approved to run on any screen.

Fortunately, that changed a while ago. Programmatic is now an established part of the OOH ecosystem, and Vistar has earned trust and respect as a partner in helping the industry grow. The exchange has been fully transparent for years, and our relationships with media owners are strong. 

Rethinking our marketing playbook

But still, as a marketer, I delayed investing in OOH.

Why? As a B2B company, we naturally gravitated toward digital channels—email, social, paid search—which felt like the clear path to reaching a niche audience. OOH seemed reserved for consumer giants with huge budgets and bold campaigns. And honestly, I was still viewing Vistar through the lens of the scrappy startup we were when I first joined.

But here’s the reality: Vistar isn’t small anymore. We’re a global company with partnerships across every major OOH network, and we collaborate with nearly all the big holding companies and agencies. I’m proud of our brand and what we deliver.

OOH has evolved—and so have the tools. Any brand, including B2B, can use out-of-home to reach its audience in meaningful ways. After years of helping clients do this, it was time to experience it ourselves.

Lessons learned: tools, teamwork & surprising ease

So, we launched our first-ever Vistar DOOH campaign, and here’s what I found: 

1. It was easy. We used the same tools we offer our clients—precise targeting, flexible flight control, real-time creative adjustments—and everything worked seamlessly. And the cost? Completely manageable.
2. I am just as capable of being a challenging client as anyone else our customer success and studio teams have ever worked with! But, they are seasoned pros and they smiled all along the way. I’ve seen their professionalism in action for years, but experiencing the support from the other side made me appreciate it at a new level. These teams truly set a high bar for excellence in customer service.

The takeaway here is clear: programmatic OOH is flexible, powerful, and more accessible than ever before. Whether you’re a small business, a major brand, B2B, or B2C, this is a channel worth exploring. The barriers are down, and with the right tools, the potential is immense. We’ve always seen it succeed for our clients, and now, after running our own campaign, we know firsthand that it can work for anyone.

Learn more about Vistar Media's recent DOOH campaign >>