OAAA introduces new standards to boost trust in Programmatic OOH

The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), in collaboration with leading programmatic platforms including Broadsign, Perion, Place Exchange, VIOOH, and Vistar Media, has introduced the Programmatic OOH Transparency Pledge. The initiative defines a shared set of principles aimed at ensuring trust, accountability, and clarity in programmatic out of home (OOH) transactions.

Inspired by the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Quality Assurance Guidelines, the pledge reinforces OOH’s established reputation as a brand-safe and high-integrity medium. It sets common standards for buyers, agencies, platforms, and media owners, prohibiting hidden practices and promoting transparent operations across the programmatic ecosystem.

Building confidence in a growing sector

The announcement follows continued growth in digital and programmatic OOH. In the second quarter of 2025, digital OOH accounted for 36 percent of total OOH revenue, marking a 9.2 percent year-over-year increase. Programmatic spending is forecast by MAGNA to expand from 24 percent of total digital OOH spending in 2024 to around 65 percent by 2029.

Anna Bager, President & CEO, OAAA: "OOH has always stood apart as a high-integrity, brand-safe medium. By introducing the Programmatic OOH Transparency Pledge, we are formalizing that reputation and giving buyers, agencies, and platforms clear principles they can count on. This is about ensuring every programmatic OOH transaction is grounded in trust, accountability, and the confidence that investments are delivering real value."

Core principles and accountability

The pledge defines key transparency practices, including accurate representation of media inventory, equitable transaction processes, clear disclosure of fees and auction logic, reliable campaign reporting, and open access to transaction-level data. It explicitly prohibits hidden fees, undisclosed arbitrage, inventory misrepresentation, bid caching, and owner favoritism without disclosure.

To encourage industry-wide adoption, OAAA is inviting programmatic platforms, supply-side and demand-side partners, and other technology providers to sign the pledge and complete a voluntary self-attestation process. This self-assessment aims to foster transparency and accountability without requiring formal audits.

Driving alignment across the OOH industry

Patrick Dolan, Chief Operating Officer, OAAA: "OOH’s integration and growth within the programmatic marketplace remains a top priority for OAAA. As a next step, OAAA will lead a taxonomy alignment project to refine and streamline the nomenclature used across the industry, encouraging adoption of a common framework for transacting OOH across all buying methods, including programmatic platforms, ultimately driving industry unity and consistency. We’re grateful to all the members who contributed their expertise and collaboration to drive brand safety and transparency to this growing area of out of home."

By establishing the Programmatic OOH Transparency Pledge, OAAA and its partners aim to safeguard programmatic OOH’s reputation as a trusted and high-value channel, ensuring it continues to evolve as a credible and competitive part of the media landscape.

More information on the Pledge can be accessed here

www.oaaa.org

Follow Marketing Report on LinkedIn