OOH as infrastructure: Purpose, performance, and the future of media
Partner content
Out-of-home (OOH) is entering a defining moment. Presence alone is no longer enough. Advertisers want proof of impact. Communities expect tangible value. Councils are under pressure to deliver sustainability.
Beyond billboards: From ads to assets
Outdoor formats have always shaped public space. Now, they must serve it. Bus shelters doubling as services, defibrillators in high streets, and digital hubs offering connectivity — these aren’t gimmicks, but early signals of what OOH can become: infrastructure that people welcome.
JOLT installs fast, free EV charging hubs at no cost to councils, helping accelerate the UK’s net zero ambitions while creating high-impact advertising environments. The value also flows through to communities, with 92% of EV drivers spending locally while they charge. As a result, brands gain a halo effect that links them to convenience and community benefits.
Spark Intelligence, JOLT’s new data platform, turns this real-world impact into measurable outcomes, giving advertisers the transparency and accountability they expect. By applying advanced audience analytics for impression-based planning and trading, Spark Intelligence delivers the same precision and flexibility as digital channels, while also ensuring that outdoor media investment drives tangible value for both brands and the communities they reach.
Dual audiences. Digital accountability
Historically, OOH has been seen as high-impact but light on precision. That’s changing. Through its DOOH network and in-app offering, JOLT reaches two audiences, roadside viewers and EV drivers during charge sessions, with Spark Intelligence enabling precise targeting and optimisation.
· Roadside reach – large-scale visibility for drivers and pedestrians
· Dwell-time engagement – EV drivers interacting via our app while charging, with average in-app engagement nearing four minutes
For agencies, this means OOH campaigns can now be bought with digital-style flexibility: impression-led, audience-first and programmatic-enabled. Critically, they can be measured and optimised in real time.
Campaigns that prove it
This isn’t theory. Vauxhall’s Grandland Electric campaign ran across 41 JOLT sites in London, blending roadside visibility with in-app engagement.
The results:
- 20% increase in purchase intent
- 27% uplift in brand trust
- 66% of exposed audiences would consider a Vauxhall EV
- 80% saw Vauxhall as an EV innovator
- 8% went to a Vauxhall dealership
It’s proof that infrastructure-led OOH drives both brand performance and community value.
Why it matters now
As budgets face scrutiny, the formats that survive will be those that deliver both accountability and public value. Networks that can’t demonstrate their value risk being left behind.
JOLT’s blueprint is simple: media that powers mobility, infrastructure that powers media. Councils advance sustainability plans, drivers save on fuel costs, local high streets benefit, and brands engage audiences in trusted, meaningful contexts.
OOH is no longer just a platform for ads. It’s a platform for progress. Success now depends on fully using DOOH networks to reach target audiences and deliver measurable impact for brands and provide valuable services for communities.
The winners in this next era will be the networks that don’t just rent space, but actively improve it.
Gino Cettina is UK Sales Director at JOLT UK