Updated venue classifications support scalable DOOH buying and aligns the medium more closely with the omnichannel media ecosystem
The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), the national trade association representing the out of home (OOH) advertising industry, today released an updated OpenOOH venue taxonomy, developed to bring greater transparency, clarity, and consistency to digital out of home (DOOH) buying and selling. The update responds directly to market demand for standardized venue definitions that support transacting DOOH at scale. As OOH continues to play a more influential role in the modern advertising mix, the enhanced taxonomy is designed to integrate seamlessly with the planning, buying, and measurement tools used across digital, CTV, and other channels.
“With OOH becoming ever more deeply integrated into cross-channel media planning, a shared, precise inventory language is essential,” said Patrick Dolan, Chief Operating Officer of OAAA. “Clear, consistent standards are a growth engine for the industry—reducing friction, increasing confidence for buyers, and making OOH easier to plan, transact, and measure at scale. This evolved taxonomy aligns OOH with broader media standards and strengthens its role as a core component of the omnichannel media ecosystem.”
This evolution expands the industry’s existing taxonomy by introducing clearer distinctions between historically bundled formats and more granular classifications for fast-growing segments such as retail media and entertainment venues—areas where digital signage has proliferated rapidly and legacy classifications have struggled to keep pace. The added clarity directly addresses buyer concerns by differentiating similar formats and bringing greater transparency to venue categories that are increasingly critical to integrated media planning.
“When buyers clearly understand what they are purchasing across platforms, it reduces friction, increases confidence, and accelerates investment,” said Premesh Purayil, Chief Technology Officer of OUTFRONT Media Inc. “This updated taxonomy is a meaningful step toward more transparent, scalable DOOH buying and measurement.”
The taxonomy update was developed by the OpenOOH Taxonomy Working Group, now part of OAAA’s Taxonomy Committee, with input from across the OOH industry. The update represents an important step toward a shared industry language that enables more efficient planning, buying, and evaluation of OOH inventory across platforms and channels. This enhanced release will also be incorporated into OAAA’s broader industry taxonomy initiative.
“OOH is truly unique among media channels, not just because of its unparalleled consumer reach and engagement, but for the quality, brand safety, and transparency of the medium itself,” said Ari Buchalter, founder of Place Exchange and now Chief Strategy Officer at Broadsign. “The latest evolution of the OpenOOH taxonomy provides buyers with clear, granular and actionable information about the physical environment of each individual display, enabling contextual targeting in the physical world with confidence and precision, universally across all platforms.”
By improving clarity across venue types and formats, the taxonomy evolution also supports sellers by reducing planning confusion and ensuring inventory is represented accurately in both programmatic and direct buying environments.
