The Billboard Buzz

Why AI Is Changing Search Forever Google’s AI Overviews, Microsoft’s Copilot, and platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity have redefined how people access information. Instead of clicking through ten blue links, users increasingly receive instant, AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. This shift is convenient for consumers but troubling for businesses. Organic clicks are declining, impressions are harder to interpret, and competition for visibility is more intense than ever. For companies that have long relied on SEO, this change means they need to reassess their approach to staying visible. Helpful content, EEAT signals, and structured data still matter, but AI is siphoning attention away from traditional results. That is where billboards come into play. By building brand awareness offline, billboards give companies an edge in a digital landscape where clicks are increasingly challenging to secure. The Decline of Organic Traffic in an AI-First World Dat...

Google Quietly Shakes Up SEO Practices In mid-September 2025, SEO professionals noticed an unusual occurrence. The long-standing “&num=100” parameter, which allowed users and rank-tracking tools to view 100 results per page in Google, appears to have stopped working. Reports spread quickly across the SEO community as analytics platforms showed errors, missing data, and sudden shifts in impressions. While Google has not issued a public statement, the impact is already clear: one of the most widely used shortcuts for analyzing search results has been disrupted. For advertisers, this is another indication that Google is tightening its grip on data access as it prepares for an AI-driven future. As we look ahead to 2026, businesses will need to adjust their expectations and strategies for measuring visibility and success in search. What Changed With the &num=100 Parameter For years, the &num=100 parameter allowed users to pull 100 results in a single request. ...

The Promise of Predictive Analytics in Billboard Advertising The right board can deliver millions of impressions to your target audience, while the wrong one can waste an entire campaign budget. As we look forward to 2026, predictive analytics is being promoted as the future of billboard placement. By analyzing traffic data, GPS signals, and consumer movement patterns, predictive tools enable advertisers to make smarter decisions. But how much of this is real progress, and how much is marketing hype? The reality is that predictive analytics is changing the way advertisers think about out-of-home media, but it has not replaced the expertise of seasoned billboard sales teams. In fact, the best results come from blending predictive insights with the human experience of professionals who understand the nuances of markets, traffic patterns, and community behavior. What Predictive Analytics Actually Delivers 1. Better Traffic Flow Analysis Predictive analytics tools an...

The Hype Cycle Meets Out-of-Home Advertising Artificial intelligence is everywhere in 2025. Every marketing platform, ad tech vendor, and analytics provider is promising AI-powered solutions. For billboard advertisers, this flood of tools creates both opportunity and noise. Some platforms deliver real advantages, while others slap on an AI label without providing actual value. The challenge is knowing which tools deserve your time and budget. As a company working directly with businesses to maximize out-of-home results, we see both the promise and the exaggeration. AI is already enhancing the process of buying, placing, and measuring billboards. Yet there are clear cases where the hype outweighs the reality. Let’s break it down. AI Tools That Deliver Real Value for Billboard Advertisers 1. Predictive Traffic and Placement Analytics This is one of the most reliable use cases for AI in OOH today. Predictive analytics tools analyze GPS, mobile device, and DOT traffi...

Why Billboards and Social Media Make a Powerful Pair Marketers often view billboards and social media ads as separate channels. Billboards are seen as traditional out-of-home media, while social media ads are considered digital-first. Yet in reality, these two channels complement each other. When used together, they build brand awareness and engagement that is stronger than either can deliver alone. Billboards deliver reach. They put your brand in front of drivers, commuters, and local audiences in high-traffic areas. Social media ads deliver precision. They enable you to retarget, refine your messaging, and build interaction with the exact audience you've reached offline. When combined, they form a cycle: billboards spark recognition, social media deepens the conversation, and both encourage consumers to take action. The Role of Billboards in Today’s Marketing Mix Billboards remain one of the most cost-effective mass media formats. According to the OAAA’s report...

The Shift From Traditional Search to AI-Driven Overviews For years, the goal of SEO was simple: earn page-one placement on Google and Bing. That was where the traffic was. Now, with Google Overviews, Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT browsing, and Perplexity AI, users often receive full answers at the top of the page without clicking through. For businesses that rely on search traffic, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. Google Overviews are already showing up on many of queries, according to early studies in 2025. OpenAI and Anthropic continue to expand their AI chat tools, and Bing has shifted its SERPs to include AI summaries for almost all categories. These systems pull from websites they trust, which means your company content can be part of the conversation if you build it properly. The question is no longer only “how do I rank in search results,” but “how do I become source material for LLM-driven answers.” Why AI Models Choose Certain Sources Large language...

Why College Football Game Weekends Are Billboard Gold College football season is in full swing, and in Oklahoma the excitement is undeniable, with the FBS teams—the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys—drawing crowds from across the state. Fall weekends mean heavy highway traffic heading to games in Norman and Stillwater. That makes billboard advertising along key routes a powerful way to reach fans before, during, and even after the game. Every game weekend creates a surge of traffic from regional fans, alumni, and visitors. Whether it's tailgating, arriving early, or heading home, drivers are exposed to billboard messaging when they’re primed to notice. That’s especially true for high-intent audiences—college football fans, always on the lookout for food, lodging, gear, or local offers. Where the Sooners and Cowboys Are Playing This Weekend This Saturday, September 6, 2025 , the Oklahoma Sooners host the No. 15 Michigan Wolverines in Norman. Kickof...