Adams Outdoor Advertising

What Adams Outdoor Advertising does

Adams Outdoor Advertising is a Lansing, Michigan-based, privately held out-of-home (OOH) advertising operator founded in 1983 and recognized as the nation's fourth-largest OOH company. The company operates an 11,000-plus billboard network across 13 states spanning the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast — including the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and limited New York/New Jersey/Maryland footprints — and runs a network of 23+ regional sales offices plus a dedicated national sales team. Its product portfolio consists of static and digital billboard advertising, programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) buying, in-house creative services through Adams AdLab, co-op advertising support, and a free CPM calculator tool; supporting technology includes the proprietary Adams Capture attribution platform (geofencing, mobile device tracking, website analytics) and Geopath-issued audited audience impression measurement. Pricing is quote-based at CPMs ranging from $2 to $16 per 1,000 impressions, with digital formats commanding premiums and the company's go-to-market being predominantly direct sales targeting both local/regional SMBs and national brand advertisers across diverse verticals including financial services, legal, automotive, healthcare, retail, tourism, and nonprofits.

The business generates revenue by renting billboard inventory to advertisers under campaign-based engagements, supplemented by programmatic DOOH transaction fees and creative services revenue. Adams Outdoor's stated competitive positioning rests on geographic density in mid-tier regional markets, in-house creative capabilities that enable rapid, culturally relevant campaign execution, and integration of digital-style measurement into a physical medium. The company is led by CEO Kevin Jones and has been backed since September 2021 by Searchlight Capital Partners and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), with stated use of capital for digital expansion, technology development, and an aggressive acquisition strategy. Between January 2025 and May 2026, Adams disclosed 15+ acquisitions — including Riley (Patriot) Outdoor, Chesapeake Outdoor, Sign Shoppe, TDO Advertising, Toby Outdoor, Parkway Outdoor, Encore Outdoor, and McWhorter Media Group assets — that have added several hundred billboard faces and new DMAs including Richmond-Petersburg, Northwest Ohio, and Salisbury-Ocean City, MD, alongside a growing digital billboard footprint (e.g., 75 digital locations in the Charlotte metro by early 2026). Notable customer engagements span Bank of Ann Arbor (localized creative), National Marine Mammal Foundation (viral Stephen Colbert campaign generating 480,000+ social impressions), Visit South Haven tourism, Rutter Mills, Carvana, and True Value co-op advertising, illustrating the company's reach across SMB, enterprise, nonprofit, and government advertiser categories.

Name

Adams Outdoor Advertising

Legal name

Adams Outdoor Advertising

Website

https://adamsoutdoor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Adams Outdoor Advertising is the U.S. 4th-largest out-of-home advertising operator, running 11,000-plus static and digital billboards across 13 states for local businesses, national brands, and agencies, with programmatic DOOH, in-house creative services, and a PE-backed acquisition strategy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Advertising

NAICS

Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185), Advertising Agencies (54181)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) Screens & Networks (BPAFALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Static Billboards & Posters (Roadside, Wallscapes) (BPAFALAA)

Keywords

• Outdoor billboard advertising
• Digital out-of-home
• Programmatic DOOH
• Billboard media services
• OOH advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Lansing

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Billboard Advertising Rentals: Core revenue from renting billboard inventory (static and digital) to advertisers. Pricing is typically quote-based, varies by market, location quality, and campaign duration. Digital billboards command premium rates due to flexibility and dynamic content capabilities.
2. Programmatic DOOH: Data-driven digital billboard campaigns targeting audiences through automated buying systems, enabling real-time creative updates and daypart messaging
3. Creative Services: In-house creative production for billboard campaigns, including design, copywriting, and campaign strategy

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Adams Outdoor Advertising rents static and digital billboard inventory across 13 states with 11,000+ units, delivering out-of-home (OOH) advertising campaigns to advertisers. The company offers programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) buying, in-house creative services through Adams AdLab, and national sales coordination for multi-market campaigns. It also provides measurement via Geopath and audience attribution through its Adams Capture technology.

Product overview

Adams Outdoor Advertising operates a unified out-of-home advertising platform offering billboard advertising as its core product across a network spanning 13 states with 11,000+ billboard units. The product portfolio includes static and digital billboard advertising formats, complemented by programmatic DOOH capabilities, in-house creative services through Adams AdLab, and national sales coordination. A free CPM calculator tool supports campaign planning. The company also provides co-op advertising support to help advertisers leverage brand co-funding for billboard campaigns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Billboard Advertising High-impact static and digital billboard advertising delivered across 13 states; targeted at local businesses, regional advertisers, and national brands seeking reach in specific DMAs.
• Programmatic DOOH Automated, data-driven buying of digital billboard inventory enabling real-time creative updates, daypart messaging, and audience targeting; for advertisers and agencies seeking flexible DOOH execution.
• Creative Services (Adams AdLab) In-house creative production providing copywriting, art direction, and design for billboard campaigns, including co-brand-compliant and localized messaging assets; for advertisers who need full creative support.
• National Sales Centralized sales team coordinating multi-market billboard campaigns across Adams' regional footprint; for national brands, advertising agencies, and multi-location advertisers.
• CPM Calculator Self-serve web tool for advertisers to estimate billboard CPM and projected campaign impressions based on Geopath-audited data; supports campaign planning and budget justification.
• Co-Op Advertising Support Support service helping local and regional advertisers leverage national brand co-op funds to pay for billboard campaigns, including creative pre-approval and reimbursement documentation.

Quantifiable outcome

• OOH advertising delivers average ROI of $5.97 for every dollar spent
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GeopathcoreTechnology or IntegrationAdams Outdoor utilizes Geopath for standardized audience measurement across their billboard inventory. Geopath provides audited, impression-based measurement using traffic data, mobile location data, and visibility adjustments for accurate campaign planning and CPM verification.
• Perich Advertising + DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerich Advertising + Design collaborated with Adams Outdoor on the Bank of Ann Arbor localized billboard campaign. The agency developed creative strategy rooted in community identity for the University of Michigan Final Four campaign.
• Drachman M&A CominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDrachman M&A Co brokered the McWhorter Media Group acquisition transaction and represented Adams Outdoor in Chesapeake Outdoor acquisition. The firm facilitates Adams' M&A growth strategy.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lamar Advertising Company: Largest U.S. outdoor advertising operator with ~350,000 displays across all 50 states and Canada. Most direct competitor to Adams in static and digital billboard inventory, with comparable sales-led GTM and programmatic DOOH.
• Outfront Media: Major publicly traded U.S. OOH media company with ~40,000 displays across the U.S., offering static, digital, and transit formats. Directly competes for national brand and agency budgets against Adams' multi-market offering.
• Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings: One of the largest global OOH companies with ~60,000 displays including billboards, street furniture, and airports. Competes with Adams in U.S. billboard inventory and increasingly in programmatic DOOH.
• EMC Outdoor: PE-backed roll-up of regional OOH operators with similar acquisition-driven growth strategy. Directly comparable as a private, sponsor-backed consolidator in the outdoor advertising space.

Regional players

• Fairway Outdoor Advertising: Regional OOH operator in the Southeast U.S. Directly competes with Adams for local advertiser budgets across overlapping Southeastern markets.
• Regency Outdoor Advertising: Mid-size regional OOH operator concentrated in the Southeastern U.S. Competes with Adams in states like Georgia and South Carolina for local and regional billboard advertisers.

Emerging players

• Vistar Media: Leading programmatic DOOH supply-side platform aggregating inventory across hundreds of OOH operators including regional players. Represents both a channel partner and competitive threat to Adams' programmatic DOOH ambitions.
• Place Exchange: Programmatic DOOH SSP facilitating automated buying of OOH inventory across digital billboards and place-based screens. Competes with Adams' direct programmatic offering for omnichannel media buying budgets.
• Blip Billboards: Digital billboard operator focused on SMB advertising through self-service, flexible-term digital billboard rentals. Targets the same SMB/regional advertiser segment as Adams' AdLab offering.

Broad incumbents

• Intersection: Place-based media company operating in transit, airports, and street furniture with a DOOH network. Adjacent competitor in OOH/digital out-of-home formats targeting national and place-based advertisers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/adamsoutdoorads
• Facebookfacebook.com/Adams-Outdoor-Advertising-303367353678728
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adams-outdoor-advertising
• Instagraminstagram.com/adamsoutdoor
• Xx.com/adamsoutdoor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A6 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Adams Outdoor Advertising