Amid the evolving landscape of outdoor media, outdoor light boxes have steadily risen to become the new main force, reshaping the industry's competitive pattern. Driven by technological upgrading, scenario-based innovation, and the growing demand for precise marketing, outdoor light boxes are no longer just traditional advertising carriers but have evolved into intelligent terminals that enable brands to achieve precise audience reach. Industry data and brand practice cases show that the market share of outdoor light boxes in the global outdoor media sector has continued to expand, and their unique value in precise marketing has been increasingly recognized by advertisers.

The rise of outdoor light boxes as the new main force of outdoor media is supported by solid market data. According to the latest "Global Outdoor Media Industry Development Report" released by Zenith Media, the global outdoor light box advertising market size reached $12.8 billion in 2025, accounting for 28.3% of the total outdoor media market, a year-on-year increase of 7.2%. This growth rate is significantly higher than the overall growth rate of the outdoor media industry (4.5%) in the same period. In China, the data is even more striking: the outdoor light box advertising market scale exceeded 20 billion yuan in 2025, accounting for 31.5% of the national outdoor media market, and it is expected to maintain a compound annual growth rate of 8.1% from 2026 to 2030. Industry insiders pointed out that the continuous increase in market share is a direct manifestation of outdoor light boxes replacing traditional billboards and other forms to become the core force of outdoor media.

The core advantage of outdoor light boxes becoming the new main force lies in their ability to help brands achieve precise audience reach, which solves the long-standing pain point of "inaccurate delivery" in traditional outdoor media. With the integration of intelligent technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and artificial intelligence (AI), modern outdoor light boxes have realized the transformation from "broadcast" to "precision delivery". By analyzing multi-dimensional data such as pedestrian flow, crowd portraits, and regional consumption habits, brands can accurately locate their target audiences and deliver personalized advertising content.

The realization of precise reach relies on the intelligent upgrading of outdoor light boxes. Currently, more than 60% of newly installed outdoor light boxes are equipped with intelligent sensing systems and data collection modules, which can collect real-time data such as the age group, gender, and stay time of passing crowds. Through the connection with the brand's big data platform, this information is analyzed and sorted out to form accurate crowd portraits. Taking a leading domestic outdoor media company as an example, its self-developed intelligent outdoor light box system can classify and label crowds in different scenarios (such as commercial districts, communities, and transportation hubs), and help fast-moving consumer goods brands deliver targeted advertisements to young people aged 18-35 in commercial districts and parent-child products to families with children in community areas.

Scenario-based layout further enhances the precision of outdoor light boxes. Unlike traditional outdoor media that relies on high-traffic locations, outdoor light boxes pay more attention to in-depth integration with specific scenarios. For instance, in high-end shopping malls, luxury brands can place high-end customized outdoor light boxes to target high-consumption groups; in office building clusters, financial institutions and office supply brands can deliver advertisements during commuting hours to improve the reach rate of white-collar groups; in scenic spots, local cultural and tourism products and catering brands can use scene-specific light box advertisements to attract tourists. A case study shows that a coffee brand achieved a 42% increase in store foot traffic after placing customized outdoor light boxes in office building lobbies and community convenience store entrances, with the advertising conversion rate 3 times higher than that of traditional billboards.

Brand feedback further confirms the value of outdoor light boxes in precise reach. A survey of 300 brand advertisers conducted by the China Advertising Association found that 82% of advertisers believe that outdoor light boxes have significantly improved the accuracy of their advertising delivery, and 76% of advertisers plan to increase their investment in outdoor light box advertising in 2026. "Compared with other outdoor media, outdoor light boxes can help us accurately touch the target audience in specific scenarios, which not only improves the effect of advertising but also reduces the waste of advertising costs," said a marketing director of a well-known beverage brand.

Industry experts predict that with the continuous advancement of 5G, AI, and other technologies, the intelligent level of outdoor light boxes will be further improved, and their ability to achieve precise reach will be continuously enhanced. In the future, outdoor light boxes will not only be the main force of outdoor media but also become an important part of the brand's digital marketing ecosystem. As the demand for precise marketing in the market continues to grow, outdoor light boxes are expected to attract more brand investment and promote the high-quality development of the entire outdoor media industry.