In today’s competitive travel market, brands need advertising that not only reaches mobile audiences but delivers measurable impact. The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) reports that a significant majority of Americans plan leisure trips in the next year, and over half say OOH ads influence those plans. Meanwhile, travel advertisers have returned to near pre-pandemic spending levels, with U.S. digital travel ad spend in the sector approaching ~$8.8B in 2025 according to eMarketer. About 78% of that spend is now digital. This combination of competitive pressure and performance expectations means airlines, hotels, and tourism boards must show ROI for every dollar. Firefly addresses this need: our GPS-enabled taxi and rideshare top digital screens deliver dynamic, location-based content across major markets.

Why Travel Brands Need Measurable Mobility Advertising

Travel marketers face distinct challenges: they must reach mobile, purchase-ready audiences in competitive environments (airlines, hotels, OTAs, tourism destinations) while proving budget efficiency. OAAA research shows OOH ads significantly impact travel decisions — many consumers report adding destinations to their “bucket list” after seeing them outdoors. During 2024, online travel services (OTAs) and hospitality brands were among the fastest-growing categories in OOH spending. Yet travel remains one of the smallest ad verticals by share of digital ad spend (around ~2–3% of total), so every campaign must perform.

Mobility advertising (DOOH on taxis, rideshares, and airport shuttles) places travel messaging directly in front of audiences in city centers, around transit hubs, and along tourism corridors. The rise of digital OOH is clear: DOOH now accounts for about one-third of total OOH revenue in the U.S., and advertisers increasingly rely on formats that combine broad street-level impact with measurable digital attribution. Firefly’s solution meets this need by providing on-vehicle DOOH with built-in analytics.

Firefly’s Optimizable Mobility Advertising Network

Firefly operates one of the largest DOOH mobility networks in the U.S., with GPS-enabled screens on taxis and rideshares across major metros. These digital tops give travel advertisers street-level reach as vehicles move through business districts, tourist hotspots, and airport corridors.

Industry data shows digital OOH continues to drive OOH revenue growth. Transit media — such as taxi, bus, and rideshare screens — has been one of the fastest-growing segments in recent years. Firefly’s network is aligned with this trend.

Firefly ads are fully programmable and data-driven. Campaigns can target custom geofences (e.g., around airports or event venues) and dynamically adjust creative based on triggers such as weather, time of day, or events. Firefly integrates with leading programmatic SSPs & DSPs (e.g., Vistar, Place Exchange, Broadsign, Stackadapt), enabling advertisers to buy DOOH inventory using familiar digital buying methods.

This infrastructure enables optimized delivery. Because Firefly digital tops are GPS-connected, each impression is tied to time and location. Advertisers can analyze performance by city, time window, or audience segment.

Advanced Tracking and Attribution

Firefly’s analytics framework extends beyond impression counting. Our platform uses location intelligence and third-party measurement partners to estimate audience exposure and evaluate post-exposure behavior such as website visitation or foot traffic. DOOH measurement tools in the industry use technologies such as geolocation, device-based tracking, and exposure panels to provide accurate audience insights.

Firefly campaigns can be structured with control markets to evaluate lift, and third-party partners enable mobile retargeting of devices seen within campaign geofences. Attribution solutions may include analyses of online actions, foot-traffic measurement, or brand-lift studies conducted with independent vendors. All measurement practices follow industry-standard privacy and data handling requirements.

Data-Driven Travel Campaign Execution Across Key Tourism Markets

A travel brand planning a summer promotion could target core tourism metros (for example New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, or Miami) and run dynamic creative during peak travel windows. Performance could then be measured through third-party studies evaluating changes in brand awareness, web traffic, or visits to travel-related locations. Campaign optimization decisions — such as shifting budget between markets or adjusting creative based on performance — can be executed using Firefly’s real-time reporting tools. Final deliverables would include impression delivery, viewability estimates, and verified attribution outcomes provided by measurement partners.

How Firefly Stacks Up

Multiple mobility and transit ad networks exist, but Firefly differentiates through a combination of scale, programmatic connectivity, and measurement infrastructure, offering a large nationwide rideshare and taxi footprint across major U.S. metros. Unlike legacy OOH operators that rely on static loops, Firefly’s screens are GPS-triggered and support dynamic content.

Firefly’s inventory is available through major SSPs & DSPs such as Vistar, Place Exchange Broadsign, Stackadapt, enabling advertisers to activate mobility DOOH with the same tools used for digital display or video. This programmatic interoperability allows flexible buying, advanced targeting, and dynamic optimization. Measurement and attribution are supported by third-party partners and transparently reported through Firefly’s delivery dashboards.

Conclusion

For national travel brands, measurable DOOH mobility advertising provides the benefits of high-impact visibility and digital-grade analytics. Firefly delivers a GPS-driven programmatic network designed for marketers who require transparency, attribution, and real-time optimization. Travel advertisers increasingly leverage digital OOH to reach audiences in key urban and tourism environments. To learn more about Firefly’s solutions and measurement capabilities, visit.

This article is based on publicly available industry research, reports, and insights from leading out-of-home advertising and mobility media organizations, including:

OAAA (Out of Home Advertising Association of America) – U.S. OOH ad spend, market performance, and industry benchmarks

eMarketer – Travel advertising trends and digital OOH market analysis

OOH Today – Programmatic DOOH trends and regional insights

Broadsign – DOOH measurement frameworks and performance metrics

Solomon Partners – Location-based targeting and DOOH media insights

PR Newswire – Industry announcements and DOOH product launches

Firefly – Programmatic DOOH, mobility-based advertising, and campaign innovation

The Most Trackable and Optimizable Mobility Advertising Network for National Travel Brand Campaigns