Key stat: 42% of consumers discuss sporting events with friends or family after seeing out-of-home (OOH) ads, according to a September report from The Harris Poll.

Beyond the chart:

• In fact, recommendations remain the most trusted discovery channel. 50% of US consumers discover new products through friends, family, or colleagues, according to a July survey from YouGov.
• Meanwhile, sports fans are paying attention to the brands behind the games. Over half (54%) of soccer fans notice brands that sponsor teams and events, and 55% are more likely to purchase from sponsors of their favorite team or athlete, according to a report from The Harris Poll.

Use this chart: Drop this in your next media mix discussion to show how OOH ads spark organic conversations. Use this to justify OOH spend for sports campaigns by showing that billboards drive word-of-mouth at the same rate as TV viewership. Benchmark your sports sponsorship strategy against these ten engagement actions.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• US Sports Streaming 2025 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• The Global Media Intelligence Report 2025 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the September 2025 Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) report titled “OOH’s Impact on Sports Event Marketing” conducted by The Harris Poll. 1,624 US adults ages 18-64 were surveyed online during August 14-18, 2025. Results were weighted by age, gender, region, race/ethnicity, household income, education, marital status, size of household, and political party affiliation to reflect the national population. Data has a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points.