Billboards: The Privacy-Focused Alternative to Social Media

In recent months, the growing distrust of social media and increased regulatory scrutiny on big tech companies have led to a decline in user trust, particularly with platforms like TikTok. According to an Insider Intelligence survey, only 24% of users believe TikTok will protect their data in 2022, with 23% for Twitter and a meager 18% for Facebook.

The AMERICA Act, a bipartisan effort, was recently proposed to eliminate conflicts of interest in digital advertising by targeting platforms with both buy-side and sell-side operations. It seeks to protect competition in the $568 billion digital advertising economy and aims to erode the “rampant conflicts of interest” that big tech companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft have enjoyed for years. With more stringent regulations in place, smaller ad tech companies will have the opportunity to disrupt the dominant status of big tech giants in the advertising market.

The disruption and distrust in digital advertising have correlated to the recent resurgence in the billboard industry. In 2022, the billboard industry witnessed a 20.7% increase in revenue, partly due to its ability to preserve user privacy and combat digital fatigue.

Billboards offer a privacy-friendly alternative to digital advertising, as they don’t collect personal data like social media platforms. With growing distrust in big tech and social media, the billboard industry is well-positioned to capitalize on shifting consumer preferences and increased regulatory scrutiny on digital ads.