Gawk Outdoor puts up its 100th billboard

GAWK Outdoor, the leading provider of Outdoor Advertising in regional Victoria, has marked the significant milestone of 100 billboard sites.

Gawk Outdoor’s growth has been rapid, earning them the distinction of being one of Australia’s fastest-growing young companies in 2022, as recognised by the Australian Financial Review’s Fast Starters List.

Born from the aspirations of the Course brothers, Gawk Outdoor began with a single billboard nestled in the town of Portland in 2018.

Today, their team has expanded to a dedicated force of 15, reflecting the hustle and determination of the company’s origins.

In recognition of this, Luke Course (31) was honoured with the Ben Walker National Rising Star Award at the 2023 OMA Awards Night. In the same year, James Course (29) was also named under the Entrepreneur Category in the B&T 2023 30 Under 30 awards, accompanied by the overall Grand Prix.

The pair jointly were also named in the B&T Best of the Best (Entrepreneurs) award in 2023.

In under six years, Gawk has built market share organically to more than 40 per cent (in regional Victoria) without any outside investment. This is remarkable given their two closest competitors are oOh! Media ($750 million market cap) and TOM (50 per cent owned by “Rich Lister” Michael Buxton).

Since its inception, Gawk Outdoor has meticulously built more than 10 billboards annually, personally curated by the company’s directors.

Gawk billboards are strategically positioned along every major highway, forming an evident presence across the state.

Notably, Gawk Outdoor owns more than 50 per cent of the digital sites in regional Victoria, earning them partnerships with renowned brands including Amazon, Disney+ and McDonald’s, in addition to hundreds of local advertisers in regional Victoria.

“When we started in 2018 we never would have believed we could get to 100 billboard locations,” James Course said.

“This has only been possible with overwhelming demand from advertisers to reach these valuable audiences in regional Victoria.

“What we love the most is being able to put local businesses up in lights alongside some of the biggest brands in Australia.”

Presently, Gawk Outdoor maintains a strong dedication to their local business origins, with members of the team frequenting several regional markets each week.

An impressive 70 per cent of their revenue originates from partnerships with businesses in regional Victoria, a testament to their ongoing commitment to connect with and uplift local communities.

Gawk Outdoor holds a prominent OOH portfolio, comprising more than 100 digital and static billboard locations.

Among them, 15 digital billboards are located in several of Victoria’s regional centres.

The “Super8” format of billboard (8.3m x 2.2m) has been brought to life by Gawk, with more than 75 per cent of their inventory being that one standard size.