By Ben Elliot, November 15, 2022

Digital out-of-home, or DOOH, advertising has become a fast-growing channel in advertising. Statista reports that global expenditures are projected to amount to $45 billion by the end of 2024, and a report from VIOOH found that 19% of executives believe that advertising investment in programmatic DOOH will more than double over the next 18 months.

This growth is in large part thanks to the technological innovations that the offline advertising industry has embraced in recent years. The channel now offers features that traditionally come with other programmatic channels, such as enhanced traffic data and precision-based targeting. 

DOOH includes any digital ad that is found in a public environment: for example, large digital billboards, road-side dynamic displays and directory screens in malls and airports. The classic example of a DOOH ad is an ad run on a billboard in Times Square. But the reality is, you can run DOOH campaigns on a variety of formats and sizes, and in various public environments. 

DOOH ads come in three main formats to fit various placements. Large DOOH format is displayed in large-scale locations like highway billboards or screens on the side of bus shelters. This format captures the attention of street-level traffic, like pedestrians and people driving vehicles. Place-based DOOH ads are found in contextually relevant environments. Common examples include ads in airports, gyms or malls. Point-of-purchase (POP) DOOH ads are a subcategory of place-based ads. They work best in shopping settings like malls and grocery stores, where they can influence purchase decisions of people who are in that location. 

Whichever format best fits in your marketing plans, here are the top five reasons you should be leveraging DOOH to boost your ad campaign performance: 

1. It’s simpler than ever to purchase DOOH placements.

DOOH placements can now be purchased through programmatic. This automates the buying and delivery of DOOH ads. Campaigns can be bought, managed and analyzed through a programmatic platform or demand-side platform (DSP) that leverages partners like Vistar, Broadsign and VIOOH to access out-of-home inventory.

Advertisers can plan their DOOH campaigns based on budget allocation or location-based targeting criteria across multiple screens, all in one place. Through a programmatic platform, it’s possible to set specific conditions for DOOH campaigns like targeting parameters, length of campaign and ideal audience. When those conditions are met, ad space is automatically purchased, and the DOOH ad is served. 

2. DOOH enables advertisers to target audiences outside of their homes. 

A key benefit of DOOH advertising is that it enables advertisers to reach audiences when they are outside of their home. The channel is highly versatile because it can be used to cast a wide net that will reach a super broad audience, an ideal tactic for brand awareness. 

3. DOOH advertising leverages the power of context.

A major benefit of DOOH advertising is that this channel does not use or collect cookies. Since it doesn’t require first- or third-party data, DOOH is a cookieless solution that isn’t subject to privacy regulations. 

Cookieless targeting enables advertisers to reach their target audience in contextual environments, which ensures messaging reaches the right audiences, at the right moments. For example, when a person is browsing a grocery store, they are in a receptive frame of mind for specific types of products, like foods and CPG products. Therefore, viewing ads about those types of products while in the store is contextually relevant.

4. Audiences engage with DOOH advertising. 

DOOH ads can be served in locations where audiences may be killing time. For example, transit hubs like bus stations and airports. In these environments, DOOH ads can provide entertainment, particularly if the ads are interactive. 

Ads can include games, or provide interesting information to viewers. It’s an opportunity for brands to build relationships with audiences during moments of down-time. Ads in these environments can share a message at scale by capturing attention with an ad that can’t be skipped, building valuable brand awareness.

5. DOOH can be leveraged as part of a multi-channel strategy. 

Running DOOH through programmatic is an efficient and strategic method for out-of-home media buys. With programmatic, advertisers can also integrate DOOH media into their larger media plan, through a multi-channel approach. 

A multi-channel strategy is key in today’s digital landscape because consumers are active across various channels and devices. With multi-channel campaigns, advertisers ensure that their ads are seen across various channels and devices, reaching audiences wherever they are.