As a public, mass-reach medium, out of home (OOH) reaches over 97% of the UK, with digital OOH (DOOH) delivering 4.8bn impressions each week. It is the brand-building medium used by the world’s most valuable brands, many of which are now turning to programmatic capabilities to increase efficiency and effectiveness. Read on to find out why data integration, omnichannel activation, and strategic optimization are key to success in programmatic DOOH.
Programmatic DOOH has seen rapid growth over the past year and is forecast to account for 16% of OOH ad spend in 2027 (up from ~5% in 2023). While traditional OOH/DOOH can be planned and bought independently without negative consequences, programmatic DOOH should (almost) always be planned, activated, optimized, and measured alongside other programmatic channels. To pinpoint the key principles behind successful omnichannel programmatic DOOH campaigns, JCDecaux launched an online discussion forum, in collaboration with research partner, MTM, bringing together 25 participants from various DSPs and agencies for an asynchronous group discussion.
The findings reveal seven key principles that when followed result in best-in-class programmatic DOOH campaigns.
In this piece, I delve into the first four of these in more detail and discover some of the insights shared during the research.
Great OOH ads remain effective regardless of the buying method, relying on high-impact visuals, compelling storytelling, and emotional appeal. In line with our guide to creating the perfect poster, research respondents highlighted the need to prioritize human-centric, relatable messaging over technical or impersonal references.
While optimizing creative for OOH may seem like a basic element of success, it’s surprising how many ads miss the mark. If you’re looking for inspiration for your next pDOOH campaign, check out this piece where we talk about how to maximize creative potential.
This is one of my favorite areas of programmatic DOOH to explore and brainstorm with clients because strategic data integration maximizes effectiveness and efficiency – in other words, it helps you fulfil the true purpose of pDOOH. With the right data partners, marketers can easily integrate diverse first- and third-party data sources to optimize audience segmentation, creative development, and targeting. Additionally, these data sources can be used as triggers to activate and optimize campaigns, ideally in real-time.
During the research, Irini Michail, programmatic director at Hawk, an Azerion company, brought this concept to life when she shared details of a brilliant campaign that proves the effectiveness of thoughtful data integration in programmatic DOOH. “One of the standout programmatic DOOH campaigns I’ve been involved in is the 2024 FREENOW campaign with The7Stars. This campaign was exceptional due to its precision targeting, leveraging real-time data from Transport for London to adapt ads dynamically when delays occurred on the Underground. By integrating weather-triggered creatives and predictive demand data, the campaign ensured relevance and high engagement at peak moments, achieving a 20% increase in brand consideration and a 15% uplift in ad recall. The success was driven by the seamless combination of data-informed strategies, flexible budgeting, and innovative programmatic technology.”
Another thing that excites me in my role is working with agencies and DSPs on best-in-class campaigns that combine programmatic DOOH with other programmatic channels for enhanced reach, maximum effectiveness, and retargeting opportunities. Advertising platform Blis demonstrated this perfectly when they employed several layers of rich data in a campaign for Mars’s Maltesers Easter Bunnies. I’ve summarized the case study below.
Proprietary geo-location intelligence data was combined with Circana till sales data to highlight regions where opportunity to win market share was highest. Blis created bespoke audience segments without cookies or identifiers that were further enriched with anonymized location data to reach frequent visitors of stockists.
To effectively reach the audience, Blis activated an omnichannel approach across online video and programmatic DOOH – identified as the two best channels for message impact.
Results:
As you can see, the results speak for themselves here and if you want to learn more about how programmatic DOOH can help bridge the gap between online and offline, check out this piece by my colleague, Philippa Evans, head of programmatic operations at JCDecaux.
The use of real-time dashboards to track campaign performance and adjust campaign tactics based on live data is essential to making the most of the flexibility offered by programmatic DOOH. It can make or break a campaign, especially critical during the early stages of a campaign when results are still indicative, and optimization is crucial.
Our research participants identified six best practices for in-flight optimization:
The important thing to note about in-flight optimization in programmatic DOOH is that, when done correctly, it gives marketers the opportunity to combine the scale and real-life wow factor of DOOH advertising with the precision targeting and real-time optimization capabilities of programmatic activation. The results can be transformative for brands seeking to extend their audience reach with dynamic campaign activation, targeting, and creative.
To find out more about how programmatic DOOH can help you reach your campaign goals, visit our Programmatic Intelligence Hub or discover all ‘Seven Key Factors for Success’ in programmatic DOOH here.