Using Digital-Out-of-Home as a Performance Channel

In the ever-shifting world of digital marketing, advertisers are continually seeking innovative ways to engage consumers and drive performance. One channel whose potential is evolving rapidly right now is digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising. 

As brands and marketers shift their focus to omnichannel advertising strategies, the integration of DOOH advertising into these plans is proving to be a game-changer. Read on to discover how leveraging the potential of DOOH as a performance channel can enable advertisers to reach audiences beyond traditional media, offering a unique blend of creativity, flexibility, and measurable performance.

The Benefits of Using Digital Out-of-Home as a Performance Channel 

Digital out-of-home advertising combines the traditional power of billboard advertisements with the precision and interactivity of digital advertising, leading to an array of impressive benefits. It serves as a high-performance channel with exceptional reach, providing brands with increased advertising media visibility and engagement opportunities. 

  • DOOH advertising is non-skippable and 100% viewable. Unlike digital advertising on personal devices where consumers can easily skip or ignore ads, DOOH ads are presented in a larger-than-life format that’s hard to overlook. This ensures that your advertising message gets the attention it deserves, enhancing the chances of your audience recalling your brand.
  • DOOH enables advanced geotargeting and geofencing capabilities. This means that advertisers can display contextually relevant ads based on specific geographical areas, allowing brands to engage with targeted audiences as they go through their day in the real world, creating personalized experiences that resonate with the consumer’s immediate environment.
  • DOOH permits an unleashing of creativity. The unique formats of DOOH and the ways in which digital ad displays interact with their surroundings give advertisers the opportunity to stretch their creative wings. DOOH campaigns offer advertisers an avenue to create captivating and immersive experiences that can stand out and convey brand values effectively.

What Is Digital Out-of-Home Advertising?

Digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is a modern blend of the visual impact of traditional out-of-home advertising with the dynamic capabilities of online advertising. In essence, DOOH refers to digital media used for marketing to consumers outside of their homes. This could be through digital billboards; screens in shopping malls, airports, train stations, and bus stops; and even smart displays on taxi roofs. 

One of the unique characteristics of DOOH is its ability to combine the wide reach of traditional OOH with the precise targeting of digital strategies. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, DOOH advertising can serve as a valuable component of an omnichannel marketing strategy. Its integration into digital strategies enables brands to deliver consistent and compelling messages across multiple platforms, creating a unified and seamless customer journey.

Examples of DOOH Ad Campaigns

The versatile nature of DOOH has facilitated a range of engaging and successful campaigns across a number of verticals. Here are a few examples:

  • Pepsi Max’s “Unbelievable” Campaign: Pepsi Max utilized Augmented Reality (AR) to transform a London bus shelter into a captivating DOOH advertisement. Passers-by were surprised to see tigers, aliens and giant robots appear to come their way, all thanks to a special AR screen installed in place of the usual clear glass. The reactions of the unsuspecting public were filmed and later went viral, generating significant buzz for the brand.
  • British Airways’ “Magic of Flying” Campaign: British Airways set up billboards in Piccadilly Circus and Chiswick, London, with digital screens that would interact with the planes flying overhead. The billboards showcased a child pointing to the sky as a BA plane flew over, and the screen displayed the flight’s number and destination. This clever use of real-time data and interactivity earned the campaign numerous awards.
  • Google’s “Make the Most of Summer” Campaign: Google took full advantage of the digital aspect of DOOH in their campaign promoting Google’s Search app. The campaign was integrated with real-time data and displayed tailored messages based on various factors such as time, weather and location. For instance, when it was sunny, the ads would suggest the nearest parks or outdoor activities; on the other hand, if it rained, indoor activities would be recommended.

Why You Should Use DOOH as a Performance Channel

While DOOH’s strengths in brand building are well-recognized, its capabilities as a performance channel are equally compelling. Advertisers can use DOOH to drive measurable outcomes, from increased website traffic and online search volume to sales.

Gives Brands a Way To Reach Customers Beyond Their Personal Devices

In the era of digital disruption, as ad-blocker usage is rising and consumers are more skeptical of digital advertising, reaching consumers on their personal devices can present a challenge. This is where DOOH provides a unique advantage.

DOOH gives brands the opportunity to reach customers beyond their personal devices, providing an alternative, highly visible platform that cuts through the digital noise. Consumers are exposed to DOOH advertising while they’re in public, and this wide and diverse reach can be leveraged to complement other digital strategies, allowing brands to create a holistic omnichannel experience that engages consumers across multiple touchpoints.

Moreover, DOOH ads can also interact with personal devices in exciting ways. For instance, DOOH screens can display QR codes, encouraging viewers to scan the ads with their smartphones for more information or an exclusive offer. This creates a direct link between the large-scale ad and the individual, providing an opportunity for immediate engagement and data collection.

By providing a way to reach audiences outside the crowded online space, DOOH advertising ensures that brands can maintain visibility, even in an era of increased digital advertising skepticism. The potential for creative, engaging, and flexible advertising in the DOOH space is vast, making it a worthwhile addition to any robust, omnichannel advertising strategy.

Easy To Buy and Use

One of the key advantages of DOOH is the ease of purchase and use. Programmatic DOOH is transforming the out-of-home sector by simplifying the buying and selling process. With real-time bidding, advertisers can decide when and where their ads are displayed, which was not possible with traditional OOH advertising.

DOOH also leverages the digital ecosystem to deliver dynamic and responsive campaigns that can be adapted quickly and efficiently. Campaigns can be launched or adjusted in real-time, allowing marketers to respond to changing market conditions, audience behaviors, or even environmental factors. It is also easier to test and optimize ad variations to see what works best and adjust accordingly.

Moreover, DOOH incorporates the analytical precision of digital media. It utilizes data to target specific demographic groups, assess ad performance, and tweak strategies as necessary, enabling advertisers to maximize their ROI.

Highly Visible

Visibility is a significant advantage of DOOH advertising. DOOH platforms are typically placed in high-traffic areas where they can reach a broad and diverse audience. From billboards along busy highways to digital signage in shopping malls, airports and train stations, these ads are hard to miss.

Unlike ads on personal digital devices, which can be blocked, skipped, or closed, DOOH ads are present with your customers in the real world. This high visibility guarantees that your advertising message will reach consumers.

The large-scale, dynamic and vibrant displays of DOOH can also create a significant visual impact, making it more engaging and memorable than traditional, static out-of-home ads or digital ads on personal mobile devices, which will always be limited by the resolution and quality of the device in question. DOOH shows your advertisements at the quality and scale they were truly meant to be seen.

Advances in screen technology, including higher resolutions, AR integration, and interactive elements, mean that DOOH ads can captivate audiences in ways that other formats can’t. 

Can Accommodate Future Strategy Changes

DOOH is a flexible medium that can readily accommodate changes in marketing strategy. Thanks to programmatic technology, DOOH campaigns can be quickly and easily updated in response to shifts in consumer behavior, market trends, or company goals.

For instance, if an advertiser decides to focus on a particular demographic, DOOH ads can be adjusted to target areas with a high concentration of that demographic. If a brand launches a new product, DOOH ads can be swapped out virtually instantly to promote it. This can also be helpful if an ad campaign is underperforming or negatively impacting your company’s reputation. Any ad can be simultaneously pulled from all locations at a moment’s notice.

Whether adjusting to evolving marketing strategies or responding to unexpected events, DOOH allows brands to remain agile and responsive, ensuring their advertising always remains relevant and effective.

Contextual and Less Intrusive Than Traditional Advertising

In the world of advertising, context is vital. DOOH allows for contextual messaging in a way few other mediums can. These digital displays can adapt to their surroundings, presenting advertisements that resonate with viewers’ current experiences.

For instance, DOOH can alter content based on the time of day, weather, or local events. A tea and coffee brand could advertise a warm latte on a chilly morning, switch to iced coffee as the day heats up, and then promote a relaxing herbal tea in the evening. This type of advertising not only makes the message more relevant to the viewer, but it may also feel less jarring than traditional advertising that doesn’t consider context.

Unlike other digital advertising that interrupts a user’s online experience, DOOH is part of the public environment and blends seamlessly into the backdrop of a viewer’s day-to-day life. As it is less disruptive and more in tune with consumers’ real-world experiences, DOOH advertising is generally perceived as being more welcome to consumers.

Creates Customer Engagement

DOOH offers a unique opportunity to engage customers in innovative and interactive ways. With advancements in technology, these ads can now go beyond static images or text, incorporating elements such as video, animation, real-time data feeds, social media integration, and even interactive touchscreens.

One of the emerging digital out-of-home advertising trends is the use of augmented reality (AR) and QR codes to create immersive and interactive experiences. With these technologies, viewers can engage directly with ads, participate in games, or access additional digital content through their smartphones, significantly enhancing their engagement with the brand.

Additionally, DOOH can incorporate user-generated content, allowing customers to interact with a brand and share their experiences on social media. These user interactions can then be displayed on digital billboards, fostering a sense of community and further increasing engagement.

Fits Easily into an Omnichannel Strategy with Programmatic Technology

DOOH fits seamlessly into an omnichannel marketing strategy. It can be used in conjunction with other digital marketing channels such as social media advertising to create a unified brand message and provide a consistent customer experience across all touchpoints.

In the digital age, customers move fluidly between online and offline environments. Integrating DOOH into an omnichannel strategy enables brands to follow this consumer journey, delivering the right message at the right time and place, whether the customer is at home, on their smartphone, or out in the world.

Programmatic digital out-of-home ads further enhance this integration. They allow for real-time bidding and automation, enabling advertisers to manage their DOOH ads alongside their other digital channels. This holistic approach maximizes efficiency and ROI, ensuring that marketing messages reach the most relevant audience at the most opportune moments.

Doesn’t Require Third-Party Data and Reaches Target Audiences Without Cookies

One unique advantage of DOOH is that it doesn’t rely on third-party cookies for targeted advertising. As data privacy regulations continue to evolve and tech giants like Google phase out third-party cookies, advertisers are seeking alternatives to reach their target audiences. DOOH fills this gap brilliantly.

Digital out-of-home marketing uses contextual and location-based data to determine the most appropriate ad to display at any given time. For example, a digital billboard outside a sports stadium could display ads related to ongoing games. This method ensures that the ads displayed are relevant to the people in that specific location, creating a targeted yet broad approach that doesn’t infringe on individual data privacy.

This method is not only privacy-compliant: It’s also highly effective. By analyzing aggregated demographic data, traffic patterns, and event schedules, DOOH can deliver targeted advertising to the desired audiences wherever they are in the real world without relying on individual user data.

DOOH is also less susceptible to ad fraud, a common issue in digital advertising, since DOOH ads are shown in public environments rather than on private devices. If a provider isn’t actually displaying the outdoor advertising they were paid to show, it’s easy to catch them in the act.

Find the Right Solution for Your DOOH Advertising

In this new era of advertising, where data privacy is a priority and consumer attention is fragmented, finding the right solutions for your advertising campaigns is more crucial than ever. Successfully integrating DOOH into your omnichannel marketing strategy requires a comprehensive approach and an in-depth understanding of the medium’s unique benefits and potential challenges. For many brands and agencies, it’s a good idea to seek out a partner with expertise and experience in delivering successful DOOH campaigns.

With AUDIENCEX, our integrated teams leverage our omnichannel programmatic media platform, empowered with AI-driven data science technology to find your audience, target them, and continuously optimize every campaign for performance. Our channel experts develop custom, holistic strategies that are deployed throughout the digital landscape seamlessly, everywhere from DOOH to display to CTV.

With advanced DOOH capabilities such as geotargeting and geofencing, weather reactivity, real-time data integration, adaptable creative, augmented reality and more, AUDIENCEX ensures that your DOOH advertisements not only reach the right audience, but engage them effectively when they do. Our capabilities also include access to reporting and attribution capabilities, helping to measure and optimize performance on this rapidly evolving channel.

Get in touch today to learn more about how we can help you integrate DOOH into your holistic marketing approach and leverage it effectively throughout the entire purchase funnel.

If you’re interested in learning more about DOOH’s capabilities as a performance channel, you can also watch our recent on-demand webinar, Beyond Awareness: Digital Out-of-Home for Performance.