The future of programmatic DOOH through the eyes of Adam Green, our new SVP and GM of Broadsign Reach
As we continue our quest to grow programmatic DOOH, we’re always looking for new ways to push the medium to be as big and bold as it can be. To help us do so, we’ve added a seasoned expert to our roster: Adam Green.
Adam joins us as senior vice president and general manager of Broadsign Reach, after having spent the last 8 years managing Google’s relationships with large media and creative agencies in Canada.
So, why make the jump to DOOH? Here’s what he had to say:
What drew you to programmatic DOOH?
There are a lot of factors that attracted me but the main one was the potential to increase the relevance of DOOH media through data and an automated transaction process. I’m a firm believer that the right ad targeted to the right people at the right moment can deliver a more relevant and enjoyable ad experience for the user, meaning better results for advertisers and more money for publishers.
What drew you to Broadsign?
Ultimately it was the people that drew me here. Coming from Google I knew what it was like to work with a stellar team and when I sat down with the Broadsign team it just felt like home. They’re principled, smart and driven. What more could you ask for?
What will your role at Broadsign be?
My job will be to build programmatic from a curiosity into a mainstream method of transaction for DOOH. It will take a while and there will be innumerable challenges but I’m confident that if we can show that programmatic can deliver a better ad experience for users, more profit to publishers and better results to advertisers, then it will become the standard.
What learnings, strategies and tactics from your past programmatic experience do you hope to bring to the DOOH industry?
There are a lot but one of the biggest is that we can leverage programmatic for its full potential right out of the gate instead of making it a conduit for cheap impressions, as happened initially in digital. That was a really destructive trend for everyone involved (publishers, programmatic firms, agencies, advertisers and even users). This wasn’t a necessary artefact of programmatic buying, it was a consequence of the decisions we all made around inventory choice, yield management and buying strategy. I’m confident that those mistakes can be avoided or minimised this time around.
What are the DOOH trends you are most excited about?
There are a lot of things but first and foremost is the ability to deliver more delightful ad experiences through things like video, situational awareness and user interaction. After that I would say measurement. It’s not sexy but it drives those delightful experiences and the economics of the whole endeavour.
What challenges with programmatic DOOH are you looking to tackle?
One of the main challenges will be getting more thorough integrations with the buy side. Broadsign has built a great platform but until we can deliver global demand to publishers, this will continue to be a curiosity. Provided the DSPs see OOH as a worthy pursuit, I expect institutional inertia will be the hardest challenge because it’s ill defined, involves changing processes, policies, metrics and people’s minds and those can be a lot harder than building a new feature or piece of technology. Settling on measurement standards is also going to be hard but it will be essential if we’re going to keep the medium moving forward.
What needs to be done to further encourage media buyers to add DOOH to their programmatic campaigns?
I think we need a clear measurement story, great ad experiences and the potential for media teams to do things that no one has ever done before in order to delight audiences. If we can make that happen as a company and as an industry then we should see DOOH landing on more plans.
Adam regularly attends industry events, so be sure to say hi if you see him. If you need a little icebreaker, here are some things Adam enjoys:
Rock climbing, mountain biking and white water kayaking
Photography
Playing at the park with his daughters
We’re excited to have Adam onboard and look forward to seeing how his passion and past experience will come together to help us further grow programmatic DOOH across the globe.
You can see more of his thoughts on programmatic DOOH in this blog post: Four Lessons From Digital That Will Inform DOOH’s Programmatic Transition.
Product News | October 11, 2021
Broadsign and Scope3 Partner to Advance Carbon Measurement in DOOH Advertising
Collaboration unlocks new DOOH campaign emissions insights for sustainability-minded media buyers, improves DOOH carbon footprint reporting
MONTREAL, March 5, 2025 –Broadsign and Scope3 today announced a partnership that sets the stage for more accurate, comprehensive carbon modeling of digital-out-of-home (DOOH) campaigns. As more brands seek to limit carbon emissions across their businesses, including marketing, the two companies have teamed up to expand the depth and precision of available DOOH emissions data.
As a result of the collaboration thus far, agencies and brands leveraging Scope3’s carbon measurement platform can now access DOOH property and format emissions data for over 1 million screens globally when planning DOOH and omnichannel campaigns. Available insights include average CO2e per impression for DOOH screens by country and venue category.
Scope3 users can view this data alongside similar insights from web, mobile, social, CTV, and other channels for more seamless carbon-conscious media planning and reporting. While DOOH is proven to augment omnichannel campaign performance, the data now available on Scope3’s platform also demonstrates its carbon efficiency on a per impression basis, reaffirming previous studies that illustrate the medium’s carbon-efficiency advantage over other channels.
Key findings based on the data collected by Scope3 and Broadsign to date include:
DOOH is the lowest carbon-emitting marketing channel on a per/impression basis (in countries where DOOH benchmarks are available).
The primary source of DOOH carbon emissions comes from the electricity that powers the screens. Key factors include operating hours, brightness settings, and the electricity grid mix.
Approximately 95% of Broadsign-contributed screens fall at or below the median emissions level, considering factors like country and venue category.
Opting for high-quality, low-emitting screens that deliver strong performance without increasing carbon output and optimizing campaigns for time of day can help advertisers reduce emissions, as certain hours may benefit from a more sustainable energy grid mix or higher foot traffic.
“There’s a preconceived notion that DOOH is a high-emitting channel, but the data tells a more accurate story that accounts for its unique nuances,” shared David Fischer, GM, Global Ad Tech Platforms, Scope3. “Broadsign’s expertise, insights, and extensive inventory data are helping us refine our DOOH carbon measurement modeling to shed more light on the medium’s impact. Agencies and brands that use Scope3 to inform omnichannel media strategies can now better understand DOOH’s emissions, and media owners can set their inventory apart by offering insight into the carbon footprint of their screens.”
“Scope3 is the ad industry standard for carbon measurement, so partnering with them in the interest of the broader ad industry was a natural next step,” explained Bryan Mongeau, CTO, Broadsign. “As companies look to implement more sustainable practices, reducing ad campaign emissions will be an area of increasing focus, and our collaboration with Scope3 provides a strong foundation to support this demand. It not only provides invaluable insights today but also paves the way for future innovations like dynamic campaign planning and real-time media plan adjustments based on carbon intensity; we’re just getting started and have only begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible.”
Broadsign empowers media owners, agencies, and brands to harness the power and reach of out-of-home to connect with audiences in ways unlike any other advertising channel. More than 1.5 million static and digital signs along roadways and in airports, shopping malls, retailers, health clinics, transit systems, electric vehicle charging stations, and more run on Broadsign, reaching audiences at multiple touchpoints throughout the consumer journey. The Broadsign Platform helps media owners such as Outfront, Pattison Outdoor, Global, and Intersection streamline business operations and maximize revenue opportunities while enabling marketers and agencies to more easily plan and execute dynamic OOH campaigns that resonate with audiences. Brands spanning AB InBev, Disney, FanDuel, H&M, Honda, HP, Johnson & Johnson, KLM, Uber Eats, Sea-Doo, Samsonite, and many more have run successful programmatic DOOH campaigns enabled by Broadsign technology. https://broadsign.com
Product News | October 11, 2021
Driving omnichannel success with DOOH: Insights from 1,050 brand lift studies
Virginie Chesnais, Chief Marketing Officer at Happydemics, explores the strategic role of DOOH in the media mix and its impact on campaign performance. Backed by extensive brand lift studies, this blog highlights how measurement helps drive better marketing outcomes.
Digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is reshaping the advertising landscape, blending the physical and digital worlds to deliver memorable brand experiences. While traditional out-of-home formats have always excelled in visibility, DOOH takes this to the next level by integrating data, dynamic creativity, and omnichannel synergies.
As a global solution for measuring advertising effectiveness across all online and offline media, including measuring the effectiveness of DOOH campaigns for companies like Broadsign, Happydemics delivers actionable, full-funnel metrics collected among targeted audiences, and offers one of the most comprehensive industry benchmarks to enable advertisers to compare to industry standards and optimize strategies.
With over 1,050 DOOH brand lift studies across 27 countries since 2022, we’ve seen firsthand how this medium enhances campaign performance. In this post, we’ll explore DOOH’s evolution, its strategic role in the media mix, and how marketers can leverage it to drive results at every stage of the funnel. We’ll also discuss how brand lift measurement helps demonstrate DOOH’s effectiveness, refine offerings, and deliver better outcomes across the board.
The evolution of DOOH: A must-have medium
Once viewed as a traditional and static format, DOOH has undergone a dramatic transformation. It has transformed the way we experience public spaces, blending cutting-edge technology with the pulse of urban life. Over the past decade, it has evolved into immersive displays that seamlessly integrate into our environments. No longer just an advertising medium, DOOH has become a storyteller, using motion, data, and real-time information to engage with us in the most relevant and meaningful ways. It now stands at the intersection of technology, creativity, and strategy, making it a vital part of omnichannel marketing.
Why DOOH matters more than ever
From visibility to engagement: DOOH’s evolution from static billboards to dynamic, interactive formats has expanded its capabilities. Advertisers can now deliver real-time updates, location-specific messages, and interactive campaigns.
Shaping consumer behavior: Positioned in urban centers, transportation hubs, and retail environments, DOOH captures attention where people make decisions. This strategic placement bridges offline and online, influencing both immediate actions and long-term brand perceptions.
In today’s media-saturated world, DOOH excels at cutting through the noise. Its bold, large-scale visuals and dynamic content are not only eye-catching but also foster deeper emotional connections. As part of omnichannel strategies, DOOH strengthens cross-channel message consistency and creates seamless consumer journeys.
DOOH’s strategic role in omnichannel campaigns
DOOH is highly effective at showcasing creative content and enhancing ad perception compared to other media. Its large, dynamic formats are not only clearer and more engaging but also provide a strong platform for sophisticated brand image building.
The medium excels in delivering clear messages and shaping brand positioning, making it a powerful tool for highlighting key aspects of a brand’s identity. When integrated with other channels, DOOH becomes even more powerful at driving action—like purchases, inquiries, or recommendations—creating a compelling force for influencing consumer intent. Its visual dynamism, large-scale formats, and real-time adaptability make it effective across awareness, consideration, and conversion, solidifying its value for both brand building and consumer engagement.
This graph is based on the Happydemics benchmark, which includes 6,500 Brand Lift studies. The “+Xpts” value represents the performance difference from the benchmark, showcasing how this media surpasses the average of all other media for this specific KPI.
Upper section: DOOH performance by funnel phase compared to the average of all media.
Lower section: Best-performing media by funnel phase compared to the average of all media.
When integrated into a broader omnichannel strategy, the medium amplifies impact by working in synergy with other media channels. A successful multichannel approach relies on consistency and relevance, and DOOH strengthens this by extending reach and maximizing engagement.
It also pairs exceptionally well with digital channels. For example, combining DOOH with social media elevates brand visibility, with both channels reinforcing each other’s messages. DOOH enables the delivery of contextually relevant content to targeted audiences. After viewing a DOOH display, consumers are more likely to search for the brand or engage with mobile ads. This connection between the physical and digital worlds ensures that the brand message stays top-of-mind across all touchpoints.
During the consideration phase, DOOH continues to build on brand awareness, reinforcing messages and showcasing localized offers. Its flexibility allows for dynamic, contextually relevant content, ensuring ads remain timely, engaging, and persuasive, nudging audiences closer to decision-making.
Moving down the funnel, leveraging in-game advertising, where context is crucial, can further drive consumer intent. As part of a full-funnel strategy, DOOH works seamlessly with OOH, social media, and in-game ads to drive specific consumer actions. This combination ensures that every stage of the journey is optimized—whether building awareness, enhancing brand image, sparking curiosity, or driving conversion. With DOOH at the core, brands can create campaigns that deliver precise messaging and maximize impact at every stage.
Campaign types that benefit most from DOOH
Product launches: DOOH is particularly effective for showcasing new products, delivering high ad recall, and building awareness in saturated markets.
Seasonal promotions: Time-sensitive campaigns leverage DOOH’s flexibility to adapt messaging in real-time, ensuring maximum relevance.
Service-based industries: Our analysis shows that service brands see the highest ad recall uplift with DOOH, making it a top choice for industries like travel, finance, and healthcare.
Measurement: The key to optimizing the media mix
In today’s fragmented and competitive advertising landscape, measurement is essential for campaign success—especially in DOOH, which operates in diverse, high-saturation environments. With a 135%+ increase in DOOH measurement activations on the Happydemics platform from 2023 to 2024, the industry is increasingly recognizing measurement as a necessity. By comparing ad recall, brand preference, or purchase intent between exposed and control groups, advertisers can determine the true impact of their campaigns.
Making the medium work for you
With tools to measure uplift and track performance, brands can now optimize DOOH’s placement in campaigns and refine their media strategies to deliver greater impact. The lesson is clear: the key to success lies in working across the funnel, ensuring every medium contributes to a cohesive, high-performing campaign.
As the advertising landscape continues to evolve, DOOH will remain a must-have medium—not as a standalone solution, but as a vital piece of the omnichannel puzzle.
Retail media networks 101: What they are & why they matter
Imagine you’re a brand looking to engage shoppers at the exact moment they’re considering a purchase — or a retailer eager to turn first-party shopper data into new revenue streams. Retail media networks (RMNs) make both possible.
So, what is an RMN exactly? A retail media network is an advertising platform that allows retailers to sell ad space across their owned media channels — both onsite, offsite, and in-store — to brands looking to reach high-intent shoppers. This includes everything from sponsored search ads on retailer websites and apps to in-store digital displays and point-of-sale promotions. By leveraging first-party data, retailers can provide precise targeting while unlocking new monetization opportunities. And brands gain a highly effective way to reach shoppers at the point of purchase with relevant, data-driven ads.
In this article, we’ll break down what retail media is, how retail media networks work, and why they matter for both retailers and advertisers.
What is retail media? Understanding the bigger picture
While retail media and retail media networks (RMNs) are closely related, they aren’t the same thing.
Retail media = any advertising within a retailer’s ecosystem.
This includes in-store advertising methods like digital signage, in-store radio, and point-of-sale promotions, as well as online strategies such as sponsored product listings and display ads on retailer websites and apps.
Retail media networks (RMNs) = the monetization platform behind retail media.
A retail media network is the formal system that allows retailers to sell ad space to brands. RMNs provide the infrastructure, data, and ad inventory that make retail media possible.
Retail media vs. commerce media
Retail media is also part of a larger digital advertising movement known as commerce media. While retail media focuses on advertising within a retailer’s ecosystem, commerce media extends that approach across the entire digital commerce landscape.
📌 Why this matters:
Commerce media connects the full shopper journey — allowing brands to reach consumers before, during, and after their purchases. As the retail media space evolves, many retailers are expanding their offerings to become full commerce media platforms, helping brands engage with shoppers across multiple digital environments.
Retailers are expanding across digital environments
Why retail media networks matter (Key benefits for retailers & advertisers)
Retail media networks are changing how brands and retailers connect with shoppers, creating highly targeted, data-driven advertising opportunities at the point of purchase. As brands shift more of their ad spend to retail media — with global retail media ad spend projected to surpass US$177 billion in 2025 — RMNs are emerging as one of the fastest-growing segments in digital advertising.
This rapid growth is reshaping the relationship between retailers and advertisers, offering new ways to leverage privacy-compliant data, optimize ad reach, and influence purchasing decisions in real-time. Here’s why RMNs are becoming a must-have strategy for both in 2025:
For retailers: A win-win opportunity
Retail media isn’t just about ads — it’s about smarter, more profitable retail. Here’s how retailers benefit:
Enhanced customer experience: Retail media doesn’t just benefit retailers and advertisers — it also improves the shopping journey for customers. Personalized promotions and targeted messaging shown on in-store displays help enhance the in-store retail experience, while well-placed online ads make it easier for shoppers to discover relevant products, access timely deals, and enjoy a more seamless path to purchase across both digital and physical retail environments.
Increased basket sizes: Well-timed messaging can influence last-minute purchasing decisions, prompting shoppers to add more to their carts. Strategically placed product promotions near checkout highlight relevant add-ons, limited-time offers, and value packs that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. By seamlessly integrating these prompts into the shopping journey, retailers can increase average order value and maximize sales opportunities.
New revenue streams: By selling ad space across their websites, apps, and in-store digital displays, retailers can generate high-margin advertising revenue — between 70% and 90%, according to BCG — alongside traditional product sales. Insights gleaned from their first-party shopper data make these (and any off-site) ad placements even more valuable, enabling brands to reach highly targeted audiences in a privacy-compliant way. As brands shift more ad spend to retail media, retailers that capitalize on this demand can drive significant new revenue while strengthening partnerships with advertisers.
For advertisers, RMNs offer something digital ads often struggle with: direct access to ready-to-buy consumers. This allows brands to benefit from:
Higher purchase intent: Ads appear when shoppers are actively looking for products, making them more effective and increasing the likelihood of conversion.
Precision targeting with first-party data: RMNs provide privacy-compliant insights, helping brands serve more relevant ads and refine their audience strategies.
Measurable ad performance: Unlike traditional ads, RMNs offer closed-loop measurement, so brands can track sales directly linked to their campaigns.
As RMNs continue to grow, they’re proving to be a must-have for both retailers and brands looking to maximize revenue, improve customer engagement, and drive measurable results.
In-store advertising turns shopping into memorable experiences
How RMNs work: Key players & their roles (RMN ecosystem)
Retail media networks don’t operate in a vacuum. They rely on a collaborative ecosystem of key stakeholders — all working together to deliver relevant, data-driven advertising that benefits everyone involved. Here’s a quick overview of who’s involved and how RMN advertising works:
Retailers create and manage the RMN, selling ad space across their digital and physical stores.
Brands and advertisers purchase these placements to promote their products to high-intent shoppers at key moments in their purchase journey.
Technology providers enable automation, measurement, and optimization to ensure seamless ad delivery and performance tracking via retail media platforms, ensuring ads reach the right audience at the right time.
Retail media ad formats & real-world examples
As RMNs grow, brands have more opportunities to connect with high-intent shoppers at key moments. Whether through in-store digital displays, sponsored search ads, or off-site campaigns, retail media offers targeted, data-driven advertising that enhances the shopping experience while driving measurable results.
Types of retail media advertising
Retail media comes in a variety of ad formats, depending on where shoppers interact with the brand:
1. Digital retail media (on-site advertising)
Retailers monetize their websites and apps much like traditional publishers, offering brands premium ad placements where shoppers actively search and browse.
Key digital retail media formats include:
Sponsored search ads: Paid placements that appear when shoppers search for products.
Display ads: Banner ads on a retailer’s website or app, either promoting their own products or paid for by external brands.
Video ads: Short ads featured on product pages, retailer apps, or even live-streamed shopping events.
2. Off-site retail media (beyond retailer ecosystems)
Retailers extend ad reach beyond their owned properties, placing brand ads across third-party websites, social media, and programmatic networks — all powered by first-party shopper data.
Off-site retail media formats typically include:
Social media & programmatic advertising: Retailers use shopper data to target ads on platforms like Instagram and YouTube.
Retailer-driven display/video ads: Placed on external websites and apps but still leveraging retailer data.
For example, Target’s retail media network, Roundel, leverages the big-box retailer’s first-party shopper data to deliver highly targeted ads beyond Target’s owned properties. Brands can reach Target shoppers across third-party websites, social media, and programmatic networks, keeping engagement strong and driving traffic back to Target’s stores and digital channels.
📌 Key distinction from commerce media:
Off-site retail media is controlled and sold by a retailer — even though the ad appears elsewhere. Commerce media, on the other hand, is broader, allowing brands to use retailer data but not necessarily purchasing the ad space from the retailer itself.
3. In-store retail media
Forward-thinking retailers are transforming their physical stores into dynamic ad environments, giving brands the chance to engage shoppers and influence purchasing decisions at key moments in the buying journey.
Common in-store retail media formats include:
Digital signage: Large-format screens, shelf-edge displays, or interactive kiosks showcasing promotions.
In-store radio: Audio ads played over the store’s sound system.
Walmart’s in-store advertising solutions help brands stay top-of-mind by engaging shoppers at key moments in their journey. With a nationwide network of in-store TV screens, targeted self-checkout ads, and in-store audio placements, advertisers can seamlessly capture attention and drive influence where purchase decisions happen.
By integrating a strategic mix of retail media formats into their RMN, retailers can maximize advertising revenue while enhancing the customer shopping experience — whether online, in-store, or beyond. At the same time, brands gain valuable opportunities to stay top of mind and influence shoppers at key moments, from discovery to checkout.
In-store retail media advertising can promote special offers to boost sales
As RMNs evolve, proven out-of-home (OOH) strategies like audience targeting, engagement, and measurement are driving the future of retail media — particularly through retail digital signage solutions that enhance in-store engagement and ad impact.
By integrating these solutions into a broader RMN strategy, retailers can unlock new revenue streams, enhance the shopping journey, and maximize the value of their first-party data. At the same time, brands gain a powerful way to connect with high-intent shoppers at the point of purchase. From sponsored search and display ads to in-store digital activations, retail media offers a highly targeted and measurable advertising channel that’s only continuing to grow.
Want to make the most of your retail media strategy?
Explore our latest RMN insights and best practices for building, scaling, and maximizing the impact of a retail media network — whether you’re a retailer monetizing your media assets or a brand investing in RMNs.
