How Pepsi Max used programmatic digital out-of-home to retarget fans
the challenge
Tesla and Edison, Sherlock and Moriarty, Star Wars and Star Trek; the world is packed with epic rivalries, but perhaps none as iconic as Pepsi and a certain red rival. Wanting to settle things once and for all, Pepsi MAX needed a marketing campaign that truly set them apart.
In a two-step campaign, Pepsi MAX started by setting up stations across the Netherlands where people were encouraged to take a blind taste test comparing two beverages. This classic and immersive campaign was a hit and great for brand awareness. Yet Pepsi MAX wanted to extend their reach and push their creativity a step further.
the solution
Using their innovation budget and working with international marketing agency Omnicom, Pepsi devised a plan to retarget taste testers using digital out-of-home. The campaign ran on Exterion Media screens in six malls in Amsterdam, Utrecht, the Hague and Rotterdam. These locations were specifically selected because the malls had a supermarket in them, increasing the relevance of the ad and the likelihood of triggering a purchase.
However, rather than booking every mall screen at all times, the brand tapped into Broadsign DSP partner, Platform 161, for a hyper-targeted and contextual programmatic digital out-of-home approach. When people participated in the tasting challenge, a unique ID was logged from several apps using Resono beacon technology. The digital out-of-home campaign was then triggered instantly when one of these taste testers walked into the mall.
As this took place programmatically, Pepsi MAX only paid for the ad placement when the creative played, making it a targeted and extremely efficient media buy. The moment the ad was triggered, the entire mall network displayed a Pepsi MAX ad for an impactful takeover view.
“The flexibility provided by buying digital out-of-home programmatically enabled us to look at retargeting in a whole new way. The screens were a fresh and creative addition to Pepsi MAX’s campaign.” – Danique Steur, senior programmatic specialist, Omnicom
the results
The result was a highly effective campaign that caught viewers’ attention.
“With programmatic digital out-of-home, we were able to be extremely relevant to our audience without having to spend huge amounts. We’re definitely going to continue to innovate with this type of campaign going forward.” – Michiel Otten, brand manager beverages, PepsiCo.
While mass awareness digital out-of-home campaigns are still an important part of a brand’s marketing strategy, data-driven programmatic campaigns are becoming more frequent, as buyers look to find more efficient and creative ways to share their brand stories.
Product News | October 11, 2021
3 strategies for planning smarter programmatic DOOH campaigns: Data-backed tips from our new industry report
As the programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH) market matures, the question for many advertisers is no longer whether to use it, but how to make it work harder. At the same time, the rise of new targeting signals, creative formats, and deal models means buyers are navigating a more complex landscape — one where maximizing ROAS and aligning DOOH outcomes with broader campaign goals are top of mind.
To better understand how these shifts are shaping advertiser investment and planning strategies, we analyzed aggregated transaction data from the Broadsign and Place Exchange SSPs — together representing the world’s largest independent programmatic OOH ecosystem, with more than 1.7 million programmatically-enabled screens.
Drawing on the findings published in our new 2026 Programmatic DOOH Trends Report, this article highlights three practical strategies buyers can use to plan smarter, allocate budgets more effectively, and get more value from their programmatic DOOH campaigns.
Understanding today’s programmatic DOOH marketplace: Insights for agencies and advertisers
No longer limited to a small group of early adopters, today’s category mix — spanning sectors associated with everyday consumer purchase decisions as well as those with longer consideration cycles — shows programmatic OOH being used across a wide range of business contexts.
Top spending advertiser categories
Global, full-year 2025 | Categorized by IAB category
The diversity of advertiser investment reinforces programmatic DOOH’s growing role as a mainstream media channel rather than a specialist one. It also reflects increasing confidence in the channel’s ability to support a wide range of campaign objectives across different industries. But as the market matures, buyers are navigating a more sophisticated programmatic landscape — one where performance is increasingly shaped by the planning decisions made before a campaign ever goes live.
3 strategies for planning smarter programmatic DOOH campaigns
Whether you’re launching your first programmatic OOH campaign or looking to level up your pDOOH performance at scale, we’ve got you covered with practical insights — backed by real transaction data from activations across the globe.
1. Think beyond core outdoor environments
Advertisers have long relied on out-of-home to reach audiences in busy public spaces like city centres and along major highways. And digital OOH — especially when transacted programmatically — gives buyers a faster, more flexible way to activate campaigns in those same high-traffic settings. But as digital screens extend into a wider array of everyday environments, buyers have an opportunity to think beyond traditional outdoor settings and choose inventory based not just on visibility, but on its potential to align messaging with audience mindset.
Spend distribution by venue category
Global, full-year 2025
Our transaction data reflects this reality. Outdoor remains the largest venue category, accounting for nearly half (48.4%) of all programmatic OOH spend. But meaningful investment across other context-rich environments like Retail (18.5%) and Transit (12.7%) points to strong buyer demand to reach audiences in relevant moments throughout the physical world.
Today’s strongest programmatic OOH plans evaluate the role different environments can play in achieving campaign objectives and use those insights to guide more intentional, performance-oriented allocation decisions. In many cases, that means combining high-reach environments for foundational coverage and layering in more targeted or context-driven placements to meaningfully engage audiences as they move about their days.
2. Check whether you can repurpose existing creative before commissioning new assets
Programmatic OOH gives buyers the flexibility to activate campaigns at scale across a growing mix of digital inventory. While different file specs across networks can take a little extra coordination, it’s getting easier as the channel evolves. pDOOH video and display creative is increasingly aligning around a few common formats, making it simpler to activate across networks, repurpose creative from other channels, and spend less time building custom assets.
Spend by video ad size (width x height)Spend by display ad size (width x height)
The findings in our Programmatic DOOH Trends Reportillustrate just how concentrated creative specifications have become. For example, two asset sizes — 1080×1920 (vertical portrait) and 1920×1080 (landscape) — together accounted for 77% of all programmatic video spend in 2025. And the top three display ad sizes — 1080×1920 (31.4%), 1920×1080 (23.3%), and 1400×400 (24.2%) — made up 79% of total display spend.
For buyers, it’s easier than ever to scale creative across screens, with technology simplifying activation across a wider range of formats through automated reformatting. That gives brands more flexibility to focus their resources where they can have the most impact, whether that’s exploring unique formats or investing in capabilities like dynamic creative optimization (DCO), which allows messaging to adapt automatically based on changing real-world conditions.
3. Match your deal type to your campaign objectives
Advertisers are taking a more considered approach to buying digital out-of-home programmatically, using different transaction models depending on campaign requirements. Real-time bidding via the open exchange (oRTB) provides a fast and flexible way to activate DOOH campaigns at scale, while private marketplace (PMP) deals provide access to curated inventory through pre-established deal structures.
Spend by transaction type
Global, full-year 2025 | Place Exchange transactions only
Our data shows that PMP transactions accounted for more than 86% of programmatic OOH spend in 2025. This includes Custom PMPs, which allow buyers to build deals around specific inventory and audience criteria, and Always-on PMPs, which provide turnkey access to curated inventory without requiring new agreements.
This distribution doesn’t suggest that one transaction model is inherently better suited to programmatic DOOH. Each serves a different purpose depending on campaign objectives: open auction can support scale, flexibility and speed; PMPs can address specific inventory, audience or contextual requirements; and programmatic guaranteed can provide delivery commitments or secure specific placements.
Transaction model selection should therefore be driven by campaign requirements as part of the broader planning process, rather than by a preference for one buying method over another.
Explore more data-backed findings in our 2026 Programmatic DOOH Trends Report
Access additional benchmarks, regional trends, and category-level insights drawn from aggregated transaction data from the world’s largest independent programmatic OOH ecosystem.
A sneak peek at the data-backed findings in our 2026 Programmatic DOOH Trends Report
Programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH) is thriving, bringing digital speed and accountability to a medium built on real-world reach. But as the channel’s capabilities expand and campaigns become more sophisticated, so do the investment strategies behind them.
To better understand the trends and shifts defining today’s programmatic OOH marketplace, we analyzed aggregated transaction data from the Broadsign and Place Exchange SSPs — together representing the world’s largest independent programmatic OOH ecosystem, with more than 1.7 million programmatically-enabled screens and over 1.5 trillion available impressions each month.
The result is Broadsign’s new 2026 Programmatic DOOH Trends Report: a comprehensive global snapshot of programmatic digital out-of-home activity. Drawing on full-year 2025 and Q1 2026 internal transaction data, it surfaces useful signals about what today’s buyers value — and how media owners can use those signals to inform inventory positioning and packaging strategies.
Read on for a sneak peek of some of the key findings you’ll find inside.
The programmatic digital out-of-home market is maturing
Programmatic DOOH is no longer limited to a small group of early adopters. Today’s advertiser mix reflects a channel that has proven its value across a wide range of business contexts and use cases — a clear sign of a maturing market.
Top Spending Advertiser Categories
Global, full-year 2025 | Categorized by IAB category
Food & Drink, at 18.5%, remained the largest advertiser category by spend share in 2025, followed by Shopping at 11.8% — reinforcing the channel’s strong fit for brands looking to influence consumer decisions close to the point of purchase. Meanwhile, Personal Finance (10.5%) and Technology (8.9%), the third- and fourth-largest categories, together accounted for nearly a fifth of all programmatic OOH spend last year, highlighting OOH’s appeal among categories with longer consideration cycles.
A diverse mix of demand is a strategic advantage for media owners. It reduces dependence on any single industry’s budget cycles while creating more opportunities to grow revenue across a range of advertiser categories and campaign objectives.
The broad-reach outdoor environments that out-of-home has long been known for continue to anchor programmatic OOH spend. But advertisers are also investing across a diverse range of other context-rich venue types, indicating strong demand to reach audiences in relevant moments throughout the physical world.
Spend distribution by venue category
Global, full-year 2025
Outdoor accounted for nearly half (48.4%) of all 2025 spend, reflecting its unmatched ability to deliver wide coverage and cost-effective reach. Retail (18.5%) also occupies a distinct position in the mix thanks to its proximity to real-world purchase decisions. Transit (12.7%) and Entertainment (10.4%) venues followed, demonstrating strong buyer demand for high-dwell environments.
Reach is still the foundation of programmatic DOOH, but buyers aren’t taking a one-size-fits-all approach. They’re investing across a wide mix of venues to support different marketing objectives, making it more important than ever for media owners to highlight what makes each environment unique. The clearer the value proposition, the more opportunities to win new campaigns.
The market is rallying around a few key formats
Programmatic OOH creative — both video and display — is converging around a relatively small number of dominant formats, making cross-network activation (and cross-channel repurposing of creative assets) more straightforward for buyers and giving media owners a clear picture of what creative specs to prioritize.
Spend by video ad size (width x height)Spend by display ad size (width x height)
For example, just two asset sizes — 1080×1920 (vertical portrait) and 1920×1080 (landscape) — collectively accounted for 77% of all programmatic video spend in 2025. Similarly, the top three display ad sizes — 1080×1920 (31.4%), 1920×1080 (23.3%), and 1400×400 (24.2%) — made up 79% of total display spend.
Increasing standardization around creative specifications gives media owners a clear benchmark for the creative capabilities their network should support. Clearly communicating those capabilities — including supported formats, resolutions, and dynamic triggers — can simplify campaign activation and strengthen inventory positioning.
Buyers want curated, negotiated access to premium inventory
Similar to other programmatic channels, private marketplaces are the dominant transaction mechanism in programmatic OOH.
Global, full-year 2025 | Place Exchange transactions only
Custom Private Marketplace (PMP) deals — offering buyers the ability to construct deals against specific inventory and audience criteria — were the dominant transaction type in 2025, accounting for 65.8% of all programmatic OOH spend. Always-on PMP deals represented the second-highest share of overall spend (20.5%), highlighting strong demand for turnkey access to curated inventory without the need to establish new agreements.
While open auction remains an efficient way for media owners to make inventory broadly available to programmatic demand, buyers have shown a clear preference for negotiated exchanges and more controlled buying. To remain competitive, media owners should offer inventory through a range of transaction models — including Custom PMPs, Always-on PMPs, and Programmatic Guaranteed deals — to support different campaign requirements.
Explore more in-depth findings in our 2026 Programmatic DOOH Trends Report
Access additional benchmarks, regional trends, and category-level insights drawn from aggregated transaction data from the world’s largest independent programmatic OOH ecosystem.
