Product News | October 11, 2021

Managing programmatic yield with Broadsign Reach

Managing network yield is a perennial issue, a nut that owners are anxious to crack in order to maximize inventory revenue. We know that transacting programmatic in an open bidding process, rather than just sticking with private deals, is one big step to take. What else?

Our Broadsign Reach product owner, Matthew Mercuri, laid out the process in a recent talk. Have a watch, or else read on for the details below.

Step 1: Ask yourself these questions

Before making any moves to upgrade your network or make significant changes to your programmatic strategy, it’s important to take stock of where things stand. Ask yourself a few questions to get a better picture of the current state of your business. Better still, write the answers down in a document you can reference in the future.

Why do buyers purchase my screens?

If you’re selling media on your network (and we’ll presume that you are), it’s because you’re meeting somebody’s needs. Who are they? Are you appealing primarily to buyers in a particular industry – healthcare, automotive, technology – or to buyers with broad target audiences? And what is it about your screens that makes them desirable to your buyers

Don’t just go with your gut – check your actual sales numbers. It’s possible you’ll be surprised by what you uncover.

What’s my fill rate?

Depending on your fill rate, you’ll want to approach developing your programmatic business a little differently. Is your fill rate a stone’s throw from 100%, or is it hanging out closer to 50%, or even lower? Take a note. We’ll have tailored advice for your specific position down below.

How do I price my non-programmatic deals?

Pricing can already be a complex thing in direct sales, and programmatic has the potential to make things a little more complicated just by its nature. That’s why it’s important to lay out exactly how you price your non-programmatic inventory and use that as kind of a guideline for what comes next.

What is your floor price? What are your CPM rates? What are some other factors that might influence your pricing? This is a critical question, so make sure you spend some time thinking about it.

Who is part of my audience?

One of the core concepts behind programmatic is that it allows the buyer to target audiences rather than just screens. For buyers, it’s a chance to reduce “wasted” spend on unintended audiences. For sellers, it presents an opportunity to charge a slight premium for a more targeted buy. Everybody wins.

Who sees your screens? Does it vary substantially by location, time of day, or other factors? Take the time to determine who your network reaches.

Understanding your audience is a key element of identifying the strengths of your network

Step 2: Go for the “easy yield money”

Quick wins are a great way to build some momentum and start making the best use of your inventory sooner. To help you achieve a few of these, we’ve identified some of the key areas that publishers can quickly improve to bring in more revenue.

Speed up your content approval process

Through the first three quarters of 2020, more than 83 million loss notifications were fired in Broadsign Reach. These notifications are indicators to the DSP of why it is losing a bid, and had just half of them actually been successful bids, each publisher could have made an additional $12,000. Not a huge amount, but every little bit helps.

Close to 40% of all these loss notifications came because the creative was not approved, and with an average time to approval of about 5 hours and 30 minutes, that’s no surprise. Buyers may just shift their bids to a different screen where the creative is approved, just to get their ad out there. These typically won’t be your screens.

The way to staunch this bleeding is to lower your approval times. This can can done by setting up auto-approval for trusted DSPs, seats, or advertisers, allowing certain types of media to be auto-approved, or even auto-approving any creative that your team doesn’t review within a certain time frame.

These can be pretty significant actions to take, but they can also make a big difference in driving down content approval time. Only adopt any measures you are comfortable with having on your network.

Finding ways to peed up your content approval can help you snag more deals

Use your screen’s fill rate to inform programmatic strategy

Your fill rate is a great, simple tool to gauge current supply and demand for your network, so be sure to use it to guide your next steps in programmatic.

If a screen’s fill rate is over 80%, it’s a good sign that you’d benefit from increasing programmatic supply to take advantage of demand. Alternatively, you might think about raising floor prices to capitalize on that demand instead.

On the flip side, if a screen’s fill rate is consistently below 50%, it’s probably time to consider reducing programmatic supply, or else dropping floor prices. Just be sure to keep your programmatic floor price at or above the same level as your direct floor pricing, or else you risk significantly devaluing your inventory.

Step 3: Take a look at bid range and adjust if needed

By and large, DSPs want to pay the lowest price possible, and they’ll use strategies like bid shading to arrive at a cheap, accurate price for a given bid. Our own Campsite DSP is an example of one DSP that employs this strategy.

If the bid ranges are small, you have a good opportunity to move your deal floors higher. The algorithms should follow your pricing up quite easily.

Alternatively, if your bid ranges and bid density are wide, you’ll need to be a bit more careful about moving floors. Moving the floor upwards could price some of the buyers on the lower end out of the inventory, ultimately reducing density and CPM both.

Review your bid ranges and ensure they’re set to maximize the value of your inventory

Step 4: Make use of the waterfall

Smart automation is key to success in programmatic, and the waterfall is a great way to use automation to your advantage. The waterfall allows you to assign different levels of priority to different kinds of deals, and then give preferential access to programmatic inventory based on the types of deals “competing” for a slot. For example, you might have a lucrative private marketplace deal targeting specific screens set to your top priority level, followed by slightly less lucrative private deal targeting all screens, and then maybe a relatively low-CPM open auction deal targeting remnant screens at the bottom of your waterfall.

Right now, about 70% of all publishers in Broadsign Reach only use one type of deal for their programmatic transactions. Nobody in Reach is using the waterfall just yet.

It’s a big missed opportunity. In addition to establishing general rules for what should constitute P1, P2, etc. deals in Broadsign Reach, you can also create parameters to promote different kinds of deals over the others if it is to your advantage to do so. For instance, a P1 PMP deal might be worth a guaranteed $80,000, but if you’re presented with a P2 private programmatic offer valued over $100,000, that P2 deal can automatically be promoted to top priority.

Take the time to communicate with buyers to make sure they understand what is possible. Ideally, you should tailor your offerings to your buyers’ preferences and needs, and find creative ways to price your media to everyone’s mutual benefit. It will maximize the value of your inventory and keep your buyers coming back for more.

Work with buyers to find creative pricing arrangements that work for everyone

Step 5: Act Like a DSP

DSPs are useful for picking out good screens and then triggering a transaction whenever the conditions a buyer is looking for are met. If a DSP is unable to do this job for a given transaction and you step up, that’s added value that should be accounted for when pricing the deal.

Broadsign Control’s preemptible slots, which allow ad spots to appear within a loop under specified conditions, are a good example of a tool that can help you deliver on the kind of targeting a DSP would offer. Additionally, you could sell by data signals like the presence of analytics technology, information about visibility based on where screens are compared to the direction of the sun at a given time, or just the specific venues a buyer might want to reach.

These kinds of offerings are the kinds of things that buyers crave. If you opt to offer them up, you can charge a premium on your inventory for doing so.

Give buyers additional tools for reaching their audience and you can charge a premium

Step 6: Get DSPs to support features that enhance your business

There are a bunch of features within Broadsign Reach that can make life easier and more lucrative for your business. Trouble is, not all DSPs have adopted them on their side. By taking some time to convince them to onboard some of our APIs, you can unlock hidden value in your programmatic business.

Here’s a look at some of the benefits that can be realized:

  • Publisher API: DSPs that use this API include 40% more publishers in their campaigns, dispersing money more evenly
  • Screens API: Leads to a 12% higher CPM floor vs DSPs who don’t use the API
  • Audience API: Offers a 20-30% greater likelihood of the DSP hitting the original spend goal
  • Deals API: Creates a 35-40% higher change of a campaign activating on time

Communicating the value of these integrations is an ongoing process for us at Broadsign, and a little help never hurts. If you’re interested in realizing these types of benefits through your DSP, talk to them and help convince them to bring all of our features to life. There’s a lot to be gained in doing so.

Looking to get a great start transacting DOOH programmatically?

Request a free demo to see how Broadsign Reach can help!

Product News | October 11, 2021

First-party data in digital OOH: What it is and how to leverage it

Digital out-of-home is growing fast, with global spend expected to surpass $20 billion by the end of the year, according to the World Out of Home Organization. As the medium scales, it’s also evolving from broad-reach awareness to more data-driven, audience-first strategies. This shift is making first-party data more important than ever, especially as third-party cookies dwindle and privacy regulations tighten. 

Put simply, today’s advertisers are looking for more than just reach—they want precision, personalization, and contextual relevance, even in a traditionally one-to-many channel like OOH. First-party data delivers on that need, offering a privacy-safe and cost-effective way to engage real customers based on actual behaviour and intent. And with modern DOOH platforms making it easier than ever to activate data, brands can now drive better targeting, stronger performance, and a more connected omnichannel experience.

To understand how to make first-party data work in digital out-of-home and outdoor advertising, it’s important to start with the basics, unpack the common barriers, and explore the tools and tactics that make activation possible today.

What is first-party data, and why is it so valuable?

First-party data is information a brand collects directly through its channels, based on real customer interactions or touchpoints. Examples can include actions like pages viewed, time spent on a website, items added to cart, app usage patterns, purchase history, loyalty programs, and more. Because it’s based on actual behaviour within your own ecosystem, and not inferred or purchased, first-party data gives brands a reliable, privacy-safe foundation for targeted, high-impact campaigns.

Tailoring messaging to real audiences and high-value prospects leads to more relevant and effective campaigns. This kind of personalization drives stronger performance, from increased engagement to higher conversion rates. It’s also more cost-efficient, since the data is already owned by the brand and doesn’t require additional spend to access—just the opportunity to activate it more strategically.

Barriers to smarter DOOH campaigns

Despite the growing potential of first-party data, many advertisers still face structural and technical challenges when it comes to putting it into action, especially in outdoor advertising and DOOH environments. Here are a few of the most common barriers: 

  • Data silos between CRM and media teams: In many organizations, the teams responsible for customer data, like CRM, loyalty, or analytics, operate separately from the teams planning and executing media. Without shared systems or workflows, valuable first-party data often stays locked away in internal platforms, disconnected from the tools used to build and target DOOH campaigns.
  • Technical limitations have made first-party data harder to activate: Bringing first-party data into DOOH hasn’t always been straightforward. Many demand-side platforms (DSPs) lacked the flexibility to support custom data uploads, limiting brands to pre-packaged third-party segments. When activation was possible, it often required custom integrations, manual workarounds, or higher campaign spend—barriers that slowed adoption and limited the ability to fully tap into valuable audience insights.
  • Perceptions around cost and complexity still linger: Brands may assume data onboarding is expensive, time-consuming, or reserved for large-scale campaigns. But many platforms now offer flexible, self-serve tools or managed support to help teams onboard everything from simple geo lists to advanced CRM segments.

Key considerations and best practices for activating first-party data in DOOH

With the right foundation, audience data can be a powerful driver of performance in DOOH. From preparing your data to choosing the right platforms, here are key considerations and best practices to help you activate it effectively.

Start with a DSP built for data-driven campaigns

Activating your own audience data in DOOH campaigns used to be a heavy lift, requiring custom integrations, technical support, or large-scale media budgets. Today’s DSPs, however, are built to be more flexible and data-friendly. Modern DSP platforms like OutMoove, for example, make it easier to activate customer data with minimal friction, giving advertisers full control over how data is used, where it comes from, and how it impacts campaigns. 

Advertisers can use data they already have, like postal codes tied to customer addresses, loyalty program lists, or CRM segments based on purchase history. Many also incorporate behavioural signals like recent website activity to build high-intent audience segments—all without needing to reinvent their targeting strategy.

The benefits? Smarter targeting, stronger performance, and more efficient spending. By using audience insights to go beyond broad awareness, advertisers can connect with people who are more likely to take action. This reduces waste, helping teams focus their budget on audiences that have already shown interest or intent.

Expand reach with multi-layered targeting 

Platforms like OutMoove support layered targeting, allowing you to start with your own audience, like loyalty members or recent store visitors, and expand reach by adding third-party segments based on foot traffic patterns, purchase intent, or lifestyle traits. For example, a brand could target its existing in-store shoppers and layer on third-party data to find others who frequently visit similar retail environments. This kind of multi-layered approach unlocks more precise, personalized campaigns without relying solely on broad demographic filters.

Deliver ads at the right time with real-world triggers

Moment targeting allows brands to activate ads based on real-world conditions like weather changes, traffic flow, sports scores, or time of day. These dynamic triggers help ensure your message appears when it’s most relevant, making your media spend more efficient and impactful.

Beyond standard conditions, many platforms now support custom triggers powered by business-specific data. Whether tied to a regional promotion, local event, or time-sensitive inventory, these inputs can be used to control when and where ads appear. This flexibility allows campaigns to align with meaningful moments that drive both relevance and results.

Align with data standards and industry guidelines

While fragmentation across buying methods and data standards has historically made it harder to apply audience data in DOOH as seamlessly as in digital, the industry is making important strides toward alignment, especially around measurement, data integrity, and audience definitions.

Initiatives like the IAB’s Digital Out-of-Home Measurement Guide are helping set a foundation for scalable, data-led campaigns. Introducing standardized metrics gives advertisers more confidence in campaign performance and supports better data collection, impression validation, and privacy compliance under frameworks like GDPR and CCPA. This growing alignment strengthens trust, improves transparency, and simplifies automated buying, making it easier for brands to activate audience data and run more effective, measurable DOOH campaigns.

As digital out-of-home advances, audience data is becoming a key driver of smarter, more impactful campaigns. With the right strategy and tools in place, advertisers can move beyond broad awareness to reach the right people at the right time. 

Ready to see how your data can drive smarter DOOH campaigns? OutMoove gives you the tools to plan, activate, and optimize with ease. Learn more here.

Product News | October 11, 2021

From prime locations to real-time content: How MIB powers effective DOOH campaigns in Indonesia

In Indonesia’s dynamic advertising landscape, PT Media Indra Buana (MIB) has established itself as a trailblazer and one of the country’s most influential players in the out-of-home (OOH) and digital OOH (DOOH) advertising industries. As a region pioneer, MIB continues to redefine urban media spaces with innovation, strategic placement, and a commitment to sustainability.

Driving growth and innovation in OOH advertising

MIB’s mission is deeply rooted in driving the growth, innovation, and effectiveness of Indonesia’s OOH advertising sector. Its focus goes beyond traditional display solutions—the company is committed to developing advertising strategies that maximize engagement and visibility, while actively shaping the industry’s future through ongoing innovation.

From being a pioneer in digital formats that captivate audiences to securing prime high-traffic locations like the façade of Grand Indonesia (GI), Plaza Sentral, and IDX, MIB ensures its clients’ messages reach the right eyes at the right time. The company also leads the charge in sustainability by using eco-friendly materials and adopting energy-efficient digital display technology.

In addition to cutting-edge practices, MIB prides itself on forging strong industry partnerships and maintaining a customer-first service philosophy that has solidified its reputation as a trusted partner for brands.

Harnessing the power of digital OOH

MIB’s digital screens are more than just advertising platforms; they’re content hubs designed to capture attention and inform. Viewers encounter a variety of programming, including advertisements, public service announcements, live event streams, weather updates, interactive campaigns, and programmatic content, all curated to fit the rhythm of Indonesia’s bustling public spaces.

For MIB, the most exciting aspect of DOOH advertising lies in its adaptability. Real-time content updates, interactivity, and advanced analytics empower brands to fine-tune their campaigns on the fly. Integration with digital campaigns ensures advertisers can deliver cohesive and responsive marketing messages that resonate across channels.

Strengthening strategies with Broadsign

The company’s pursuit of digital excellence led to its partnership with Broadsign, a global leader in OOH software solutions. Commenting on this collaboration, Ruri Liasari, Head of Marketing at PT Media Indra Buana, shared:

“We chose to collaborate with Broadsign due to its outstanding reputation in the DOOH ecosystem. Broadsign’s robust software enables seamless content management and real-time delivery across our digital signage platforms. This partnership perfectly aligns with MIB’s goal of optimizing advertising strategies and enhancing operational efficiency.”

Broadsign is helping revolutionize MIB’s advertising operations through state-of-the-art content and network management service solutions that dramatically simplify digital signage management at scale. With effortless content scheduling powered by automated workflows, the Broadsign Platform enables MIB to manage and automate its entire DOOH media operations across its network. 

The platform’s intelligent media management capabilities allow MIB to simply set the rules for when and where content should play, while providing full visibility into network performance through comprehensive, in-depth reporting capabilities. This advanced content and campaign management solution not only streamlines operations but also empowers MIB to effectively monetize its screens by seamlessly integrating advertising content, transforming its network into a highly efficient, revenue-generating advertising ecosystem.

A bold vision for the future

Looking ahead, MIB plans to strengthen its position as an innovator in the space by continuously exploring new creative formats, securing more high-traffic locations, and expanding its renowned after-sales service. With iconic landmark locations already part of its portfolio, the company’s growth strategy is firmly rooted in offering visibility and value.

As Indonesia’s urban environment evolves, MIB remains committed to pushing the boundaries of DOOH advertising, delivering campaigns that are not only impactful but also sustainable and future-ready.

Want to grow your out-of-home network? Schedule a demo to see how we can help make that happen!

Product News | October 11, 2021

Leading DOOH innovation in the Dominican Republic with Signmaster

Signmaster is one of the leading digital out-of-home (DOOH) operators in the Dominican Republic, with a rapidly growing presence across major cities and tourist hubs. Its mission is to strategically and creatively connect brands with audiences through innovative, sustainable, and tech-forward outdoor advertising.

Through its partnership with Broadsign, the company has streamlined operations and adopted scalable programmatic solutions, advancements that have been central to its continued growth and transformation.

A DOOH network built for impact 

Since its founding in 2010, Signmaster has steadily expanded its footprint across the Dominican Republic. A 2021 merger with another major player accelerated that momentum and further cemented its position as a leader in the DOOH space.

Today, the company operates a network of more than 250 digital screens in high-traffic, high-visibility locations nationwide, including:

  • Santo Domingo, the capital and commercial hub
  • Santiago, a key residential and business center
  • Bávaro and Punta Cana, two of the Caribbean’s most visited destinations
  • Punta Cana International Airport, offering access to both local and global audiences

Screens are strategically positioned along busy avenues, retail corridors, residential areas, and key transit points, ensuring brands can reach diverse audiences throughout the day. With over 102 million monthly impressions, Signmaster delivers one of the region’s most scalable and impactful DOOH networks, featuring ad campaigns, public service messages, and real-time updates like weather and traffic. It also supports programmatic campaigns, interactive content, and even traditional print-style campaigns, giving brands the flexibility to tailor their messaging for maximum impact.

Expanding creative possibilities with 3D screens and programmatic innovation

Signmaster continues to push the boundaries of DOOH through investments in creative formats and smarter advertising solutions. By the end of the year, the company plans to launch 10 new 3D digital screens, starting with a marquee installation at the Aloft and Marriott Hotels in Santo Domingo. Modelled after the iconic 3D billboard in Los Angeles, this debut is part of a broader push to deliver immersive brand experiences in premium, high-traffic environments, helping advertisers stand out with high-impact storytelling designed to captivate audiences in real time.

Looking ahead, Signmaster is also exploring building mapping as a next-generation format, turning physical structures into interactive canvases and extending DOOH beyond the screen. All new formats, including 3D and mapped displays, will run on the Broadsign platform, enabling centralized control, flexible scheduling, and seamless integration.

To meet advertisers’ evolving needs, Signmaster is advancing its data and programmatic capabilities. Through a trusted third-party provider, it offers transparent audience insights that help brands better understand reach and performance, crucial in a region where programmatic DOOH is still emerging. As one of the few providers enabling programmatic buying in the Dominican Republic, Signmaster is leading the shift toward automated, data-driven media by educating the market and simplifying the buying process.

Advertisers also benefit from end-to-end support, including technical guidance, creative recommendations, performance reporting, and placement evidence, all designed to ensure a smooth, scalable, and accountable buying experience.

Powering performance and scale with Broadsign

As Signmaster’s network has expanded, so has the need for a reliable, flexible platform to manage operations and enable smarter, more efficient buying. Since partnering with Broadsign in 2023, the company has streamlined how it schedules, manages, and monetizes its inventory.

Today, 100% of its inventory runs on the Broadsign Platform. The system delivers the scalability and automation needed to keep pace with rapid growth, allowing the team to schedule campaigns efficiently, centralize screen management, and enable secure, flexible programmatic transactions. It also supports emerging creative formats like immersive 3D experiences and data-integrated campaigns.

Broadsign powers more than content delivery; it supports Signmaster’s broader tech ecosystem by enabling audience analytics, real-time content like traffic and weather, and seamless programmatic integration. This has allowed the company to streamline operations while unlocking new opportunities for creative execution, measurable performance, and automated sales, laying the foundation for continued growth and leadership in the Dominican DOOH market.

“We chose Broadsign for its robustness, automation, and scalability. It allows us to schedule campaigns efficiently, centralize control of the entire network, and enable programmatic sales in a secure and flexible manner,” says Yesica Abreu. “It has also helped improve incident management and operational efficiency, thanks to responsive support and consistent communication.”

Want to grow your out-of-home network? Get in touch to see how we can help make that happen!