Month: May 2022

Product News | October 11, 2021

Interactive digital signage: The future of DOOH advertising

Shows an example of a touch-enabled interactive signage display

There has never been a more exciting time for the digital out-of-home industry. From new emerging formats to the accelerated adoption of dynamic DOOH, the innovation taking place in digital out-of-home advertising isn’t slowing down. As digital signage makes its way into new places and spaces, advertisers need to find new ways of catching the attention of their target audience.

That’s where interactivity can make a real difference. For marketing teams, interactivity presents an opportunity to differentiate their brand with effective and engaging stories. For media owners, supporting interactive content can mean more exciting and engaging content across their network, higher premiums associated with booking this sort of complex campaign, and the opportunity to make a splash with delighted social media posts showing off the campaign in action.

What is interactive digital signage?

While personalization has been a hot topic in digital marketing the past few years, the interactive element is what’s really rising to the forefront. These days, you can find interactive ads on desktop, tablet, and—perhaps most frequently—mobile devices. But online isn’t the only place that you can go wild with the level of interactivity; features like advanced audience targeting and anonymized real-time sensors make DOOH uniquely well-suited to creating powerful interactive experiences.

Put simply, interactive digital signage turns traditional advertising into a participatory activity: it invites consumers to physically engage with the display content and find information that’s relevant to them. Whereas traditional digital signage broadcasts information in a single direction, displaying content regardless of whether or not viewers are paying attention, interactive digital signage turns viewers into users.’

Example: This campaign for Dancing with the Stars Australia invited passers-by to push a button on the digital billboard and follow the interactive video tutorial that appeared on the screen. It’s a fun and engaging campaign, and a great example of the potential offered by interactivity.

A brief history of interactive digital signage

The origin of today’s interactive displays can be traced back to the first commercial appearance of touchscreen technology in the early 1980s. Interactive kiosks in the form of the automated teller machine (ATM) were also coming into widespread use at that time, and the ability for customers to interact in that way laid the foundations for the interactive digital signage technologies still emerging today.

While early advancements in digital signage were focused on improving the hardware—with big leaps in the industry being driven by the advent of thinner, brighter displays, improved graphics, and better overall reliability—the significance of those developments in display technology eventually impacted the content and software side. As responsive and dynamic display technology became more affordable and easily available, the market was flooded with digital signage solutions all competing for consumers’ attention. In response, marketers and network owners have started turning to contextualized, dynamic, and perhaps most importantly, interactive content in order to cut through all the noise and preserve the effectiveness of commercial messaging in the DOOH space.

Watch: An interactive DOOH campaign pulling content from social media

Why make digital signage interactive?

The average city-dweller today probably passes by a good number of digital displays on any given day, and most aren’t interactive. With interactive capability generally requiring additional technology and setup, it tends to come at an additional cost. This is both for the media owners who need to outfit the signage and the buyers looking to purchase more intricate campaigns. Is the added expense of investing in interactive signage justified?

The answer largely comes down to memorability in a crowded advertising landscape. According to a report from MAGNA, interactive video ads get 47% more viewing time than non-interactive ones and are more memorable to consumers, regardless of whether or not they choose to interact. People are also more willing to share personal information in exchange for personalization and value; by displaying content that’s relevant and engaging, your audience is more likely to feel comfortable with sharing their data and your buyers can gain insight into customer behaviors which can help inform their future strategies.

Perhaps most crucially for network owners is the fact that potential ad buyers are convinced of interactivity’s effectiveness: 81% of marketers agree that interactive content grabs attention more effectively than static content and 79% believe that it enhances retention of brand messaging when combined with traditional marketing tactics. With high-end buyers seeking ways to make their campaigns stand out, only those DOOH networks that are capable of the interactivity they desire will be in contention to run their campaigns.

Watch: An interactive AR campaign from JCDecaux and BBC Earth

What you need for interactive digital signage

Good interactive content takes a bit of work to bring to life. Network owners will need to secure hardware capable of powering the interactive content, and also drive that hardware with software that can connect all the right pieces together for the content to run flawlessly.

Extensible software offering an open API will generally be the best choice for interactive signage projects, though it is important too to ensure the solution is secure and reliable. Interactive displays within arm’s reach could become targets for tampering by troublemakers, so it’s particularly important that they are secured.

Finally, the signage needs content to be interacted with. This content takes various forms, dependent on the nature of the display. Interactive billboards, for instance, are likely going to display interactive content provided by a media buyer looking to place a particular promotional campaign. For an indoor display, such as a wayfinding terminal in a mall, the interactive content is likely a concern to be handled by the network owners themselves. This isn’t to say that the content must be created in-house. A number of digital signage content providers specialize in providing interactive content that can be tailored to the specific needs of a given network.

Interactive activation for digital signage

“Interactive digital signage” is a broad category, uniting many very different kinds of projects. Here is an overview of some of the most common types of interactivity that are used.

Touch

One of the most common ways digital signage is made interactive is by deploying a touchscreen. The ubiquity of touchscreens today makes this a safe bet for interaction, as there are unlikely to be many barriers to most individuals simply walking up and engaging with the installation. Touch is commonly employed to let audiences browse information on a screen or manipulate on-screen elements.

Common uses: Wayfinding, self-serve kiosks, special ad campaigns

Example: The LinkNYC network of touch-enabled kiosks gives people in New York City access to phone calls, WiFi, directions, and more, all paid for by advertising on the kiosk.

Check out how Intersection bettered the lives of New Yorkers using dynamic DOOH.

Gesture/motion tracking

Gesture control is a lot like touch with a lot more style and a bit less precision. People can walk up and move their hands in the air in front of the sign, with cameras connected to the installation registering the types and speed of the movements being made and triggering corresponding reactions on-screen. This isn’t a particularly common form of interactivity in the digital signage space, though advances in gesture control and greater awareness of hygiene concerns post-pandemic are seeing it become more common.

Common uses: In-store virtual browsing or shopping, interactive advertising

Example: This campaign by Swarovski uses motion and gesture tracking to turn onlookers into participants in an interactive game.

Social media

Social media has been a mainstay of interactive digital signage campaigns for years now, thanks largely to social being such a great tool both for driving engagement and generating onscreen content. The specific implementation of social interactivity varies depending on the campaign. A typical example involves users posting to their own social accounts using a specific hashtag and having their post appear onscreen, sometimes after a moderation process is completed.

Common uses: Advertising

Example: The #SendingLove campaign, facilitated by the World Out of Home Organization, promoted user-submitted messages of love in cities around the world during the fight against the COVID-19.

Mobile

Increasingly, campaigns are making use of the capabilities of mobile phones to deliver some really interesting interactive content. Special applications or mobile websites are created to grant audiences the ability to manipulate onscreen elements or objects, with audiences prompted to visit or download by visiting a site displayed on the billboard. This can be a fun way to put games up on the screen and encourage mass participation in a campaign delivered to a nearby digital billboard.

Common uses: Ad-supported games, interactive advertising, augmented reality

RFID/NFC

RFID (radio frequency identification) and NFC (near field communication) are often spoken about interchangeably, as they achieve similar things with only minor differences. They involve the use of passive chips that interact with a frequency emitted by a powered device, like a smartphone, to deliver information or trigger a reaction. The technology is becoming more common thanks to contactless payment apps promoted by major cellphone companies but might be a bit of a risky choice for an interactive advertising campaign. Many phones today still do not support these technologies.

Augmented reality & visual recognition

Some of the best interactive DOOH campaigns are also some of the simplest. Installing cameras near a digital display and hooking them up to a suitable PC can allow for some really neat augmented reality campaigns. This can be a fun way to bring onlookers and the world around them right into a fun new experience. Other uses include using cameras to do basic visual identification and have campaigns deliver messaging tailored to whoever they see standing by. Different content, for instance, could be delivered depending on whether the onlooker is an adult or a child.

Common uses: AR, dynamic campaigns

Example: JCDecaux and Telia Estonia promoted the launch of a new TV channel, called ‘Inspira’, with Estonia’s first outdoor AR campaign. With 10% of the Estonian population tuning in to the new channel during the first month, we think it’s safe to say this campaign had a positive impact.

QR Codes

QR codes are a fairly passive form of interactivity, offering passers-by the ability to use their phone to receive information or navigate to a website by scanning a code with a capable app. It is generally used to accomplish similar things to NFC campaigns, but is more accessible. Where phones need to include specific hardware to access NFC content, they just need a QR reader application on their smartphone to access codes.

Common uses: Directions, information and website sharing

Example: This campaign by Google Play and oOh! Media offered users the choice of both NFC and QR codes to access media promoted by the campaign.

Key software capabilities for interactive digital signage

Good interactive content takes a bit of work to bring to life. In addition to securing hardware capable of powering the interactive content, network owners will need to select the best digital signage software to connect all the right pieces together and ensure the content runs flawlessly.

Here’s a look at some of the specific features we think you should keep in mind when shopping for digital signage software.

Extensibility

Many interactive DOOH campaigns require real-time integration with external data feeds, audience analytics tools, and other capabilities that generally aren’t included in digital signage software by default.

Extensible software offering an open API will generally be the best choice for interactive signage projects, though it is important too to ensure the solution is secure and reliable. You don’t want to go to the trouble of integrating a service into your network only to have your players fail to play your interactive content.

Dynamic content playback

Since interactive digital signage is a subset of dynamic DOOH, your digital signage software needs to have the ability to change on-screen content in response to external data or triggers. But even though the number of brands demanding dynamic ad capabilities is growing, not all software is capable of displaying this type of content.

To make sure your network doesn’t miss out on great opportunities, check that your digital signage software supports dynamic playback more generally, and is capable of supporting the specific aspects (touchscreen, gesture control, etc.) of your interactive campaigns.

Mobile device integration or coordination

Thanks to advancements in mobile and DOOH advertising technology, it’s easier than ever for brands to create seamless omnichannel campaigns across platforms. Geofencing and scannable QR codes let users engage with digital kiosks and other touchscreen displays without making physical contact, and can help bring interactivity to projected content, displays behind windows, and large video wall displays.

Less direct methods of interactivity have been gaining traction in the wake of COVID-19, so we recommend choosing a digital signage software that supports this type of approach via mobile device integrations.

As interactive technology gets cheaper and more widespread, it’s likely that interactivity will increasingly be seen as a must-have for many networks operating in the digital space. Investing in the right tech today will put network owners and their businesses on the most productive path in the years to come.

Do you want to build an interactive digital signage network?
Request your demo of Broadsign to see how our software can help!

Product News | October 11, 2021

Why in-store retail media can’t scale without automation

Retail media is maturing quickly, with retailers building more sophisticated networks across onsite and offsite channels. In-store, one of the most valuable environments at the point of purchase, is now gaining momentum as the next area of focus.

While investment is increasing and screen networks continue to scale, in-store is still evolving from infrastructure into a fully realized media channel and hasn’t yet reached the same level of automation, measurement, and integration as other digital channels.

That gap is where automation comes in.

Automation has already reshaped how retail media campaigns are planned, bought, and optimized across digital environments. Bringing those same capabilities into in-store is the next step toward making it a seamless part of the media mix.

With the right foundations, automation can connect in-store with the broader ecosystem, enabling more efficient activation, stronger alignment in how in-store performance is measured, and a more unified retail media strategy.

The barriers to scaling in-store media

Retailers often believe they’re operating with automation, but in practice, it remains fragmented across channels and teams. While certain workflows like scheduling or couponing may be automated, they rarely connect to a unified system. At the same time, trade, shopper, and media teams continue to operate independently, each with its own objectives, budgets, and processes.

This fragmentation shows up in how campaigns are executed. Many in-store activations still rely on manual planning and static placements, with limited visibility into inventory and performance. In many cases, looped, time-based content remains the standard, restricting the ability to deliver more dynamic, contextually relevant messaging.

At the same time, expectations have shifted. Media buyers now expect real-time access to inventory, faster activation, and unified reporting across channels. As trade and media budgets begin to converge, so does the need for greater accountability and measurable outcomes. Without automation, in-store media can’t keep pace. Campaigns can’t be planned or optimized against outcomes like sales, reach, or incrementality, and the channel remains disconnected from broader retail media strategies.

The realities are becoming clear: manual operations can’t scale in a data-driven, outcome-based environment, breaking down silos requires connected systems rather than added processes, and meeting modern expectations for speed, flexibility, and measurement depends on automation.

What automation really means for in-store media

At its core, automation operates across three connected layers that shift in-store media from a manual channel to one that scales and delivers against defined outcomes.

  • Operational automation: Removes manual workflows from planning, booking, and scheduling. Instead of relying on time-intensive coordination and service layers, campaigns can be activated more efficiently and run at scale across networks.
  • Data and decisioning automation: By bringing in first-party signals like loyalty, transaction, and foot traffic data, campaigns can be informed by real performance inputs rather than assumptions. This also enables more dynamic delivery, where messaging can adapt based on factors like time of day, store inventory or shopper behaviour.
  • Commercial automation: Aligns in-store with broader media expectations. This includes centralized planning, unified reporting, and more consistent buying experiences across channels, making in-store easier to integrate into omnichannel strategies.

Today, many in-store networks remain entirely static, while others rely on manual playlist management and fixed placements, limiting both flexibility and performance. Automation changes that by enabling campaigns to be planned and optimized against outcomes like sales uplift, audience reach, or product-level goals.

Instead of deciding what plays on a screen and when, retailers can define what they want to achieve and allow automated systems to dynamically allocate inventory and optimize delivery based on real-time data.

Building a more connected retail media strategy

For retailers, the shift to automation doesn’t happen all at once. It starts with connecting existing capabilities to enable more streamlined execution and outcome-driven planning. Many already have strong foundations across in-store screens, data, and media operations, but these systems often operate independently. Prioritizing integration through APIs and shared workflows helps bring in-store into the broader retail media ecosystem without requiring a full rebuild.

From there, focus on making in-store inventory accessible within existing media-buying workflows, so campaigns can be planned alongside on- and off-site channels rather than treated separately. Additionally, data should be applied more intentionally. Using first-party signals like loyalty, transaction, and store traffic data enables more accurate targeting, optimization, and measurement, moving beyond proxy metrics.

Execution also needs to evolve. Shifting from manual placements to goal-based delivery allows campaigns to be optimized against outcomes like sales, reach, or product-level performance, rather than fixed schedules. Technology partners can support this shift by enabling automation, measurement, and optimization, while providing the visibility needed for performance tracking and attribution.

Finally, internal alignment is key. As trade and media budgets converge, aligning teams around shared outcomes ensures in-store media is planned and executed as part of a cohesive strategy.

In-store is no longer a future opportunity; it’s an immediate one. As retail media continues to evolve, automation will be key to turning in-store into a scalable, measurable, and fully integrated channel. Retailers that invest in connecting systems, data, and teams now will be best positioned to unlock their full value.

Ready to unlock the full value of your in-store media? Discover how Broadsign helps retailers automate execution, connect data, and drive measurable performance.

Product News | October 11, 2021

Why in-store retail media is essential to an omnichannel RMN strategy

Retail is no longer defined by individual channels, as consumers move seamlessly between digital and physical environments, they expect a connected, consistent experience at every touchpoint.

Omnichannel retail connects ecommerce, mobile, marketplaces, and physical stores into a single, seamless experience across the customer journey. Shoppers can browse on their phones, check local inventory, receive personalized offers, and complete purchases in-store with consistent pricing and messaging. For retailers, this means unifying customer experience, data, and operations to improve engagement, build loyalty, and drive efficiency.

With 80% of shopping still happening in-store, physical retail continues to play a central role across North America. Rather than just another channel, it acts as a high-impact environment that amplifies the entire retail media mix.

The evolving role of in-store in an omnichannel RMN

As retailers advance their omnichannel strategies, digital channels have taken the lead, driven by stronger targeting, measurement, and automation. At the same time, the physical store is evolving from a point of transaction into a critical moment where digital intent turns into real-world action.

This shift is reflected in retailer priorities, with 46% focused on enhancing omnichannel experiences and 36% investing in loyalty programs to deliver more personalized value, signalling a push to better align data, touchpoints, and customer interactions.

In-store environments sit closest to purchase, where messaging can directly influence decisions from discovery to conversion. Yet they often remain disconnected from broader retail media efforts, limiting true omnichannel alignment.

When fully integrated, in-store media strengthens the entire strategy. It reinforces digital messaging, creates a more consistent experience, and engages shoppers at the moments that matter most. By linking in-store environments with signals like online behaviour, purchase history, and audience data, retailers can move from isolated tactics to coordinated, full-funnel execution across onsite, offsite, and in-store.

Technology and data are transforming in-store media

Technology and data are transforming in-store media into a more measurable, responsive, and connected part of the retail media ecosystem. Real-time analytics enable retailers to adjust messaging, promotions, and placements based on live shopper behaviour, while dynamic content adapts to context like time of day, location, and audience signals.

Tools like dwell time analysis help identify high- and low-engagement zones, optimizing store layouts and improving both the customer experience and campaign performance. At the same time, more immersive formats, including touchscreens and augmented reality, are increasing engagement, turning stores into active media environments.

The real impact comes from how these capabilities are connected. By combining in-store signals with online behaviour, purchase history, and customer data, retailers can build a more complete view of the customer. This enables more precise targeting, stronger value for brand partners, and coordinated campaign execution across channels, while improving measurement and tying digital engagement to in-store outcomes.

In-store drives more RMN revenue

In-store media expands both what retailers can sell and how they sell it. It introduces new, high-intent inventory within owned environments, from digital screens in high-traffic areas to placements tied to specific aisles, categories, and products. Unlike traditional digital formats, this inventory sits at the point of decision, where budgets are often larger and tied more directly to sales outcomes.

It also enables more commercial, retailer-driven monetization models. Beyond standard ad placements, retailers can package sponsored product campaigns, category exclusivity, and seasonal takeovers that align with merchandising priorities. In-store media can also be used to drive private-label visibility, turning media into a lever for margin, not just ad revenue.

Where this becomes more powerful is in how it’s packaged. On its own, in-store is valuable. But when bundled with onsite and offsite media, it allows retailers to move from selling placements to selling outcomes. Campaigns can be positioned around influencing the full path to purchase, which supports larger, more strategic investments from brand partners.

It also changes the economics of measurement. With in-store in the mix, retailers can connect media exposure to actual transactions, strengthening closed-loop attribution and making performance easier to prove. This is increasingly critical as brands scrutinize retail media spend and shift budgets toward channels that demonstrate real impact.

Without in-store, RMNs risk becoming overly reliant on digital formats that are easier to compare and commoditize. With it, they can differentiate through exclusive access to shoppers, richer data, and the ability to influence and measure outcomes at the shelf.

Practical steps to activate in-store in an omnichannel strategy

Operationalizing in-store media within an omnichannel RMN requires the right foundation across data, infrastructure, and activation.

  • Invest in integrated data platforms: Consolidate in-store and digital data to create a unified customer view. Connecting in-store interactions, online behaviour, and purchase history supports better targeting, measurement, and planning, while aligning online, merchant, and retail media teams around shared performance.
  • Upgrade in-store media infrastructure: Ensure your store environment can support dynamic, scalable media. This includes deploying digital signage and screen networks that can deliver flexible, real-time content across locations and formats.
  • Implement advanced analytics tools: Use analytics to understand how shoppers move, engage, and convert in-store. Insights like dwell time, traffic patterns, and product interaction can inform both media strategy and store optimization.
  • Enable programmatic buying and activation: Integrate in-store inventory into programmatic workflows so buyers can plan, purchase, and activate campaigns alongside other channels. Retailers can activate specific parts of the store (like POS systems, vestibule screens, or gas pumps) to support programmatic demand without introducing competing or misaligned brands. This reduces friction while maintaining control over the in-store experience and aligning with how media is bought today.
  • Continuously monitor and optimize performance: Treat in-store media like any other performance channel. Track results in real time, measure against business outcomes, and refine campaigns based on what is driving engagement and sales.

In-store is the foundation of omnichannel

Omnichannel success depends on connecting every touchpoint into a single, cohesive system, including the store. The path forward is clear: treat in-store as media, not infrastructure. Integrate it into your retail media strategy, connect it to your data and buying workflows, and package it alongside digital channels. Retailers that do this will unlock new revenue, stronger performance, and a more differentiated offering.

Ready to make your in-store signage a seamless part of your RMN? Learn more about how Broadsign can help you unlock the full value of your in-store presence.

Product News | October 11, 2021

What is out-of-home? A marketer’s guide to OOH media and outdoor advertising

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising, also known as out-of-home media or outdoor advertising, refers to ads displayed outside the home in public spaces. It includes billboards, transit advertising, and digital or static displays in retail locations and other high-traffic spaces.

While OOH was once associated primarily with traditional roadside formats, it now spans a wide range of physical environments and everyday moments — reaching audiences along commuting routes, at shopping destinations, and in travel hubs. The rise of digital screens, improved measurement, and more efficient, automation-enabled planning and buying processes has transformed how campaigns are executed and integrated into omnichannel marketing strategies. As a result, advertiser investment in the channel continues to rise, with global out-of-home ad spend expected to surpass $71.5 billion by 2030.

Keep reading for a closer look at what out-of-home advertising is, where it appears, and how brands use it today.

Types of out-of-home (OOH) advertising & outdoor media

When people think of outdoor advertising, they often picture massive billboards along busy highways. While those displays are certainly a key part of the channel, one of the defining characteristics of out-of-home advertising today is the sheer variety of placements and display types.
From small static posters to large digital screens, today’s OOH media offers brands an incredible range of ways to connect with audiences in real-world environments.

Discover real-world OOH placements that align with your campaign goals

What is OOH and DOOH marketing?

Broadly speaking, today’s out-of-home advertising falls into two categories: traditional (i.e., static) OOH or digital OOH.

Traditional OOH refers to printed placements like billboards, posters, and transit wraps that display the same creative for a fixed period. These formats remain widely used thanks to their scale, prominent placements, and ability to deliver continuous brand visibility. Digital out-of-home (DOOH) is a subset of OOH that delivers advertising through digital screens rather than printed displays. Instead of showing a single static creative for the duration of a campaign, these screens rotate multiple ads and can support motion graphics, video, and dynamic content that responds to contextual signals like time of day or weather.

Traditional (static) OOH

  • Printed billboards, posters, and wall murals
  • One creative displayed for the duration of a campaign (100% share of voice)
  • Messaging remains fixed while the campaign is live
  • Long-term placements designed for sustained visibility and broad reach
  • Cost-effective CPMs that have been shown to outperform TV, print, and most digital channels on value
Static OOH billboard promoting Canva’s graphic design tool

Digital OOH (DOOH)

  • Digital billboards, screens, kiosks, and menu boards
  • Multiple creatives rotate on the same screen
  • Content can be scheduled or updated via digital software
  • Flexible execution well-suited to time-sensitive or context-aware campaigns
  • Can be more expensive than static OOH, but programmatic buying (pDOOH) enables more targeted activation and dynamic budget allocation
Digital billboards in Times Square, New York City

Both traditional and digital OOH have demonstrated their effectiveness, and many marketing teams combine them to leverage their respective strengths depending on their campaign’s overarching strategy and goals.

READ ALSO: Why static billboards thrive in the digital age: Insights for advertisers

OOH placements & formats

Out-of-home advertising appears across a wide range of environments where people move through their daily lives. Historically, OOH media has been grouped broadly by format, with the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) defining four primary categories of standard OOH media formats:

  • Billboards (bulletins, posters, wall murals, and spectaculars): Large-format advertising displays positioned along highways and major roadways, designed for long-distance visibility and broad reach.
  • Street furniture (bus shelter panels, kiosk displays, urban panels, and bench ads): Advertising displays integrated into public infrastructure — often providing a civic amenity — and typically positioned for eye-level viewing in dense urban areas and pedestrian-heavy corridors. 
  • Transit advertising (vehicle wraps, station posters, and platform displays): Ads affixed to moving vehicles such as buses, trains, and taxis, or placed in the common areas of transit environments like stations, terminals, and airports, allowing advertisers to reach commuters and travellers throughout their daily journeys.
  • Place-based OOH (displays inside retail stores, malls, restaurants, gyms, and office buildings): Advertising displays located in environments where audiences gather for work, shopping, dining, and other activities, allowing brands to connect with people in contextually relevant settings and reach consumers along the path to purchase.

While these format categories help organize the OOH landscape, modern campaigns rarely rely on just one placement type. Most advertisers combine multiple formats and environments to build reach, reinforce messaging across locations, and connect with audiences throughout different moments of their daily routines.

OOH ad on an urban panel
Large-format OOH billboard
Place-based OOH ad in a shopping mall
Transit OOH ads in a subway station

Benefits of OOH advertising: Why advertisers still use OOH today

Out-of-home advertising has remained a core part of the media landscape for decades because it delivers something few channels can replicate: high-visibility brand exposure in real-world environments where audiences can’t skip, scroll past, or block the message.

Today, advertisers continue to invest in OOH for several key reasons:

  • OOH ads can offer unmatched size: Large-format billboards and big digital screens offer a lot of room to execute visually stunning ideas (see our favourite OOH and billboard ads) in a way you can’t match on personal devices. Research from Ocean Outdoor shows that premium large-format DOOH attracts five times more attention than online digital formats, with significantly longer viewing time. Even smaller placements — like totems and bus shelter displays — offer a larger creative canvas than most personal devices.
  • Outdoor advertising is unskippable and ad-block-proof: If people are around an OOH display, they’re going to see it. There are no ad blockers, no below-the-fold positions, and no issue with users switching to a different app or tab. And it’s effective: recent research from Solomon Partners found that OOH drives the highest consumer ad recall and strongest audience ROI across major media, delivering better CPM value than TV, print, and most digital channels.
  • Out-of-home media supercharges your other channels: Yes, digital out-of-home and traditional OOH advertising are impactful on their own, but they really shine when paired with other channels like social media and mobile advertising. Research from MRI-Simmons and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) found that adding OOH media to a campaign’s mix can boost audience reach by as much as 100% or more, depending on the medium.
  • (D)OOH drives real-world action: OOH doesn’t just build awareness — it’s also highly effective at driving consumer action. In a Harris Poll survey conducted in partnership with the OAAA, 76% of DOOH ad viewers reported taking some form of follow-on action — from watching a video (38%) or visiting a nearby restaurant (36%) to entering a store (29%), making a purchase (30%), or talking about the brand with others (30%).

How out-of-home advertising works today

Advances in first-party data integrations, automation-enabled transacting tools, and improved targeting and attribution capabilities have made the channel more flexible and data-informed, helping advertisers execute campaigns more efficiently and better understand how OOH contributes to broader omnichannel campaign performance.

Planning and buying OOH campaigns

In the past, buying out-of-home media meant negotiating placements directly with media owners — a time-consuming manual process involving back-and-forth RFPs, PDFs, and endless email chains. These slow, fragmented workflows often led to longer planning cycles and made it harder to integrate OOH into omnichannel digital campaigns.

Today, the buying landscape has expanded. Like online digital advertising, digital out-of-home can now be purchased programmatically. Known as programmatic digital out-of-home, or pDOOH, this approach allows advertisers to target specific audience demographics or trigger campaigns in real-time based on contextual signals such as weather conditions, live sports scores, or time of day — allowing messaging to align more closely with the context in which audiences encounter it.

At the same time, automation-enabled planning and transacting tools are helping streamline traditionally manual workflows across the broader OOH ecosystem. These platforms make it easier for buyers to discover inventory, evaluate options, and secure placements — whether campaigns run on digital screens or classic OOH formats.

For a deeper look at how automation is reshaping the OOH buying process, download Broadsign’s eBook, Automation in OOH Media Planning: Streamlining Transactions at Scale. It explores how new transaction paths are giving buyers additional ways to balance speed, flexibility, and delivery certainty.

Measurement and attribution in modern out-of-home campaigns

 As OOH planning and activation have become more flexible and data-driven, advertisers have also gained new ways to evaluate campaign performance. 

Once perceived as trailing behind digital channels in terms of measurement, advances in campaign analytics and attribution now provide deeper insight into how audiences respond to OOH exposure — and make it easier for advertisers to understand how out-of-home contributes to broader digital campaign performance and omnichannel outcomes.

Today, advertisers have a range of tools and methodologies to evaluate OOH performance and understand how campaigns influence audiences and outcomes, including:

  • Delivery metrics: Estimates of impressions, reach, and frequency help advertisers understand how many people were likely exposed to a campaign. In digital OOH, impressions are calculated using an impression multiplier — a screen-specific index that converts ad plays into estimated audience impressions based on real-world data provided by media owners. 
  • Engagement metrics: Interactions such as QR code scans, along with passive measurement methods like targeted mobile surveys, help advertisers evaluate audience response, brand perception, and interest generated by an OOH campaign. 
  • Attribution analysis: Attribution studies use anonymized location and behavioural signals to determine whether audiences exposed to an OOH campaign later visited a store, downloaded an app, or took another measurable action. 
  • Audience extension: Aggregated mobile data associated with OOH exposure can support retargeting strategies across digital channels, allowing advertisers to reinforce messaging and extend campaign reach beyond the physical display. 
  • Centralized reporting: Programmatic platforms that support multiple forms of digital media can consolidate campaign data and reporting across channels, helping advertisers understand how OOH contributes to omnichannel campaign performance.

For a deeper look at how modern OOH measurement and attribution work, explore our detailed marketer’s guide to OOH measurement, attribution, and audience extension.

Examples of out-of-home advertising in practice: OOH case studies and real-world campaigns

To see how these capabilities come together in practice, here are two real-world campaigns that demonstrate how brands have used out-of-home to reach audiences and drive measurable results.

Uber Eats: Driving purchase intention across the Netherlands 

Uber Eats launched a programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH) campaign in the Netherlands to increase brand awareness and purchase consideration while promoting its “No Delivery Fees” offer. The campaign was developed with agency partner EssenceMediacom and OOH technology partner Broadsign using the OutMoove demand-side platform (DSP). Ads were activated on digital screens in high-traffic locations across major cities like Rotterdam, Eindhoven, and Haarlem and ran alongside other channels like paid social and online video.

A brand lift study conducted with Happydemics showed strong results: ad interest nearly doubled among audiences who recalled the ads, and purchase consideration increased twofold, placing the campaign in the top 15% for purchase consideration within the food delivery category across all media platforms. Read the full Uber Eats case study to see how programmatic DOOH helped drive measurable brand and purchase intent outcomes.

Wisp: Building brand awareness and consideration in New York

As Wisp prepared for its next phase of growth, the women’s telehealth platform set out to increase awareness and familiarity among its target audience in the New York DMA. To reach consumers across the market at scale, it partnered with Broadsign on a high-impact programmatic digital out-of-home campaign using the OutMoove DSP, accessing premium inventory across 2,839 screens in the region.

The campaign combined large-format billboards for broad visibility with urban panels near high-traffic areas and pharmacies, along with in-pharmacy screens to deliver messaging in contextually relevant environments. The effort produced strong results, including a 4× lift in brand preference compared with top competitors. Read the full Wisp case study to see how targeted pDOOH also delivered a 3.8× increase in brand familiarity and a 107% lift in purchase consideration.

FAQs about OOH advertising

How do advertisers buy out-of-home media?

OOH advertising can be purchased in several ways depending on a campaign’s goals.

Traditionally, advertisers work directly with media owners or through specialized media agencies to secure placements at specific locations for a set period of time.

Today, many campaigns are also planned and transacted using technology-enabled buying tools that streamline how inventory is discovered, booked, and managed across multiple screens. This can include programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH) platforms as well as other forms of automated or platform-based transactions that simplify the planning and buying process. Both approaches remain widely used, and many campaigns combine them depending on the desired reach, flexibility, and level of control.

How is OOH advertising measured?

OOH measurement typically combines audience modelling, location data, and campaign analytics to estimate how many people are likely to see an ad and how those exposures influence consumer behaviour.

Historically, measurement relied on traffic counts and circulation studies to estimate potential impressions. Today, additional data sources such as mobile location data and movement patterns can help advertisers understand outcomes like store visits, website traffic, and brand lift associated with OOH exposure.

How much does OOH advertising cost?

The cost of OOH advertising varies widely depending on factors such as location, format, audience reach, and campaign duration.

Large-format placements in high-traffic locations typically command higher prices, while smaller or more localized placements can be more cost-efficient. On average, OOH advertising often delivers competitive CPMs compared with other media channels, making it an attractive option for brands looking to build awareness at scale. Billboard advertising costs, for example, can vary significantly depending on the market, placement, and format.

Ready to start planning your first OOH campaign? Browse Broadsign’s inventory catalog to explore high-impact out-of-home placements across the globe.