Product News | October 11, 2021

Using pDOOH for a faster and more targeted way of adding OOH to your omnichannel campaigns

Advancements in programmatic technologies, like real-time data, contextual triggers, and more sophisticated measurement capabilities, have driven the adoption of programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH) and its inclusion in advertisers’ omnichannel strategies. However, integrating it into your omnichannel campaign remains a challenging process for many advertisers. 

You often have to work with multiple demand-side platforms (DSPs) for the different ad mediums or even call a media owner to secure DOOH inventory. To address this pain point, many omnichannel DSPs offer auction packages to streamline OOH operations and campaign activations. 

Auction packages are customizable packages that include targeted audiences, inventory, and contextual locations with data delivered through a single deal ID. With granular details provided in each package, you can limit the back-and-forth with clients, streamlining the proposal review and approval process. Furthermore, by providing access to multiple media owners in one package, you can easily access your ideal audiences with more cost-efficient CPMs. 

Made available through existing omnichannel DSPs, you can set up and activate your pDOOH campaign in a matter of minutes rather than days. For these reasons, auction packages make the process of planning, buying and launching pDOOH campaigns alongside other ad mediums faster and more cost-efficient. 

How targeting capabilities in pDOOH have evolved

While you can choose to target the entire audience provided through an auction package, you can also target a sub-segment of that audience. For instance, the overarching audience included in a Travel & Tourism auction package would be travel intenders, while more specific segments could be business travellers, leisure travellers, and road trippers. This gives you added flexibility on how granular you’d like your key audience to be, providing you with the same targeting capabilities as other ad mediums. 

You can also choose to target your intended audiences by selecting specific venue types, like place-based or outdoor. Looking at a Retail auction package, for example, place-based screen selection could include screens in shopping malls, stores, pharmacies, and convenience stores. Outdoor would include billboards, urban panels and transit shelters within shopping distance of retail stores. 

Contextual targeting can also be applied to each package, allowing you to trigger your ad to play only at the ideal time. There are multiple ways to contextually deliver your ads with an auction package. One way is by targeting your point of interest; using a Sports Betting auction package as an example, locations could include casinos, bars, and sports arenas. You can also use dayparts as a contextual trigger, like “game day schedules,” to display ads for a sports betting and gaming platform in the weeks leading up to a highly-anticipated sports game.

Lastly, you can leverage moments, like weather or financial market changes, to contextually deliver your ads. Using our Travel & Tourism auction package again, you could run ads for a warm and sunny destination when the local weather is cold or promote a destination with a desirable currency rate against the local currency. While auction packages are made available as pre-built bundles, you can also customize the package to meet your objectives better. 

Using auction packages for a simpler and faster delivery of DOOH

While you may have a better understanding of what auction packages are, you’re probably wondering when you should use auction packages. Auction packages are great for complex DOOH campaigns that require multiple targeting requirements, like markets, point-of-interests and audiences. 

In fact, one of the first campaigns that used Broadsign’s auction packages involved complex targeting requirements that would’ve made it impossible for the brand’s omnichannel DSP to activate on its own. Working with their preferred agency and DSP, a beverage brand was looking to raise awareness of its new range of alcoholic beverages and wanted to include DOOH in its broader omnichannel campaign. 

To reach their intended audience with DOOH, two targeting strategies were identified for the brand: point-of-interest and audience targeting. Working with Broadsign, they identified screens located near bars and liquor stores that carried the new range of alcoholic drinks, as well as outdoor billboards and urban panels with higher concentrations of the target audience – Gen Z and Millennials. 

Given that the campaign was set to run across different states, the proposal provided to the agency contained a substantial inventory list (spanning over 25 lines, to be precise), highlighting the inventory that matched the different targeting requirements per state. As each inventory line contained screens from multiple media owners, the omnichannel DSP would have had to manually create a deal ID for each media owner’s inventory per market and format had this DOOH campaign been set up without auction packages. We did the math, and that would’ve meant creating 150 different deal IDs, making it a highly error-prone and time-consuming process. 

With auction packages, the omnichannel DSP simply needed to add the auction package per market and format, which already contained all the inventory from different media owners – significantly cutting down the time it took to set up and activate this complex DOOH campaign. They were also able to better measure the impact of DOOH by conducting a brand lift study after the campaign was completed, providing them with real-world insights on ad recall, how effective was the DOOH media mix, whether it helped enhance brand image, as well as drive consideration and product purchase. 

Check out Broadsign’s auction packages through our inventory marketplace.

Make sure to reach out to your Broadsign representative today for more information!

Product News | October 11, 2021

Digital out-of-home for retail: Strategies to reach consumers along the path-to-purchase

As of early 2025, consumers were spending over $555 billion each month on retail, but only 18.9% of that happened online. Despite ongoing digital growth, 45% of shoppers still prefer brick-and-mortar stores as their primary channel, and 72% visit physical locations weekly, according to Capital One Shopping.

These habits reflect a fluid decision-making process. With 82% of purchases made in-store—and 62% driven by impulse—advertisers have a powerful opportunity to influence shoppers at the point of decision.
Digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is key to capturing that moment. It grabs attention, builds awareness, and connects online engagement to in-store action, creating a more seamless and impactful customer journey.

Turning retail challenges into opportunities with DOOH

Retail is evolving fast, with fragmented journeys, higher shopper expectations, and growing pressure to turn online engagement into store traffic. Traditional digital ads often miss the mark—skipped, blocked, or ignored at key moments.

Digital OOH offers a powerful alternative, reaching consumers during daily routines like commuting, shopping, or socializing. These unavoidable brand moments drive both awareness and action. According to OAAA and Morning Consult, 42% of consumers say OOH ads impact their in-person shopping decisions, and once inside a store, 75% still notice those ads. Meanwhile, a global study reveals 56% of shoppers purchased an item featured in a DOOH display, with most of those purchases (65%) being unplanned.

As brands adapt to shifting consumer habits, OOH bridges the gap between online and offline, delivering meaningful, measurable results right where buying decisions happen. Here’s how to make it work.

Drive foot traffic to purchase locations

As digital noise intensifies, brands are turning to OOH to drive real-world results. It’s a high-impact, last-mile tool that reaches consumers at key moments with location-relevant prompts. In fact, research from Talon Outdoor shows 59% of shoppers are likely to buy within 30 minutes of seeing an OOH ad, highlighting its power as a last-mile driver.

Smart OOH strategies leverage proximity, timing, and context to turn awareness into action. For instance, proximity-based targeting helps reduce friction along the path-to-purchase by delivering messages when and where shoppers are ready to act, whether that’s during a commute, while running errands, or browsing in a high-traffic retail zone.

To maximize impact, marketers can:

  • Appeal to price-sensitive consumers by highlighting promotions, limited-time deals, or exclusive in-store offers. With 41% of shoppers willing to switch stores or brands to save money, these cues can be powerful motivators.
  • Use high-visibility screens in key pedestrian zones (like digital billboards and urban panels) to build upper-funnel brand awareness and capture attention early in the customer journey.
  • Incorporate interactive or time-sensitive messaging in long-dwell environments, like transit hubs where people spend between 5-15 minutes on average, offices, and casual dining venues. These venues are ideal for more detailed storytelling or promotional offers.
  • Drive urgency with last-mile tactics by promoting local store locations, curbside pickup options, or real-time stock availability, prompting immediate visits.
  • Align messaging with seasonal moments, like back-to-school or the holidays, when audiences are already in a buying mindset.

Success story: Holt Renfrew’s strategic DOOH campaign

Holt Renfrew, Canada’s largest fashion and lifestyle retailer, offers a strong example of strategic digital OOH execution. When Nordstrom exited the Canadian market, Holt Renfrew moved quickly to capture market share among key demographics.

Leveraging geofencing to target areas surrounding closing Nordstrom locations, the campaign activated ads across high-traffic formats like billboards, bus shelters, and urban office buildings within close reach of its core audience. In total, 200 ads ran across seven Holt Renfrew markets, including residential neighbourhoods strategically selected through consumer mapping. Over ten weeks, the campaign drove more than 400,000 store visits, showcasing how smart placement, audience insights, and well-timed messaging can deliver real-world results.

Integrate online and offline journeys

Boosting online sales and engagement starts with smarter, more personalized OOH. By leveraging first-party data, like loyalty program activity or past purchase behaviour, brands can deliver targeted creative that speaks directly to individual shoppers. Interactive elements like QR codes, touchscreens, or social media prompts embedded in DOOH campaigns make those messages instantly actionable.

Viewers can scan a QR code with their phone, triggering an immediate redirect to a microsite, product page, or mobile wallet offer. Saved deals can then prompt timely reminders based on location or expiration, keeping the brand top of mind. Every interaction—from the scan itself to timing and location—is tracked and analyzed, turning passive impressions into valuable insights.

This closed-loop approach bridges physical and digital touchpoints while enabling continuous optimization. And with 76% of consumers taking mobile action after seeing a digital OOH ad, the opportunity for meaningful engagement—and measurable results—has never been greater. From website visits and app downloads to conversions and social shares, interactive DOOH empowers brands to connect, convert, and learn in real time.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s DOOH campaign for Frontpro featured dynamic QR codes that invited passersby to engage with the ad, driving awareness and contributing to a 254% lift in positive brand perception.

Target the right audience with smarter segmentation

Not every shopper engages with the same message or environment. Luxury buyers, for instance, respond to exclusivity and aspirational messaging. Target them in premium urban areas with sleek visuals, minimal copy, and high-end lifestyle cues. Digital billboards and urban panels near luxury retailers or in high-income neighbourhoods help reinforce brand prestige. Value-driven shoppers, on the other hand, are motivated by savings and practicality.

To maximize OOH impact, brands must tailor their creative and placement to their audience and context Some examples include:

  • Bargain Shoppers (ages 55–64) and Department Store Shoppers (primarily women in the same age group) are often found browsing malls and retail corridors in search of deals. Use OOH screens in malls, transit stations, and shopping areas to promote limited-time offers or loyalty incentives.
  • Daily Deal Consumers, who span all age groups and skew female, respond well to time-sensitive promotions. Highlight coupon codes, mobile savings, or QR-driven discounts using interactive formats in long-dwell venues like casual dining spots, grocery stores, or point-of-care locations.
  • Holiday Shoppers, who emerge seasonally and lean slightly female, are driven by urgency and convenience. In the lead-up to peak retail periods, focus OOH messaging on gift guides, holiday exclusives, and extended store hours.
  • Gen Z and Millennials are drawn to bold visuals, interactivity, and values-driven messaging. Use QR codes or social prompts to drive mobile engagement and connect them to exclusive content or offers. Prioritize placements in transit hubs, urban panels, and social venues, with messaging tied to causes like sustainability or inclusivity.

Measure success and optimize campaigns

With DOOH, retail marketers can go beyond basic awareness metrics to track high-value actions—like in-store visits, footfall traffic, online purchases, and app interactions—offering a clearer view of how OOH drives shopper behaviour from discovery to conversion. Attribution connects these insights to broader media performance, revealing how OOH works alongside digital, social, and in-store efforts to boost engagement and sales.

Modern OOH campaigns come equipped with robust measurement tools, including:

  • Mobile location data: Understand how shoppers engage with OOH ads and whether they visit a store or interact online afterward.
  • Footfall analysis: Measure physical store traffic tied directly to campaign exposure.
  • Sales lift studies: Track the revenue impact of targeted OOH campaigns across specific products or categories.
  • Brand lift studies: Assess how OOH influences brand recall, purchase intent, and favorability during key shopping moments.

The future of retail isn’t purely digital or physical—it’s a blend of both. Out-of-home advertising connects these worlds, guiding shoppers from screens to storefronts with relevance, impact, and intent. By combining smart targeting, engaging creative, and measurable outcomes, OOH turns moments of attention into moments of action—bridging the gap between awareness and conversion in a way few other channels can.

Ready to maximize your digital out-of-home investment? Explore curated audiences in our Retail package here!

Product News | October 11, 2021

What’s new in the Broadsign Platform: Sophisticated targeting, creative management and UI improvements

Spring has finally sprung, which means fresh air, greenery, and, most importantly, fresh updates to the Broadsign Platform. This season, we are bringing you sophisticated targeting tools, streamlined creative management, and major UI improvements to make the campaign planning and management process for directly-sold campaigns as seamless as possible for campaign planners. 

Why does this matter? While the activation process for digital out-of-home (DOOH) may only require a couple of minutes, the campaign planning and management process often requires much more time. Discovering available and relevant inventory, collecting data to prove the medium’s effectiveness in meeting campaign goals, and managing campaign creatives are all time-consuming tasks.

The new spring updates introduce a new level of automation that not only reduces the time and complexities of getting DOOH campaigns out the door but also helps make out-of-home (OOH) a competitive and attractive medium for buyers. Let’s dive in!

Sophisticated targeting tools that find the best inventory 

Granular targeting shouldn’t be exclusive to programmatic. That’s why last year, we introduced targeting tools for directly sold campaigns executed through the Broadsign Platform, giving campaign planners the same flexibility and comprehensive targeting capabilities as online and programmatic media buyers. 

The targeting tools included the ability to filter your inventory by location and key points of interest (POIs), enabling campaign planners to find the most relevant inventory for each campaign at the click of a button. An intuitive map view was also introduced, allowing you to better visualize your inventory with quick filtering options by area, support for bulk location uploads, and setting radius parameters. 

This year, we’re introducing two powerful targeting upgrades for directly sold campaigns: demographics and criteria targeting. With demographics targeting, you can filter inventory by attributes like age, gender, or occupation to find the screens that will maximize campaign impact. We’ve also enhanced criteria targeting, giving you more granular control over inclusion and exclusion rules. For example, when building a proposal for an alcohol brand, you can now quickly exclude screens that don’t allow alcohol ads from your inventory search in just a few clicks. 

These new additions to the Broadsign Platform not only reduce the manual work required for inventory discovery but also give your team the opportunity to be a more strategic partner to buyers. We’re also excited to share that these enhanced targeting capabilities are now available to Broadsign customers worldwide! 

Simplified creative management and centralized campaign planning

Media owners juggle multiple campaigns and creatives at the same time, and without the right tools, the creative management process can become complex and stressful for your teams. Last year, we released our in-platform creative management tools, which allowed you to create, edit, manage, and assign campaign creatives with ease. On top of that, we also made it possible for you to push your campaigns live through the Broadsign Platform, eliminating the need to go through Broadsign’s desktop tools. 

In this latest update to the Broadsign Platform, we’re introducing creative scheduling. You’ll now be able to apply multiple scheduling options to your creatives, making it easier than ever to deliver the right message at the right time. You can also target your content by time of day or event, making it easier than ever to adapt your messaging to dayparts or changing campaign goals. Finally, you can update your creatives in real-time, allowing you to plan and deliver up to 55% of your campaigns in one unified workflow directly in-platform. 

Additional management tools for an improved user experience

Along with comprehensive creative management and targeting tools for directly-sold campaigns, additional tools and UI enhancements have been added to improve the usability and user experience of the Broadsign Platform:

Inventory package accessibility

Access inventory packages effortlessly through the platform’s updated navigation bar, enhancing efficiency and ease of use.

Centralized settings management

Administrators can now adjust and manage all necessary settings for digital and static inventory, user management, and more directly within the platform’s web-based UI through a centralized hub for control and configuration.

Campaign monitoring enhancements

With the newly implemented progress indicator, real-time monitoring of campaign pacing is now possible, giving immediate insight into campaign performance. This allows for quick adjustments to be made, as needed, to meet campaign goals effectively.

Search functionality and filters

An improved search mechanism, complemented by additional filters like campaign, client or contract names, enables quicker and more accurate campaign retrieval, saving time and improving workflow.

Line item list

You can now access a list of all line items directly through the navigation bar. Operations teams now have a more precise and comprehensive view of all bookings made on your network.

Dashboard customization

Tailor the platform’s dashboard to meet individual needs, ensuring that the most relevant and important information is always front and center.

Interested in testing out these new features? Book a demo today