Month: February 2025

Product News | October 11, 2021

Retail media networks 101: What they are & why they matter

Imagine you’re a brand looking to engage shoppers at the exact moment they’re considering a purchase — or a retailer eager to turn first-party shopper data into new revenue streams. Retail media networks (RMNs) make both possible.

So, what is an RMN exactly? A retail media network is an advertising platform that allows retailers to sell ad space across their owned media channels — both onsite, offsite, and in-store — to brands looking to reach high-intent shoppers. This includes everything from sponsored search ads on retailer websites and apps to in-store digital displays and point-of-sale promotions. By leveraging first-party data, retailers can provide precise targeting while unlocking new monetization opportunities. And brands gain a highly effective way to reach shoppers at the point of purchase with relevant, data-driven ads.

In this article, we’ll break down what retail media is, how retail media networks work, and why they matter for both retailers and advertisers.

Jump to:

What is retail media? Understanding the bigger picture

While retail media and retail media networks (RMNs) are closely related, they aren’t the same thing. 

Retail media = any advertising within a retailer’s ecosystem.

This includes in-store advertising methods like digital signage, in-store radio, and point-of-sale promotions, as well as online strategies such as sponsored product listings and display ads on retailer websites and apps.

Retail media networks (RMNs) = the monetization platform behind retail media.

A retail media network is the formal system that allows retailers to sell ad space to brands. RMNs provide the infrastructure, data, and ad inventory that make retail media possible.

Retail media vs. commerce media

Retail media is also part of a larger digital advertising movement known as commerce media. While retail media focuses on advertising within a retailer’s ecosystem, commerce media extends that approach across the entire digital commerce landscape.

📌 Why this matters:

Commerce media connects the full shopper journey — allowing brands to reach consumers before, during, and after their purchases. As the retail media space evolves, many retailers are expanding their offerings to become full commerce media platforms, helping brands engage with shoppers across multiple digital environments.

Retailers are expanding across digital environments

Why retail media networks matter (Key benefits for retailers & advertisers)

Retail media networks are changing how brands and retailers connect with shoppers, creating highly targeted, data-driven advertising opportunities at the point of purchase. As brands shift more of their ad spend to retail media — with global retail media ad spend projected to surpass US$177 billion in 2025 — RMNs are emerging as one of the fastest-growing segments in digital advertising.

This rapid growth is reshaping the relationship between retailers and advertisers, offering new ways to leverage privacy-compliant data, optimize ad reach, and influence purchasing decisions in real-time. Here’s why RMNs are becoming a must-have strategy for both in 2025:

For retailers: A win-win opportunity

Retail media isn’t just about ads — it’s about smarter, more profitable retail. Here’s how retailers benefit:

  • Enhanced customer experience: Retail media doesn’t just benefit retailers and advertisers — it also improves the shopping journey for customers. Personalized promotions and targeted messaging shown on in-store displays help enhance the in-store retail experience, while well-placed online ads make it easier for shoppers to discover relevant products, access timely deals, and enjoy a more seamless path to purchase across both digital and physical retail environments.
  • Increased basket sizes: Well-timed messaging can influence last-minute purchasing decisions, prompting shoppers to add more to their carts. Strategically placed product promotions near checkout highlight relevant add-ons, limited-time offers, and value packs that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. By seamlessly integrating these prompts into the shopping journey, retailers can increase average order value and maximize sales opportunities.
  • New revenue streams: By selling ad space across their websites, apps, and in-store digital displays, retailers can generate high-margin advertising revenue — between 70% and 90%, according to BCG — alongside traditional product sales. Insights gleaned from their first-party shopper data make these (and any off-site) ad placements even more valuable, enabling brands to reach highly targeted audiences in a privacy-compliant way. As brands shift more ad spend to retail media, retailers that capitalize on this demand can drive significant new revenue while strengthening partnerships with advertisers.

READ ALSO: Learn how to influence add-to-cart moments with an in-store digital media channel, featuring strategies and key takeaways from our live webinar.

For brands: Reaching shoppers at the right moment

For advertisers, RMNs offer something digital ads often struggle with: direct access to ready-to-buy consumers. This allows brands to benefit from:

  • Higher purchase intent: Ads appear when shoppers are actively looking for products, making them more effective and increasing the likelihood of conversion.
  • Precision targeting with first-party data: RMNs provide privacy-compliant insights, helping brands serve more relevant ads and refine their audience strategies. 
  • Measurable ad performance: Unlike traditional ads, RMNs offer closed-loop measurement, so brands can track sales directly linked to their campaigns. 

READ ALSO: Get a better understanding of why in-store signage advertising belongs in every brand’s retail media strategy

As RMNs continue to grow, they’re proving to be a must-have for both retailers and brands looking to maximize revenue, improve customer engagement, and drive measurable results.

In-store advertising turns shopping into memorable experiences

How RMNs work: Key players & their roles (RMN ecosystem)

Retail media networks don’t operate in a vacuum. They rely on a collaborative ecosystem of key stakeholders — all working together to deliver relevant, data-driven advertising that benefits everyone involved. Here’s a quick overview of who’s involved and how RMN advertising works:

  • Retailers create and manage the RMN, selling ad space across their digital and physical stores.
  • Brands and advertisers purchase these placements to promote their products to high-intent shoppers at key moments in their purchase journey.
  • Technology providers enable automation, measurement, and optimization to ensure seamless ad delivery and performance tracking via retail media platforms, ensuring ads reach the right audience at the right time.

Retail media ad formats & real-world examples

As RMNs grow, brands have more opportunities to connect with high-intent shoppers at key moments. Whether through in-store digital displays, sponsored search ads, or off-site campaigns, retail media offers targeted, data-driven advertising that enhances the shopping experience while driving measurable results.

Types of retail media advertising

Retail media comes in a variety of ad formats, depending on where shoppers interact with the brand:

1. Digital retail media (on-site advertising)

Retailers monetize their websites and apps much like traditional publishers, offering brands premium ad placements where shoppers actively search and browse.

Key digital retail media formats include:

  • Sponsored search ads: Paid placements that appear when shoppers search for products.
  • Display ads: Banner ads on a retailer’s website or app, either promoting their own products or paid for by external brands.
  • Video ads: Short ads featured on product pages, retailer apps, or even live-streamed shopping events.
2. Off-site retail media (beyond retailer ecosystems)

Retailers extend ad reach beyond their owned properties, placing brand ads across third-party websites, social media, and programmatic networks — all powered by first-party shopper data.

Off-site retail media formats typically include:

  • Social media & programmatic advertising: Retailers use shopper data to target ads on platforms like Instagram and YouTube.
  • Retailer-driven display/video ads: Placed on external websites and apps but still leveraging retailer data.

For example, Target’s retail media network, Roundel, leverages the big-box retailer’s first-party shopper data to deliver highly targeted ads beyond Target’s owned properties. Brands can reach Target shoppers across third-party websites, social media, and programmatic networks, keeping engagement strong and driving traffic back to Target’s stores and digital channels.

📌 Key distinction from commerce media:

Off-site retail media is controlled and sold by a retailer — even though the ad appears elsewhere. Commerce media, on the other hand, is broader, allowing brands to use retailer data but not necessarily purchasing the ad space from the retailer itself.

3. In-store retail media

Forward-thinking retailers are transforming their physical stores into dynamic ad environments, giving brands the chance to engage shoppers and influence purchasing decisions at key moments in the buying journey. 

Common in-store retail media formats include:

Walmart’s in-store advertising solutions help brands stay top-of-mind by engaging shoppers at key moments in their journey. With a nationwide network of in-store TV screens, targeted self-checkout ads, and in-store audio placements, advertisers can seamlessly capture attention and drive influence where purchase decisions happen.

By integrating a strategic mix of retail media formats into their RMN, retailers can maximize advertising revenue while enhancing the customer shopping experience — whether online, in-store, or beyond. At the same time, brands gain valuable opportunities to stay top of mind and influence shoppers at key moments, from discovery to checkout.

READ ALSO: Learn how in-store and online retail media shape consumer shopping behavior and why multi-brand retailers can’t afford to overlook in-store digital marketing networks.

In-store retail media advertising can promote special offers to boost sales

As RMNs evolve, proven out-of-home (OOH) strategies like audience targeting, engagement, and measurement are driving the future of retail media — particularly through retail digital signage solutions that enhance in-store engagement and ad impact.

By integrating these solutions into a broader RMN strategy, retailers can unlock new revenue streams, enhance the shopping journey, and maximize the value of their first-party data. At the same time, brands gain a powerful way to connect with high-intent shoppers at the point of purchase. From sponsored search and display ads to in-store digital activations, retail media offers a highly targeted and measurable advertising channel that’s only continuing to grow.

Want to make the most of your retail media strategy?

Explore our latest RMN insights and best practices for building, scaling, and maximizing the impact of a retail media network — whether you’re a retailer monetizing your media assets or a brand investing in RMNs. 

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

Product News | October 11, 2021

How to integrate in-store digital signage into your retail media network

If your retail media network (RMN) is thriving online but underutilized in-store, you’re not alone, and there’s untapped value waiting on the sales floor. While many retailers have monetized their websites and apps, in-store signage often remains overlooked and disconnected from broader retail media efforts.

Forward-thinking retailers are closing the gap by deploying in-store screens or connecting existing ones to their broader retail media ecosystem using specialized digital signage software. From investing in new displays to syncing with data systems, workflows, and programmatic platforms, they’re transforming stores into dynamic, measurable environments that complete the omnichannel shopper journey.

The benefits go far beyond operational efficiency. As of 2025, more than 200 RMNs operate globally, each with its own formats, technologies, and measurement frameworks. This fragmentation has become a major challenge, with marketers calling for more standardization to unlock the next wave of retail media investment. Integrating in-store signage into a cohesive strategy helps retailers close the loop—connecting the full shopper journey, enabling comprehensive measurement, and driving long-term growth for both themselves and their brand partners.

Whether your goal is to enhance in-store advertising, maximize ROI on existing hardware, or deliver smarter, data-driven shopper experiences, this roadmap will help you turn screens into a strategic cornerstone of your retail media network.

Why digital signage is critical to your retail media strategy

Despite the rise of e-commerce, 80% of purchases still happen in-store, making the physical store a high-impact, yet often underutilized, media environment. Still, many RMNs prioritize digital channels like websites, apps, and email, overlooking the opportunity to bring that same power to the sales floor.

Digital signage bridges the gap between digital media and in-person purchase moments. It turns your store into a full-funnel, monetizable channel that enhances, not competes with, your broader retail media strategy. Here’s how:

  • Connects online precision to in-store decisions: Bring the targeting and flexibility of digital media into the physical store, where buying decisions are made, with dynamic, contextually relevant content—brand campaigns, personalized promos, seasonal messaging—delivered right where buying decisions happen.
  • Monetizes real-world traffic: Turn foot traffic into a scalable revenue stream by offering brand partners premium placements on high-visibility screens, targeted by location, time, or context—especially impactful during add-to-cart moments.
  • Delivers measurable, flexible performance:  Modern digital signage platforms integrate with your data and ad tech stack, enabling real-time scheduling, updates, and reporting. Track key metrics—product engagement, sales lift, dwell time—and connect in-store exposure to online behaviour.
  • Enhances the shopper experience: Effective signage supports the customer journey, not disrupts it. From back-in-stock alerts to curated promotions, digital displays make in-person shopping more engaging, relevant, and responsive.
  • Powers your omnichannel strategy: Signage closes the loop between discovery and conversion, syncing messaging across email, mobile, online ads, and in-store screens so shoppers experience a consistent, connected journey.

READ ALSO: Why in-store media is essential for forward-thinking retail media strategies

Integrating digital signage into a unified retail media strategy

Whether you’re building from scratch or integrating existing screens into your retail media stack, you need to lay the right foundation. That means designing a signage strategy built for scale, content relevance, and future monetization — and then connecting it to the data, workflows, and systems that power your RMN.

As Jonathan Franco, Broadsign’s Global Head of Retail Media, notes in a recent piece on bridging lessons from digital out-of-home (DOOH) to in-store media: “The OOH market has taught us that success isn’t just about having screens in impactful locations; it’s about playing the right content in the right place at the right time.”

In other words, a successful signage strategy goes beyond high-traffic ad placements or hardware specs. It’s about creating strategic touchpoints that support the full shopper journey and integrate seamlessly with your broader digital media operations.

Here’s how to bring it all together:

1. Plan your screen zones with both placement and content in mind

Think like a media planner, not just a merchandiser. Whether you’re starting from scratch or expanding an existing setup, begin by aligning screen placement with key shopper moments:

  • Entrances: High-impact campaigns and branded takeovers
  • Main aisles: Seasonal themes or product spotlights
  • Promo zones & end caps: Shoppable content, limited-time offers
  • Checkout areas: Loyalty messaging, app signups, basket-building prompts
  • Specialty departments (e.g., pharmacy, bakery, butcher): Context-specific content like curated product picks, pairing suggestions, or department-specific promos 

Once placement is mapped, define content zones and use cases that bring structure and scalability to your network:

  • Utility-first content like wayfinding, back-in-stock updates, and localized promos
  • Retailer-owned storytelling through seasonal campaigns or private label features
  • Brand-sponsored media with paid placements, co-branded messages, and monetizable ad space

Pro tip: Map screen zones based on foot traffic, dwell time, and product affinity to guide content planning and ad pricing. This helps ensure a coherent in-store experience while maximizing the media value of each screen.

2. Keep it flexible and connected

Retail moves fast — and so should your signage. Choose a retail digital signage platform that’s not just flexible but also built to integrate with your broader retail media stack. In particular, look for solutions that support:

The more your signage tools sync with your RMN systems, the easier it is to deliver value to brand partners and internal stakeholders alike.

READ ALSO: How to choose the best digital signage software for your business

3. Align signage with your cross-channel media strategy

The same shopper might see your ad on social media, browse your website, and visit your store—all in a single day. To keep pace, your content and media offerings should reflect a cohesive journey. When deployed strategically, in-store screens become physical extensions of your digital media plan — not standalone inventory.

For marketers, that means:

  • Repurposing assets from other RMN channels (e.g. email banners, social creative, seasonal campaigns)
  • Reinforcing digital campaigns or driving app engagement via in-store screens
  • Ensuring messaging is consistent across in-store and online touchpoints
  • Bundling signage with other digital placements in your media kits
  • Offering tiered packages with omnichannel reach or localized activations
  • Providing turnkey creative support to streamline advertiser onboarding

When thoughtfully integrated, digital signage becomes a powerful part of your go-to-market strategy, helping brands reach shoppers with the right message at the right time, both online and offline. Integration isn’t just about technology; it’s about alignment across content, channels, and teams.

4. Centralize measurement and reporting

One of the biggest hurdles in building or scaling digital signage within your retail media strategy is measurement. Without a clear plan, in-store signage can quickly become disconnected from your broader performance story—making it harder to justify spend or demonstrate value to advertisers.

To avoid that, build signage into your reporting framework from day one. Start by tracking foundational metrics:

  • Screen-level impressions and play counts to understand exposure volume
  • Dwell time to assess attention and engagement
  • Content playback logs to validate ad delivery and campaign pacing

Then, go deeper by connecting signage exposure to in-store outcomes, like product interaction, add-to-cart moments, or sales lift. These insights help prove that your in-store media is driving real business results, not just awareness.

By applying consistent measurement frameworks across both online and offline channels, you can tell a unified, full-funnel story. Mirroring key OOH and digital metrics—like reach, frequency, and lift—helps demonstrate how in-store signage works in tandem with campaigns on email, mobile, and paid social.

Modern digital signage platforms provide unified in-store reporting, making it easier to analyze performance, share results with brand partners, and refine campaigns in real time—turning in-store media into a measurable, scalable revenue channel within your retail media network.

READ ALSO: Discover how the OOH industry is leveraging technology to achieve more measurable campaign outcomes in our guide to out-of-home measurement, attribution and audience extension.

Ready to make your in-store signage a seamless part of your RMN?

Whether you’re planning your first deployment or optimizing existing screens, Broadsign’s industry-leading platform makes it easy to connect your in-store signage with the rest of your retail media ecosystem. With over two decades of experience in digital out-of-home, we help retailers build, manage, and monetize scalable signage networks that align with your broader media strategy.

Get in touch to see how we can help you unlock the full value of your in-store presence.

Product News | October 11, 2021

Broadsign Unveils Automated In-Advance DOOH Transactions

New platform capability to extend and simplify traditional DOOH and OOH buys through automated trading platforms; early adopter WPP Media Netherlands, formerly GroupM Netherlands, one of the first to deliver DOOH campaign with the technology

MONTREAL, June 3, 2025 – Broadsign today announced Broadsign In-Advance. Breaking down longstanding accessibility barriers to out-of-home (OOH) advertising, the new Broadsign Platform capability unlocks automated in-advance Digital OOH (DOOH) transactions, with support for static OOH transactions anticipated via a future update. Programmatic media buyers can now leverage Broadsign In-Advance to secure guaranteed DOOH campaigns months ahead of delivery using technology built on top of familiar automated trading tools. It also allows direct DOOH buyers to streamline historically lengthy buying cycles, saving hours spent manually discovering, curating, and reserving inventory. 

With most OOH and DOOH media purchases still taking place manually, Broadsign In-Advance is designed to enable programmatic and traditional buyers to use automated, dynamic processes for guaranteed in-advance buys. It improves planning flexibility, significantly reduces back-and-forth communications between media buyers and owners to confirm the availability of and secure inventory, and simplifies campaign adjustments. The advancement further unlocks the data-driven targeting available via programmatic buying platforms for more traditional DOOH buys, so media buying teams can make more informed decisions to maximize the performance of their reserved campaigns.

DOOH media owners who make their inventory available for in-advance buys via the new capability similarly benefit from more efficient transactional processes and enhanced revenue potential through access to new buyers. They can choose the inventory they want to make available, and Broadsign In-Advance will automate bookings based on their defined business rules. Demand partners who activate the new capability via their Broadsign Supply-Side Platform (SSP) integration will be able to unlock previously unavailable inventory to support new campaign types and maximize profitability. 

WPP Media Netherlands (formerly known as GroupM Netherlands) has already tested the new capability to secure DOOH ads across the Netherlands via OutMoove, the inaugural DSP to integrate with Broadsign In-Advance. As Broadsign evolves the technology, it will continue to enlist new demand and both digital and static OOH media owner partners worldwide. Representing one of the first agencies to execute a transaction supported by Broadsign In-Advance, WPP Media Netherlands Practice Lead OOH Noella Klein Ikkink said, “We see the potential of Broadsign In-Advance to increase efficiency for media buyers for standalone direct buys or in the mix with programmatic activation. It could also facilitate more streamlined, packaged buys alongside current buying methods and open up more opportunities to determine the best path forward, depending upon our planning strategy and budget.”

“OOH is one of the most enduring ad mediums today, yet it’s one of the most complex to transact outside of programmatic, which only accounts for less than ten percent of global digital buys, a figure that excludes static buys. Booking OOH and DOOH ads today should be as easy as securing a hotel or flight, and automation is the key to making this possible,” explained John Dolan, Vice President, Global Head of Media Sales, Broadsign. “Broadsign In-Advance is the next step in facilitating an industry-wide transition to more automated transactions. It introduces tech-driven advancements that will make the channel more accessible and elevate the quality of campaigns, helping to usher in a new era of growth for OOH.”

Broadsign’s new in-advance DOOH transaction capabilities are accessible to Broadsign SSP customers and demand partners for early adoption today via the latest platform update. Get in touch with a Broadsign representative to learn more or check out this blog post to better understand how automation can transform both OOH and DOOH. Broadsign encourages media buyers to consult with their preferred demand partner to confirm present or future plans to support Broadsign In-Advance. 

About Broadsign

Broadsign empowers media owners, agencies, and brands to harness the power and reach of out-of-home to connect with audiences in ways unlike any other advertising channel. More than 1.5 million static and digital signs along roadways and in airports, shopping malls, retailers, health clinics, transit systems, electric vehicle charging stations, and more run on Broadsign, reaching audiences at multiple touchpoints throughout the consumer journey. The Broadsign Platform helps media owners such as Outfront, Pattison Outdoor, Global, and Intersection streamline business operations and maximize revenue opportunities while enabling marketers and agencies to more easily plan and execute dynamic OOH campaigns that resonate with audiences. Brands spanning AB InBev, Disney, FanDuel, H&M, Honda, HP, Johnson & Johnson, KLM, Uber Eats, Sea-Doo, Samsonite, and many more have run successful programmatic DOOH campaigns enabled by Broadsign technology. https://broadsign.com

Product News | October 11, 2021

Driving media owner growth with Broadsign’s in-advance automated OOH transactions

Digital advertising continues to surge ahead, and the numbers tell a compelling story. According to GroupM’s This Year Next Year: 2024 Global End of Year Forecast, pureplay digital advertising is projected to account for 72.9% of total ad revenue globally by the end of this year. By 2029, it’s expected to command a staggering 76.8% of total ad revenue. That’s not just growth – it’s domination.

So what’s fueling this growth? Simplicity. Digital advertising has become remarkably easy to buy. With real-time data, programmatic platforms, advancements in artificial intelligence and automation tools, advertisers have the power to move quickly, optimize campaigns on the fly, and measure results with precision – all while maintaining cost efficiency.

As advertisers continue to prioritize channels that allow them to plan and buy with minimal effort and maximum speed, out-of-home (OOH) must match those expectations if it wants to claim a larger share of media budgets. By embracing more modern transaction capabilities, media owners can unlock more demand, attract a broader base of advertisers, and ensure OOH remains a powerful and accessible part of the omnichannel mix.

What needs to change in the media owner process

Turning OOH into a short-tail medium

While OOH content management systems (CMS) have helped automate certain aspects of content delivery and campaign execution, the buying process still lags behind. In most cases, a single OOH transaction can involve over 30 emails between buyer and seller. With advertisers typically operating in a fast-paced, results-driven environment, this level of friction to buy a medium isn’t just inconvenient, it’s unsustainable. 

Booking OOH ad space often involves lengthy phone calls, email chains, spreadsheets, and time-consuming back-and-forth negotiations. Simple campaign tweaks—like adjusting dates, reallocating budgets, or swapping creatives—can trigger entirely new rounds of communication and approvals, slowing down execution and making OOH feel more like a legacy medium than a modern marketing tool.

To stay competitive in today’s fast-moving media landscape, OOH must shed its reputation as a slow, high-touch channel and evolve into a short-tail medium—fast, flexible, and frictionless. For media owners, this means rethinking legacy processes and embracing automation not just at the campaign delivery level, but across the entire transaction journey.

Aligning effort with campaign value

One of the most pressing, yet overlooked, challenges for OOH media owners today is the discrepancy between the effort required to execute campaigns and the revenue those campaigns generate. Whether you’re managing a $50,000 campaign or a $500,000 one, the manual process of briefing, planning, coordinating inventory, booking, approving, and managing creatives is largely the same.

In fact, as Gavin Lee, Senior Product Director at Broadsign, states, “As an industry, we are already spending about 80% of our time managing about 15-20% of revenue.” Imagine what you could achieve if even a fraction of that time were redirected toward revenue-generating activities—building client relationships, pitching new concepts, or pursuing larger strategic deals.

This is where automation becomes not just a convenience, but a strategic imperative. By reengineering your transactional and operational processes for scale, you can align operational effort more proportionally with the value of each campaign. Instead of over-investing in smaller deals or under-supporting high-value ones, your teams can allocate resources more effectively, focusing on where they drive the greatest return.

OOH can’t grow if it can’t attract and retain new talent

Modernizing transaction processes isn’t just about operational efficiency—it’s about future-proofing your workforce. For media owners and agencies alike, the transactional side of OOH remains time-consuming. For seasoned professionals, this may be business as usual. However, for a new generation of media professionals raised on intuitive platforms and real-time tools, it can feel outdated and unnecessarily frustrating.

What should be a fast-paced, creative, and tech-forward role becomes an administrative one. And when these new hires leave, you’re left scrambling to find replacements, investing time and money into training the next round, only to risk the same outcome. 

By streamlining buying, reducing manual workloads, and integrating with the platforms media teams already use, OOH can become an exciting space for rising talent. And with the right people in place, the industry can innovate, grow, and thrive well into the future.

How Broadsign In-Advance makes OOH a medium for the future

To meet the growing demand for more advanced transaction capabilities beyond programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH), we’re introducing Broadsign In-Advance — a new capability that enables automated, in-advance OOH transactions directly within the Broadsign Platform. Media owners who make their inventory available for in-advance buys would allow advertisers to check the availability of and buy guaranteed DOOH inventory weeks, and even months, ahead of delivery through integrated demand-side platforms (DSP). 

Broadsign’s new in-advance transaction capabilities give you access to more efficient workflows and new demand streams – all while allowing you to maintain full control over how your inventory is sold. You can choose the inventory you want to make available, and Broadsign In-Advance will automate the booking process based on your defined business rules. 

As part of the early release, the capability is now available for Broadsign supply-side platform (SSP) customers and demand-side integration partners to adopt through the latest platform update. While in-advance transactions are currently only available for DOOH inventory, there are plans to expand the capability for static inventory in the near future. Get in touch with a Broadsign Representative to learn more. 

Benefits of Broadsign In-Advance for media owners

Automation can turn OOH into a short-tail medium

For OOH media owners, automation isn’t just about efficiency – it’s a direct pathway to growth. 

One of the most impactful benefits of Broadsign In-Advance is its ability to efficiently handle long-tail, smaller campaigns that typically consume valuable time without delivering you with strong returns. 

Automating them means these transactions can now be executed quickly and seamlessly with minimal human intervention. This shift frees up your sales and operations teams to focus their energy where it matters most: cultivating high-value client relationships, negotiating larger strategic deals, and exploring new revenue opportunities.

Automation also leads to better inventory utilization. With ad space being more easily discoverable and bookable by buyers, you reduce unsold inventory and increase fill rates, ensuring more ad space is sold, more often, and with less friction. 

Automation can attract new buyers and new talent

Managing multiple campaigns, meeting tight deadlines, and responding to client demands all require a level of agility that manual workflows can no longer support in today’s fast-paced environment. By automating the most repetitive, time-consuming, and operationally intensive aspects of the transaction process, your team can manage more campaigns with less effort. 

In addition to driving operational efficiencies, automation can help reduce buyers’ preconceived notions of OOH. By eliminating the day-to-day busywork, your team can now focus on developing creative solutions to more complex advertiser requests and strategizing for key accounts, setting your offering apart while building trust and satisfaction with OOH. 

Finally, eliminating the burden of admin-heavy tasks on your team empowers them to focus on the work that truly adds value, boosting performance and fostering a more engaged, motivated workforce. Moreover, modernizing OOH workflows helps position the medium as fast-paced, innovative, and tech-forward – qualities that appeal to the next generation of media professionals. 

Automation future-proofs your OOH business

In a media landscape that’s evolving at lightning speed, standing still is not an option. By adopting capabilities that automate time-consuming transactions and modernize your workflows, you’re not just keeping up with the latest technology – you’re setting the pace. 

Embracing in-advance transactions signals that your business is future-ready. It shows a deep understanding of where the industry is headed and a willingness to invest in the tools that will shape its evolution. As more buyers expect digital-like agility from every channel, being able to offer fast and seamless access to your inventory gives you a competitive edge.

Furthermore, early adoption of these capabilities has tangible benefits today. Your reputation as a digital pioneer can help attract new advertisers to the space, strengthen your relationship with existing clients, and open the door to more sophisticated, higher-value campaign opportunities.

Interested in learning more about Broadsign In-Advance or ready for next steps? 

Meet with a Broadsign Representative to learn more and discuss your eligibility today.