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

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.

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:

Triggered content and dynamic scheduling based on store data or external signals
Programmatic ad delivery and audience targeting (via DSP/SSP integrations)
Creative versioning and campaign automation for faster go-to-market execution
Workflow integration across your retail media stack to ensure everything runs smoothly, from planning to reporting

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

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.