Category: Digital Signage News and Views

Product News | October 11, 2021

Let’s talk programmatic DOOH: Insights from Adform

For a long time, Adform has extolled the virtues of digital out-of-home. This company believes firmly in the medium’s power to communicate brand messaging to broad audiences and its capabilities in delivering precise audience metrics.

Adform, a global advertising platform headquartered in Copenhagen, is known across the industry for providing a flexible solution that services the whole campaign lifecycle. With its fully integrated advertising platform, Adform FLOW, and global reach – it’s easy to see why customers continue to gravitate towards the company’s unique offering.

How does DOOH fit into the business’s media plans? Adform’s Partner Development Manager Vittorio Capasso has some thoughts on the subject. We reached him in London to discuss this and why he thinks digital out-of-home needs to be a fixture in the media budgets for businesses of all sizes.

What do you think are some of the barriers or challenges that a digital marketer faces as they start exploring, planning and integrating DOOH in their omnichannel campaigns?

One of the main challenges is that clients don’t realize the scale of DOOH, which impacts how they plan their campaigns. Reach, screen availability, where screens are located, types of screens and the environment where the ad will be displayed—if it’s in a mall, highway, or supermarket, this can all make a difference.

We also notice that clients wonder how they can reach their audiences through DOOH. I think marketers are also used to running traditional campaigns with third-party cookies available, and it’s pretty easy nowadays to pick and choose their audiences. With DOOH, the story’s different, and we find that it’s more about educating clients, agencies, advertisers on how audiences can be reached through DOOH and the best ways they can achieve that.

And the third part is the measurement. Clients can measure the impact of their campaigns. Traditional campaigns require specific tools to measure many aspects of the campaign but with DOOH, how you measure your campaign is a little different, and I think there’s more education that needs to be done here as well.

What do you think is DOOH’s role in a media plan? Has it changed over the last couple of years?

As we settle into this “new normal,” there seems to be an evident appetite for OOH media and programmatic DOOH. What would you say are the main drivers of that?

With restrictions being lifted in many countries, we’re starting to see an increase in demand for DOOH. In the next few years, we think DOOH is a channel that needs to always be on media plans. In every campaign, a DOOH piece should be included because it can make a difference. For brand campaigns, this needs to be there—it’s so impactful as a channel. You can reach many people at the same time and have the opportunity to be creative with campaigns you run, campaigns that have the potential to grab people’s attention and stay with them.

In light of the upcoming withdrawal of third-party cookies and the renewed attention on contextual advertising, what do you see the role of programmatic DOOH being? 

For several years, we’ve been working on proposing solutions for our clients, enabling them to run campaigns similarly, without third-party cookies. I think clients are used to talking about first-party data and thinking about the world without third-party cookies, but I think this will help boost the DOOH and allow it to stand out from the other channels. With Google recent announcement regarding the withdrawal of third-party cookies being pushed to 2023, the industry will have more time to adapt and DOOH can help the transition as it is a cookie-less environment by nature.

Knowing that there are more strict privacy policies and fewer opt-in location-based users and mobile data, how do you think this will impact DOOH execution and is this a concern? 

Do you think marketers fully understand the programmatic DOOH opportunity? Is more education needed? 

In general, I think there is a good understanding of the basics, but it depends on the specific markets and clients. Some markets are advanced in DOOH because it’s already been a part of the landscape, while some still need to be educated on the basics. But I believe a good portion of the market needs to learn about the real opportunities and capabilities of DOOH, such as measurement and audience-targeting, which needs to be made more clear to clients, and that’s one of Adform’s goals. Marketers want to run sophisticated campaigns, and DOOH needs to adapt to that. DOOH has made progress in recent years, with many capabilities that I don’t think are fully used by clients. 

Do you see more clients wanting to leverage dynamic creative?

That’s something we see more of lately, though this is something clients are requesting as I don’t think dynamic capabilities are being used as broadly as they should be. But I believe in the future that dynamic creative campaigns will be increasingly deployed in the DOOH channel, as programmatic makes it even easier. But the market needs to be educated. Clients want to be reassured that their campaigns are going to be executed with no issue. 

What is essential for you when choosing a DOOH supply-side platform (SSP), and where do you think the opportunities are from an SSP perspective? 

What role does Broadsign Reach SSP play in your supply? 

I think Reach is a great tool. It gives us the flexibility to get the information and details that we need whenever we need them. I think about it from the planning perspective so that I can secure the info easily. Troubleshooting is one key differentiator of Reach as we can troubleshoot things much quicker with your SSP and of course, the great support offered by the team at Broadsign makes everything much easier.

Product News | October 11, 2021

Why travel marketers are turning to OOH for scalable reach and ROI

Tourism is thriving once again, and brands are racing to capture the attention of today’s travellers. As the industry continues to rebound and evolve from its pandemic dip, marketers are rethinking how to connect with multiple generations at key moments in the travel journey. Out-of-home (OOH) advertising remains a powerful, performance-driven medium, valued not only for its visual impact but also for its ability to deliver cost efficiency and broad market penetration across both global and local campaigns. 

For travel marketers, OOH offers strategic ways to engage audiences in real time. From digital billboards near airports to transit ads and dynamic creative triggered by weather or location, the channel excels at reaching travellers on the move or those dreaming of their next escape.

With its focus on visual storytelling and contextual relevance, OOH is especially effective at sparking wanderlust, promoting destinations, and influencing travel decisions. High-dwell environments like airports, transit hubs, and city centres offer premium visibility where plans are being made, driving strong recall and engagement.

Travel marketers are doubling down on OOH: Here’s why

Out-of-home has become one of the fastest-growing channels for travel and tourism marketers. According to Broadsign data, travel’s share of OOH ad spend rose from 3.8% in 2023 to 5.7% in 2024, reaching 8% in early 2025—making it the top vertical for OOH spend so far this year.

According to the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), major travel brands like Hotels.com, Expedia, and VRBO ranked among the top OOH advertisers in 2024. This surge in activity is being fueled by several key factors: growing demand for both domestic and international travel, renewed airline operations, and increased marketing investments from hotels, online travel agencies, and tourism boards eager to capture consumer attention.

Maximizing efficiency and reach: The dollar value of OOH

At a time when marketers are being asked to do more with less, OOH is proving to be one of the most efficient and effective channels for driving reach and results. For travel brands, it offers a rare mix of broad exposure, cost control, and message adaptability, making it a smart choice when performance and efficiency are under the microscope.

This efficiency is especially evident when comparing OOH to other media channels. The medium delivers high-impact visibility at a significantly lower cost per thousand impressions (CPM) than connected TV (CTV), paid social, or display. According to Solomon Partners and the World Out of Home Organization (WOO), OOH consistently offers a lower cost per impression, with average CPMs ranging from $2 to $9 USD, well below most digital formats. That makes it one of the most cost-effective ways to achieve mass reach, particularly in high-traffic, high-dwell time environments like airports, transit hubs, and city centres. 

But cost efficiency doesn’t mean sacrificing performance. In fact, research from the OAAA and Comscore found that OOH drives online activation rates 5 to 6 times higher than expected, outperforming channels like TV, video, radio, banner ads, and print when it comes to driving digital engagement. 

Even in a softening economy, travel marketers are maintaining or increasing their OOH investment, driven by sustained consumer demand for experiences and exploration. Domestic travel is gaining particular momentum—U.S. hotels and resorts ranked among the top 10 OOH product categories in 2024, accounting for 3% of total year-end spend. Tourism boards and airlines are also increasingly anchoring their media strategies in OOH, using it as the lead channel in integrated campaigns that blend broad awareness with measurable results.

At the same time, multi-city and international campaigns are scaling efficiently, allowing brands to build awareness across key markets while tailoring creative to specific audiences. Marketers can keep messaging consistent across regions while adapting visuals or calls to action for different cities or traveller segments—an essential advantage when engaging both global tourists and local visitors. 

Finally, timing remains critical. Launching OOH campaigns ahead of peak travel windows or booking periods allows brands to influence decisions early in the planning journey. Many consumers start researching destinations weeks or months in advance, so a strong OOH presence during this window keeps your brand top of mind. Aligning campaigns with seasonal trends, long weekends, school breaks, or major events can further maximize reach and impact.

Measuring OOH’s real-world impact

For years, one of the biggest challenges in out-of-home advertising was proving its value beyond brand awareness. But that’s changing quickly. With the rise of advanced measurement tools and location intelligence platforms, travel marketers now have access to real-world insights that directly connect ad exposure to consumer behaviour.

Platforms like Arrivalist are leading this shift, offering new visibility into traveller movement and enabling marketers to understand how OOH influences actions like visits, overnight stays, and the path to purchase. By matching mobile advertising IDs (MAIDs) to campaign exposure, tourism boards can measure visitation uplift and identify which audiences are most likely to act after seeing an OOH ad.

These insights go far beyond impressions, helping quantify tangible outcomes, like increased foot traffic to cities, attractions, hotels, or short-term rentals following a campaign. Marketers can also layer campaign data with flight, hotel, or rental trends to better understand travel intent and booking behaviour.

This level of attribution is especially valuable for tourism boards, which often need to justify public or partner funding by demonstrating a clear return on investment. As DOOH adoption grows, more campaigns are integrating measurement from the outset, enabling smarter optimizations and more transparent performance benchmarks throughout the campaign lifecycle.

Scaling smart with programmatic DOOH

Many of today’s travel campaigns span multiple markets, and programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) is helping power that growth. It gives brands the speed, agility, and precision needed to launch quickly, adapt mid-flight, and respond in real time to performance data. Unlike traditional media, programmatic buying eliminates long lead times, allowing marketers to shift budgets, swap creative, or refine targeting based on changing market conditions or traveller behaviour—all while retaining the bold, visual impact OOH is known for.

Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) adds another layer of relevance by tailoring content in real time based on data like location, weather, language, or time of day. For travel marketers, this enables region-specific offers, weather-based messaging, and event tie-ins that drive stronger engagement.

Programmatic tools also streamline cross-market execution, enabling consistent messaging across regions while customizing creative for local audiences. This makes them especially valuable for multi-city and global tourism campaigns.

Out-of-home is no longer just a top-of-funnel awareness tool—it’s a performance-driven, scalable, and data-rich channel built for modern travel marketing. Whether you’re launching a global tourism campaign or targeting specific markets with dynamic, real-time creative, OOH delivers the reach, efficiency, and impact needed to move travellers from inspiration to action.

Ready to maximize your OOH investment? Contact us today to start building high-impact travel campaigns that drive real-world results.

Product News | October 11, 2021

What’s new on the Broadsign Platform: Highlights from our latest webinar

At our most recent webinar, our VP of Products, Francois Hechme, and Senior Directors of Products, Gavin Lee and Seamus Hunn, presented the 2025 roadmap for the Broadsign Platform. The presentation showcased the upcoming enhancements designed to optimize processes, improve productivity, and unlock new revenue opportunities for out-of-home (OOH) media owners. 

Looking back on what we accomplished in 2024

Before we look at what’s to come, let’s highlight some of the changes we made in 2024 that helped you operate a little more efficiently every day. 

Improved campaign planning and management to better meet customer needs

Enhancing our campaign planning and management capabilities was a big focus for us last year. The first notable change was the integration of the Guaranteed Campaigns module, formerly known as Broadsign Direct, into the platform interface. Another big capability that was brought onto the platform was creative management tools, allowing you to create, edit, manage, and assign campaign creatives with ease. Finally, we introduced new targeting tools and a map view to better visualize your inventory for directly-sold campaigns to provide media owners with the same flexibility and comprehensive targeting capabilities as online and programmatic buyers.

Campaign optimization tools to help you make the most out of your inventory 

Another big focus of last year was campaign optimization, which was heavily driven by Broadsign’s optimization engine. Composed of two functionalities – campaign rebalancing and reallocation – our optimization engine is designed to ensure that your campaigns deliver on target while optimizing your inventory availability to boost sales. Below we highlight a few ways that media owners benefited from Broadsign’s optimization engine in 2024.

Campaign rebalancing

As a refresher, our rebalancing feature modifies the pace at which a campaign is delivered. It will speed up or slow down campaign delivery to help under or overperforming campaigns stay on target and meet campaign objectives. 

In 2024 alone, 26% of all campaigns booked through Broadsign Guaranteed Campaigns required some level of rebalancing. Customers who leveraged our rebalancing feature had three times more campaigns on target and 37% fewer campaigns that were underperforming. 

Campaign reallocation

The second functionality of our optimization engine is the reallocation feature, which is used at the time of booking. If an advertiser’s incoming request requires a screen that is already booked by another campaign, the system will automatically reorganize how screens are allocated to each campaign while ensuring that newly allocated screens still fit campaign requirements. 

Given that each media owner’s network is different, the data varied for this capability. While most were able to accommodate on average 10% to 20% more campaigns with our reallocation feature, a few select were able to achieve up to 40% more campaigns. 

Without Broadsign’s optimization engine automatically reallocating screens to optimize fill rates, media owners would have to manually reshuffle campaigns to accommodate incoming demand. Not only is that a time-consuming and inefficient process that cannot scale with your business, but it also can’t achieve the same results as our optimization engine. 

Growing our trading capabilities to connect you to more buyers

Last but not least, one of the biggest moments for our programmatic business last year was the acquisition of OutMoove, which includes its business and DOOH demand-side platform (DSP) technology. This has enabled OutMoove to focus on scaling its unique OOH specialist agency workflows and support globally while giving Broadsign access to OutMoove’s expertise and specialist OOH clients. 

Furthermore, we worked closely with media owners to expand our inventory, leading to 72% more screens that were onboarded onto Broadsign’s programmatic supply-side platform (SSP) and Header Bidder. The expansion of inventory led to 43% more unique advertisers transacting with Broadsign and 36% more impressions transacted. 

What you can expect from Broadsign in 2025

Evolving campaign planning and management in the Broadsign Platform

One of Broadsign’s key focuses this year will be the continued evolution of our campaign planning and management capabilities within the Broadsign Platform. This focus is divided into three big initiatives: the first is the next enhancements to our creative management capabilities, the second is the continued modernization of Broadsign Guaranteed Campaigns’ workflows, and finally, the unification of static and digital workflows. 

Creative management in the platform

When examining what creative management capabilities we wanted to bring in-platform, we extensively studied the use of creative capabilities within our standalone products. This allowed us to map out the rollout of in-platform creative capabilities in three separate phases. The first phase was released last year, allowing you to schedule one or multiple creatives for all line items within a campaign. 

The next phase, which is currently in development and expected to be released in the first half of the year, will allow you to set multiple schedules for your creatives and be applied to all line items in a campaign. Finally, the last phase which is expected to be ready by the latter half of the year, provides you with full flexibility by setting multiple schedules for each line item in a campaign. Once these two phases have been completed, we’ll be shifting our focus to expand our supported content types from just accepting images and videos to also include HTML and web redirects.

Modernizing the line items workflow

The line item workflow within our Guaranteed Campaigns module is one of the most used workflows in our platform. This is where you typically plan, check availability, and book your line items for a campaign. In 2024, we created the Line Items list, which is easily accessible through the navigation bar. Since its launch, this feature has been well-loved by users, as ad operations teams can quickly sort and filter through the list, allowing easy identification of line items that need monitoring and troubleshooting.

This year, we’re working on further enhancing the line items workflow so that you can accommodate more campaigns, better tailor them to client needs, and work more efficiently. The new enhancements include a new view for when you’re creating new digital line items, making it easier to understand your inventory availability and how to optimally fill your network. We’re also adding a multitude of new targeting options, providing you with more flexibility in how you package your inventory to better meet advertiser’s needs. 

Unifying static and digital workflows in-platform

At our last customer summit, Broadsign Connect 2024, we presented some key findings from our State of Static OOH report, which found that 69.8% of media owners operate a hybrid network, meaning that they have both static and digital OOH inventory. Given this data, another enhancement to our campaign planning and management capabilities this year will be to unify static and digital OOH workflows in the Broadsign Platform. 

Doing so would allow you to book digital and static inventory in a single campaign, saving you time by eliminating the need to switch between modules in the platform. The unification of workflows would also allow for seamless planning as you’ll be able to book all inventory types in one place, as well as use map visualization and set impression goals for static campaigns. Finally, integrating the operations of both mediums would allow you to consolidate tracking and reporting, providing advertisers with a more holistic view of how OOH works to meet their objectives. 

Expanding our trading capabilities to connect media owners to more buyers

Another key focus for 2025 will be continuing to extend our trading capabilities to connect media owners to more demand. We’re doing so by enhancing our real-time programmatic transactions with features that reduce friction, and increase demand and yield.

New AI creative assistance and extended competitive separation for Broadsign’s Programmatic SSP

Regarding upcoming enhancements to support programmatic DOOH, the first big item will be the introduction of our Header Bidder Pro. Building on our existing header bidding capabilities, the Pro version will support the execution of price-based auctions as well as brand separation features across multiple supply-side platforms (SSPs). This upgrade in header bidding capabilities will optimize your demand channels, help you increase programmatic yield, and consolidate your programmatic scheduling. 

Another exciting update will be enhanced programmatic creative management workflows. This includes the unveiling of our new AI Assistant. This patent-pending tool is designed to reduce the time media owners spend on repetitive tasks, like reviewing, categorizing, and approving incoming ad creatives from programmatic bids sent through DSPs. 

Automating the categorization process improves accuracy, as the system will learn and refine its recommendations the more it’s used. Broadsign’s AI Assistant can also minimize common misclassification errors and quickly identify sensitive content that could hinder brand safety efforts. Finally, with programmatic demand expected to increase in the coming years, the AI Assistant will seamlessly scale to support your growing demand. 

Bridging the gap for reporting in OOH with our unified reporting module

In today’s advertising landscape, data drives revenue – access to real-time data helps keep you agile and ahead of the competition. Recognizing this need, another key focus will be to build a unified reporting module in-platform, providing you with a real-time view of how your network is performing at any given moment. 

In terms of specific capabilities, the new reporting module will consolidate key data across all products, allowing you to evaluate all aspects of your business. The module will have an overview dashboard that provides quick and real-time data at a glance, but also a secondary view where you’ll be able to drill down into specific data points. You’ll also be able to set a schedule for when reports should be sent to you by email, as well as extract data from the module to import it into your BI tools. 

This latest series of updates is another step forward in Broadsign’s mission to transform how brands, agencies and media owners buy, sell and deliver OOH campaigns. For media owners, the latest evolution of the Broadsign Platform will allow them to deliver more campaigns, more efficiently, and always with the same reliability. 

Product News | October 11, 2021

Putting people first: Why Broadsign was named one of Canada’s top employers

Recently, we announced that we have been recognized as one of Montreal’s Top Employers, and now, we’re thrilled to share that Broadsign has been named one of Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers, too! This award recognizes small and medium-sized businesses across the nation that foster positive workplace cultures through progressive and forward-thinking human resources policies.

Seeing as we’ve put a lot of work into building a workplace where everyone feels welcome, achieving this honour for a sixth consecutive year matters greatly to us. 

What makes Broadsign such a special place? When employees talk about what they love most about working here, the answer is almost always the same: the team makes all the difference. But it’s not just about the colleagues we collaborate with—a people-first attitude is embedded into our company DNA. Whether it’s reflected in the perks that support a healthy work-life balance or in the managers who champion growth and encourage everyone to bring their best to the table, it all comes down to one thing at Broadsign: the people.

Don’t just take our word for it—some of our Broadsigners have shared what they believe makes Broadsign one of the top employers in Canada. Check out what they have to say below. 

An emphasis on professional development and continued learning

Business Analyst Viraj Gandhi has been part of the Broadsign team for over six years. When he first joined, he was new to the world of finance, so he focused on projects and tasks that would help him gain a deeper understanding of how a finance team operates. Through this hands-on experience, he became familiar with customers and vendors, as well as key processes like accounts receivable and accounts payable.

Viraj quickly picked up the concepts and found himself increasingly drawn to the department’s work. Eager to grow, he approached his manager to express his interest in learning more and taking on greater responsibilities.

“In my day-to-day as a business analyst, the first thing is, of course, coffee,” he says, laughing. “But after that, it’s my job to shed a lot of light and provide as much information to various corners of the company as possible.”

So, what about Broadsign that makes it such a great workplace? For starters, it’s the company’s emphasis on well-being. The company’s leadership team understands that the best work happens when employees feel united and understood and operate under a shared mission. 

But it goes beyond cocktail hours and good vibes. When Viraj began to express interest in his professional development, he felt supported. His manager encouraged him to take the leap. 

“My manager gradually exposed me to more difficult reporting while always being available to answer and explain any questions I had along the way.” This little extra boost encouraged him to pursue a certification program (FMVA), propelling him to his new job title of Business Analyst.

“There’s a strong emphasis on professional development [at Broadsign] and to continue learning.”

Putting people first, every step of the way

Since joining the company in June 2022, Daniela Rousse, Human Resources Operations Specialist, has become part of a team committed to supporting its employees in ways that go beyond perks and payroll.

It’s not just the HR team—leadership across the company consistently prioritizes people in every decision. “Our team is passionate about our people,” Daniela says, describing Broadsign’s culture. “And our goal is ultimately to help them grow both professionally and personally.”

By actively listening and striving for continuous improvement, Daniela explains, the team works hard to ensure employees feel truly seen, heard, and supported.

Commitment to work-life balance

As a Technical Account Manager, David Muraca’s days are busy at Broadsign. On any given day, you can catch him guiding clients through technical walkthroughs and trainings, managing projects, and more. His role requires agility and an understanding of the products and clients.

Though the work is challenging, David says it isn’t just the work that keeps him motivated, he’s also driven by the corporate culture at Broadsign. 

“I do find that Broadsign is competitive in terms of its benefits,” he says. As a father of two, ensuring he has enough work-life balance is important. But, he says, Broadsign lets him manage his schedule and be there for his children if anything comes up—which sometimes happens with two little kids. 

Having the flexibility to balance his career and busy family life is part of what makes his life at Broadsign so rewarding. 

Where passion meets purpose

Sabrina Allard, Director of Product Marketing, joined the Broadsign team in 2019. Back then, the product marketing team was one person—her. Fast-forward a few years, and today, the team consists of four individuals managing the company’s entire product marketing efforts.

Throughout her time at Broadsign, Sabrina has been involved with countless projects that have involved cross-collaboration with many different departments.

“Everyone is so passionate and driven. There’s so much energy and heart behind everything we do here,” she says. Ultimately, dedication and commitment are two elements that make working at Broadsign meaningful.

Working together to make great things happen 

Broadsign is the kind of employer that empowers its team to speak up, take initiative, and grow professionally. This mindset is what drives us to keep raising the bar while staying true to our people-first values. We’ve always believed that great things happen when we prioritize our people, and earning this recognition is yet another reflection of that commitment.

If you’re looking for a workplace that empowers, supports, and uplifts you, check out our job openings here. 

Product News | October 11, 2021

Unlocking the potential of in-store retail media: What we can learn from digital OOH

Last month, the Broadsign team attended the Path to Purchase Institute’s second annual Retail Media Summit Canada, which brought together industry leaders, innovators, and experts to explore the evolving landscape of retail media. 

Retail media networks (RMNs) continue to evolve, with industry leaders emphasizing the importance of measurement, automation, omnichannel consistency, and monetization. As part of this year’s summit, Broadsign’s Global Head of Retail Media, Jonathan Franco, explored best practices and key lessons we can learn from digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising and apply them to the retail media landscape. 

Measurement and attribution: The backbone of retail media success

 One of the biggest lessons we can take from OOH is that measurement is everything – and brands won’t invest unless they can clearly see the impact of their campaigns. Yet, measurement remains a challenge for in-store media, particularly when connecting performance to overall campaign effectiveness. “There are now over 250 RMNs globally, and we need to find a way to connect the dots across the omnichannel journey,” notes Jonathan.

Consistent measurement is a non-negotiable for brands, and retailers can’t operate in isolation by measuring in-store, off-site, and on-site channels separately. When these touchpoints are connected, they provide advertisers with a complete picture of performance, making it easier to justify ad spend.

Retailers can also help brands reduce waste by enabling real-time decision-making based on triggers like audience insights or campaign performance—tools already available for in-store environments. Ultimately, retailers who prioritize transparency and standardized metrics will gain the trust of advertisers, leading to stronger, longer-term partnerships.

How retailers can improve measurement and attribution:

  • Standardize measurement across channels to ensure brands can confidently invest. Without consistent metrics, brands will struggle to justify ad spend.
  • Prioritize privacy-first attribution by using anonymized, aggregated data instead of personally identifiable information. This ensures compliance while delivering valuable insights.
  • Ask the tough questions, such as: Would my company invest in this offering if I were the one being pitched on it? Forward-thinking retailers are now focusing on true closed-loop attribution in-store to answer this critical question and meet brand advertiser demands.

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.

Strategic screen placement and content strategy

In retail media, success goes beyond simply placing screens in high-traffic areas—it’s about crafting meaningful touchpoints throughout the customer journey. “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.” When looking at digital screens in retail environments, retailers should focus on strategic intent rather than just hardware specifications. Location matters, but it should be about the intended purpose of the screen.

For retail media networks, that means thinking beyond ad placements and considering how in-store screens complement the full shopper journey. Retailers should leverage real-time data, like weather, promotions, and inventory, to ensure messaging is always relevant, just like many successful OOH campaigns do.

Jonathan also highlights the importance of tailoring implementations to each location’s unique environment, noting that every store has a different soul and retailers should adapt to individual stores rather than deploying identical setups everywhere.

Monetization: Striking a balance between advertising and shopper experience

For retailers looking to scale their RMNs, monetization is a key goal — but it can’t come at the expense of the brick-and-mortar shopping experience. Instead, it should complement and enhance how shoppers engage with products.

The most effective RMNs go beyond advertising, incorporating category-based content and educational opportunities that help shoppers make more informed purchasing decisions while still offering valuable ad inventory to brands. For example, digital screens can be used to educate shoppers on topics like skincare routines, influencing purchasing decisions across multiple products and increasing basket size. This approach not only provides value to consumers but also creates new opportunities for brands to connect with their audience in meaningful ways.

How retailers can maximize revenue while enhancing the shopper experience:

Retail media requires internal change management

Retail media isn’t just a new revenue stream—it requires a fundamental shift in how retailers approach operations. Success hinges on breaking down silos, rethinking business models, and fostering cross-team collaboration. While technology plays a critical role, true adoption depends on organizational alignment and a well-planned change management strategy. Many retailers mistakenly see retail media networks as just installing screens, but the real challenge is integrating them into broader business strategies for long-term scalability.

How retailers can successfully manage internal change:

  • Challenge legacy structures. Success in this space requires collaboration across sales, category management, operations, and technology—not just marketing. As media buyers shift to hybrid digital teams, retail media strategies must be cross-channel and cross-departmental.
  • Redefine success metrics. Move beyond impressions and clicks to track sales lift, brand engagement, and ROI.
  • Foster a test-and-learn culture. Implement iterative approaches that allow your team to experiment, gather real-world shopper data, and rapidly adjust strategies based on actual consumer behaviour rather than assumptions.

By aligning people, processes, and technology around a unified retail media strategy, retailers can transform what could be a disjointed set of digital screens into a cohesive, revenue-generating network.

Building sustainable in-store media networks: The power of strategic partnerships

How retailers build and operate their in-store media networks can make or break their success. The traditional “build vs. buy” dilemma has evolved into a more nuanced decision with long-term implications for flexibility, control, and revenue potential. 

“In OOH, we’ve learned that partnering with best-in-class, open-integration providers drives better long-term performance compared to locking into one-size-fits-all solutions. Why? Because the landscape is always evolving,” shares Jonathan. 

Retailers who build closed, rigid networks can struggle with scaling efficiently, as they can’t easily integrate new technologies that emerge. These same retailers also typically face data and measurement limitations that negatively impact both ad performance and attribution capabilities. Additionally, they miss valuable revenue opportunities since brands increasingly prefer to work with platforms offering greater transparency.

Instead, we need to advocate for a more flexible approach. “By embracing plug-and-play partnerships, retailers can stay agile, future-proof their networks, and maximize value for both brands and shoppers.” This partnership model allows retailers to maintain control while accessing best-in-class technology without the heavy lifting of building everything in-house.

How retailers can build scalable networks while maintaining control:

  • Leverage third-party partnerships. Partnerships provide agility, scalability, and access to best-in-class technology—crucial for long-term RMN success. Instead of building in-house, an open-integration approach gives retailers flexibility without the overhead.
  • Prioritize interoperability. Select partners and platforms that offer robust APIs and established integration pathways with other retail media technologies to ensure your network can evolve with changing needs.
  • Start small and scale strategically. Begin with focused pilot programs that deliver quick wins before expanding. This approach allows you to test partnership dynamics, refine processes, and demonstrate value before committing significant resources.

Technology tip: Just as programmatic has revolutionized digital media, dynamic content scheduling and automated inventory management are key to scaling in-store media efficiently. Make sure to choose intelligent in-store retail media software that includes these capabilities.

The future of in-store retail media

Looking ahead, the retail media landscape will continue evolving, requiring retailers to adapt quickly to stay competitive. A major shift in the industry is the unification of RMNs, as smaller retailers will need to join forces to remain viable.

With over 250 retail media networks globally, brands can’t stretch their budgets across all platforms, making consolidation inevitable as retailers compete for advertisers’ limited dollars. Despite foot traffic at top Canadian retailers surpassing pre-pandemic levels, many still aren’t fully leveraging in-store engagement opportunities.

Strategic recommendations to stay ahead:

  • Consider unification strategies. Smaller retailers should explore partnerships with complementary, non-competing brands to create unified retail media offerings with broader reach and stronger audience data.
  • Focus on monetizing in-store traffic. Retailers with physical locations have a unique advantage in the omnichannel landscape but must act quickly to develop and monetize their in-store retail media assets.
  • Prioritize flexibility and automation. As the retail media landscape evolves, the ability to quickly adapt to new technologies, measurement standards, and advertiser demands will separate leaders from followers. Automation is key to scaling efficiently.

“The most successful networks will be those that embrace internal change, challenge the status quo, and continuously optimize,” concludes Jonathan. The future belongs to retailers who can balance innovation with execution, creating retail media experiences that benefit brands, shoppers, and retailers alike.

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

Looking to elevate your in-store retail media network?

At Broadsign, we help retailers and brands seamlessly integrate in-store digital signage, automate content management, and optimize retail media monetization.

Whether you’re looking to build your in-store retail media network or scale an existing one, we can help. Contact us today to learn more about how Broadsign can power your in-store retail media strategy.