Product News | October 11, 2021

How Broadsign In-Advance streamlines OOH transactions for media buyers

While buying ad space in digital channels has become relatively pain-free, like being able to book a campaign within minutes or make changes to your campaign parameters within a couple hours, out-of-home (OOH) has only started to reach that level of agility through its programmatic channels. Securing directly sold OOH inventory, also known as guaranteed OOH inventory, typically involves a long trail of phone calls, email threads, and back-and-forth negotiations that could last days. For media buyers juggling tight timelines and dynamic campaign requirements, this friction could be a deal-breaker.

You’ve probably experienced this first-hand, but did you know industry data shows that agencies spend over 60% of their time managing manual OOH workflows? Because of this, OOH budgets are sometimes reallocated to channels seen as more flexible due to rapid deployment and revisions. However, given OOH’s unique strength, like its ability to deliver high engagement and broad reach, excluding it from your media plans isn’t a sustainable long-term approach.

While programmatic digital OOH (pDOOH) offers some relief to this pain point, it doesn’t support the full spectrum of buy types, like directly sold or static placements, that many advertisers rely on for reach and impact. This is where automating the OOH planning and buying process, beyond just programmatic, comes into play.

Automating beyond programmatic digital out-of-home

While pDOOH has played a key role in modernizing OOH by introducing more automated and data-driven workflows, it still represents only a small fraction of all OOH inventory. In fact, most OOH inventory remains outside of the programmatic ecosystem. Static OOH still accounts for over 70% of OOH inventory, while pDOOH makes up less than 10% of global DOOH placements. This highlights a significant opportunity to bring the same level of automation, intelligence, and efficiency that programmatic offers to the entire OOH planning and buying process, regardless of format or transaction type.

Moreover, access to premium inventory that is typically reserved for directly sold or static placements is still dependent on manual-heavy transactions. While some advertisers may choose to limit their buys to programmatic channels for ease and automation, they do so at the cost of certainty and control.

In an open exchange programmatic transaction, inventory is auction-based, meaning that impressions or placement bookings are not guaranteed. You’re competing with other buyers in real time, with access determined by bidding strategy and inventory availability at the moment of purchase.

While programmatic guaranteed allows buyers to negotiate upfront for a fixed number of impressions or placements, delivery is still done in real time, giving you no control over when or where your ad will run. What buyers now need is a transaction capability that not only allows them to secure placements without needing to bid, but also book and schedule them in advance in an automated fashion.

To unlock the full potential of OOH, the industry needs a more unified and automated approach, one that bridges the gap between traditional and programmatic buying. By streamlining planning, buying, and execution across all inventory types – digital and static, programmatic and direct – buyers gain the flexibility to build truly integrated, high-impact campaigns with greater transparency, efficiency, and strategic control.

How Broadsign In-Advance makes buying guaranteed inventory easier for media buyers

As part of Broadsign’s longstanding mission to transform how brands, agencies, and media owners buy, sell and deliver OOH campaigns, we’re introducing Broadsign In-Advance. This new capability gives media buyers a new way of buying DOOH inventory. In addition to real-time programmatic buying, media buyers will now be able to buy DOOH inventory that was previously only available through direct sales, and reserve it months in advance of campaign delivery – bringing greater control and predictability to your OOH planning and execution.

The technology behind Broadsign In-Advance is built on top of the automated trading tools that programmatic buyers know and love, removing the previously complex learning curve for those new to the medium. For buyers already familiar with direct DOOH buys, this streamlines the historically lengthy buying cycles, giving them back the time that was previously used to discover, curate, and reserve DOOH placements manually.

Beyond the ease of transaction, Broadsign In-Advance enables your programmatic and direct buying teams to collaborate more effectively through one platform. The increased alignment simplifies campaign planning and budget allocation, ensuring a cohesive strategy and offering your teams a consolidated view of performance across all selected OOH channels.

Finally, Broadsign In-Advance brings data-driven targeting capabilities that were traditionally available only through programmatic buying platforms to traditional DOOH buyers. Media teams can now make more informed decisions that will maximize the performance of their campaigns and deliver measurable results. While the capability currently only supports DOOH campaigns, there are plans to support static campaigns in the near future.

As part of the early release, the new transaction capability is first available to media buyers through Broadsign’s DSP OutMoove with plans to expand its availability to more DSPs. To learn more about Broadsign In-Advance and how to access the new capability, talk to a Broadsign media specialist.

Benefits of Broadsign In-Advance for direct OOH buys for media buyers

Access to previously unavailable OOH inventory

Through the OutMoove DSP, media buyers can now access a significantly broader and more diverse pool of DOOH inventory. With Broadsign In-Advance, high-value placements that were once exclusively available through direct deals, and out of reach for real-time bidding, are now accessible in a more streamlined, automated way.

For instance, imagine planning a DOOH campaign around a major cultural or sporting event, where premium screens are usually in high demand. With pDOOH, there’s no guarantee that you’ll secure the placements needed. With Broadsign In-Advance, you can reserve key inventory months in advance, securing the premium placement and ensuring your campaign maximizes reach and impact. This level of control is invaluable for campaigns that require strategic coordination, market exclusivity, or align with larger brand moments.

Maximize campaign performance with data-driven targeting

Broadsign In-Advance elevates the performance of your OOH campaigns by allowing you to leverage the targeting capabilities and audience insights typically available through your preferred DSP for guaranteed DOOH campaigns. These new capabilities ensure that your campaigns reach the right consumer, in the right place, at exactly the right time – every time.

By combining automation, data-driven targeting, and guaranteed delivery, Broadsign In-Advance transforms OOH into a channel that delivers not just reach and visibility, but measurable performance. You gain greater control over your media strategy, and ensure every campaign is optimized for impact from day one—maximizing ROI across all your OOH touchpoints.

Broadsign In-Advance also resolves one of the biggest limitations of traditional direct buying methods in OOH which is the lack of visibility into real-time campaign performance. Rather than waiting days or weeks until after the campaign is done for a report, you can now access real-time metrics that show how your campaign is pacing and delivering.

The future of out-of-home advertising hinges on automation, flexibility, and data-driven precision, qualities that until now have been largely reserved for digital channels. With Broadsign In-Advance, the OOH industry takes a significant leap forward, bridging the gap between direct and programmatic buying. It empowers media buyers with a smarter, faster, and more transparent way to plan, secure, and execute high-impact campaigns across premium DOOH inventory. No more tedious back-and-forth, no more uncertainty about availability – just streamlined access to the placements that matter most, when they matter most.

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

Talk to a Broadsign Media Specialist today.

Product News | October 11, 2021

Cinema advertising is back. Here’s why it’s more valuable than ever

Moviegoers seated in a cinema watching a film on a large theatre screen.

If you’ve been following the box office lately, you’ve probably noticed that movie theatres are packed again. Cinema is on track for its strongest year since before the pandemic, fueled by a steady stream of blockbuster releases and renewed demand for premium movie-going experiences.

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is the latest example, generating more than $264 million globally during its opening weekend. More than half of its domestic box office revenue came from premium large format theatres, while IMAX alone generated over $51 million worldwide. And The Odyssey is just one of many films driving cinema’s resurgence. This year’s strong lineup of releases, including The Mandalorian and Grogu, Toy Story 5, Project Hail Mary, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, is bringing audiences back to theatres and keeping the momentum going.

The numbers reinforce the trend. Cinema attendance has reached 154 million tickets sold across the U.S. and Canada this year, up nearly 16% over 2025. Domestic box office revenue is also running 23% ahead of last year and is on pace to surpass $10 billion for the first time since 2019.

For advertisers, the resurgence represents more than a box office success story. It signals the return of a premium, high-attention environment where brands can reach large, engaged audiences at scale—and, thanks to programmatic buying, more easily integrate cinema into modern omnichannel campaigns.

Today’s cinema experience extends beyond the big screen

Many cinemas now offer luxury seating, expanded dining options, full-service bars, and upgraded lobby spaces, encouraging visitors to arrive early and stay longer. Reserved seating has also shifted more of the experience outside the auditorium, giving audiences additional time to browse concessions, socialize, and engage with digital screens before the movie begins.

For advertisers, that means more opportunities to connect with moviegoers beyond the big screen. According to the Fortune Business Insights Movie Theater Market Report, multiplexes account for 72.94% of the global cinema market. Because these large-format theatres are typically located in regional shopping malls and lifestyle centres, brands can extend their campaigns beyond the auditorium and engage consumers throughout high-traffic retail environments.

Cinema advertising opportunities

From arrival to concessions to the auditorium, advertisers can engage audiences through multiple formats that work together across the cinema journey.

Lobby and digital displays reach moviegoers as they arrive and move throughout the theatre. Digital posters, 6-sheets, video walls, and foyer screens capture attention while audiences wait, browse concessions, and socialize before the film.

On-screen pre-show advertising remains the flagship format. Played on the main screen before the feature begins, these ads deliver full-screen, distraction-free attention with no skipping or muting. Many cinema networks now make this premium inventory available through programmatic DOOH platforms.

Experiential activations take engagement even further through branded installations, concession takeovers, standees, product sampling, and other interactive experiences that connect brands with audiences in memorable ways.

Megaplex Entertainment movie theatre screen in Utah, USA

Premium audiences with undivided attention

In an era of endless scrolling and shrinking attention spans, cinema offers something increasingly rare: an audience that’s fully engaged. Moviegoers aren’t skipping ads, checking notifications, or flipping between channels—they’ve chosen to be there. Combined with large-format screens, immersive audio, and a distraction-free environment, that level of attention helps brands create stronger ad recall and deeper emotional connections than many traditional TV or mobile formats.

Beyond attention, moviegoers also represent a highly valuable audience. They tend to skew younger, more affluent, and more likely to spend on entertainment and experiences. Gen Z continues to lead attendance, with 87% having attended a movie in the past year and 41% going six or more times. For advertisers looking to reach younger consumers beyond increasingly crowded digital channels, cinema offers a rare combination of premium audiences and premium attention.

Cinema belongs in the modern media mix

Cinema’s resurgence is happening alongside a broader shift in the OOH industry. Advertisers are investing more heavily in digital, screen-based environments that deliver the flexibility, measurability, and automation expected from today’s media channels. According to the OAAA’s Q1 report, digital OOH now accounts for 36% of all OOH revenue, while digital place-based media grew 17% year over year—making premium environments like cinemas an increasingly important part of the media mix.

As more theatre inventory becomes available through pDOOH, cinema is no longer a standalone buy. Advertisers can activate campaigns alongside roadside DOOH, retail media, transit, display, CTV, and mobile using the same buying workflows, with unified reporting, attribution, and cross-channel measurement.

That opens up new possibilities for campaign planning. Rather than relying solely on a pre-show ad, advertisers can connect with audiences throughout the theatre experience—from digital screens in parking areas and lobbies to concession spaces and the auditorium—creating a more cohesive brand experience across multiple touchpoints.

Through Broadsign’s Place Exchange SSP, advertisers can access the largest movie theatre network in the U.S., reaching more than 65,900 screens and 1.6 billion four-week impressions. Whether extending an existing DOOH campaign or building a broader omnichannel strategy, cinema is now easier to access, easier to measure, and better connected to the rest of the media plan than ever before.

Ready to plan your next campaign? Access the largest programmatic DOOH network today.

Product News | October 11, 2021

Dynamic creative optimization (DCO) in DOOH: What marketers need to know before launching their first campaign

A busy New York City sidewalk with pedestrians walking past a LinkNYC digital kiosk displaying a Corona beer advertisement. The kiosk stands prominently in the foreground against a backdrop of bright city lights, storefronts, and traffic, illustrating digital out-of-home advertising in a high-footfall urban environment.

Dynamic creative optimization (DCO) is changing what’s possible with digital out-of-home (DOOH), giving advertisers the ability to automatically adapt creative elements — including copy, imagery, and featured products or offers — based on real-world context.

As brands look for new ways to engage audiences with contextually relevant messaging, advertisers are increasingly turning to programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) and dynamic creative to bypass digital ad fatigue and reach target audiences in the physical world. However, while they’re often discussed together, DCO in DOOH introduces its own set of considerations: Which DOOH campaigns are best suited for dynamic creative? How does DCO change the way you approach campaign planning and creative production? And what do you need to launch a dynamic campaign successfully?

Whether you’re experimenting with dynamic DOOH for the first time or exploring how DOOH fits into your broader omnichannel strategy, here’s what to consider before getting started.

When should you use dynamic creative optimization (DCO) in a DOOH campaign?

Use dynamic creative optimization in DOOH when real-time context — like location, weather, time of day, traffic conditions, or product availability — can influence which creative message will be most effective for your campaign goal.

Instead of telling the same story everywhere, all the time, DCO can dynamically tailor your messaging—an approach that has been shown to increase overall campaign effectiveness by 17% and drive returns up to 2.5x higher.

For example:

A QSR brand could promote iced drinks when temperatures rise, then automatically switch to warm beverages when colder weather hits.
A retailer could feature products based on what’s currently in stock at nearby locations.
A car brand could showcase different financing offers or messaging based on current interest rates.
A sports brand could update creative with live scores, game results, or messages celebrating key moments in real time.
A travel brand could adjust featured destinations based on current deals, availability, or local weather.

While contextual and audience targeting decide which ad to serve and where, DCO changes the ad itself in real time—delivering more relevant creative without building and trafficking hundreds of manual variations.

What creative considerations go into planning a dynamic DOOH campaign?

Planning a dynamic DOOH campaign involves identifying the creative elements that will adapt, defining the triggers and logic that determine when they change, and designing a modular HTML5 template that brings those elements together to create variations based on real-world context.

This changes the way buy-side teams approach DOOH creative planning and production. With DCO, instead of producing separate creative assets for every possible scenario, you design a flexible creative system that adapts messaging based on changing conditions and delivers more relevant variations at scale.

Which creative elements should change?

In DOOH, the best candidates for dynamic creative are the elements whose relevance changes in response to real-world conditions. Depending on your campaign objectives, dynamic elements might include:

Text (headlines, messaging, calls to action, etc.)
Imagery or video
Featured products, services, or offers
Location-specific information
Live updates (scores, countdowns, availability, wait times, etc.)

Not every creative element needs to be dynamic. Starting with a focused set of dynamic elements keeps your setup simple, while adding more variables creates more possible creative combinations to account for.

READ ALSO: Great dynamic DOOH starts with great creative. Explore our best practices for high-impact OOH creative.

What real-time data triggers should drive creative changes?

The best real-time data triggers for dynamic DOOH campaigns are those that meaningfully influence when a different message is likely to resonate more strongly with the viewer — and, in turn, be more effective in achieving your campaign objective.

For example, food delivery service foodora used multiple dynamic triggers, including weather, time of day, and proximity to restaurants, to tailor its DOOH creative to what was most relevant to consumers in each moment.

What does building a modular HTML5 template involve?

Dynamic DOOH relies on a modular template, typically in HTML5, composed of interchangeable components that can be assembled into different variations based on predefined triggers and rules.

Instead of producing dozens or even hundreds of separate finished ads, the template serves as a master creative asset, combining your chosen dynamic elements and predefined logic to generate multiple creative variations without requiring separate files for every possible scenario. This allows scaling creative variation without increasing production at the same rate.

The more creative variations your campaign requires, the greater the value of a modular production approach.

READ ALSO: Preparing creative for your campaign? Check out our DOOH creative specifications guide for media buyers and planners.

What else should you confirm before committing to a dynamic DOOH campaign?

Creative planning is only one part of a successful dynamic DOOH campaign. Before investing in dynamic creative production, it’s equally important to think through both the capabilities required from your media partners and technology and how you’ll measure the performance of different creative variations.

Do your media partners and technology support dynamic DOOH creative?

Not every media partner and technology solution supports the same dynamic DOOH capabilities.

Do media partners and technology solutions support the data sources, triggers, creative formats, and activation approach your dynamic DOOH campaign requires?
What creative approval workflows are available?
Are there any technical or implementation limitations that could affect your campaign design?
Does your SSP platform support dynamic creative campaign reporting, including detailed data on creative variations, impressions, spend, and more?

Support for DCO in digital OOH can also vary depending on how a campaign is bought: some setups only enable dynamic creative through programmatic activation, while others can also support it on direct-bought inventory. Understanding these capabilities early can help you identify potential limitations before launch and choose partners and technology that align with your campaign goals.

Can your measurement setup prove which creative variations worked?

One of DCO’s biggest advantages is the ability to test the effectiveness of different creative variations under different conditions — meaning success should be measured at the variation level, not just overall campaign performance.

Do certain messages perform better in specific contexts?
Do some creative variations drive stronger outcomes than others?
Which triggers produce the greatest lift?

The DOOH metrics you prioritize should reflect your campaign goals, and they should also influence the partners and technology you choose. Confirm that your planned setup can provide the reporting and insights needed to answer those questions once your campaign is live.

Does running dynamic creative cost more than a standard DOOH campaign?

Not necessarily. While more advanced dynamic campaigns can involve additional production considerations — including template development, data integrations, or support from a dynamic creative technology partner — DCO can also reduce the need to manually create and manage large numbers of individual creative variations.

The key is using dynamic creative when the added relevance and flexibility support your campaign goals — not adding complexity where a single strong message already does the job.

Ready to explore more? Browse our inventory catalog to discover premium digital screens worldwide.

Product News | October 11, 2021

Broadsign x ALOOH 2026: Insights from Leading LATAM OOH Media Owners

ALOOH 2026 x Broadsign Webinar insights from leading LATAM media owners

Ahead of the 2026 ALOOH annual forum happening in Lima in September, Broadsign held a webinar in partnership with ALOOH Latam, inviting out-of-home (OOH) media owners of the region to learn how they can turn their static and digital OOH assets into a unified revenue engine. Broadsign’s Sales Director, Jose Delgado, and Head of Sales for Latin America, Manuel Ameneiros, provided a comprehensive overview of the Broadsign Platform and how it can help media owners grow their network and scale their revenue across static, digital and programmatic OOH.

The session was followed by a customer panel, moderated by Jacobo Gomez, Sr. Account Manager at Broadsign, with guest speakers Paulo Cesar Queiroz, Chief Executive Officer at RZK Digital, and Andrea Mereghetti, Chief Technology Officer at Proxymo. They answered questions about how they grew their revenue across direct and programmatic OOH channels, simplified network and inventory management, and seamlessly scaled their network with Broadsign. Read the summary of the customer panel below.

How RZK Digital is driving digital innovation in Brazil’s OOH landscape with Broadsign

Founded in 2021, RZK Digital has achieved a 54% annual growth rate by focusing exclusively on urban bus terminals in Brazil. With the Broadsign Platform, the company efficiently manages 850 synchronized digital screens across 54 terminals, reaching nearly 3.2 million people daily. This streamlined operational model enables a team of just two people to maintain high-impact advertising campaigns across their entire network.

What strategic value does your network hold for your advertisers? What would be your elevator pitch to advertisers?

In Brazil, the OOH market has long been dominated by established giants with massive networks. In a highly regulated city like São Paulo, outdoor advertising in public spaces is subject to strict regulations. Access to advertising spaces at transportation terminals is granted through public concessions, which are long-term contracts. We focused our growth on bus terminals, which was the first time such a large-scale initiative had been undertaken here in Brazil.

However, we quickly realized that the true value wasn’t in the screens themselves, but in the audience. Our challenge was to shift the market mindset from ‘buying screens’ to ‘buying audiences.’ To achieve this, Broadsign’s partnership with Quividi was essential, as the use of Broadsign’s proof-of-play and Quividi’s computer-vision cameras’ real-time measurement capabilities enabled us to offer advertisers real-time outdoor advertising audiences across countless bus terminals. Audience data is also audited by a national agency, the IVC (Instituto Verificador de Comunicación), which is directly connected to RZK Digital’s systems, enabling it to monitor the collected data in real time.

The first-party data we’ve structured became our key differentiator. By offering free public Wi-Fi at our terminals, we have built a massive data taxonomy. When people connect to the Wi-Fi, they answer three or four questions that help us determine how often they return to bus terminals, allowing us to build a comprehensive understanding of their habits. By automating the collection of this information, we were able to gather data from 1.5 million respondents.

This data advantage, paired with Broadsign’s technology, gives our clients unmatched operational agility. They don’t face restricted launch dates; they can pivot instantly, run dynamic creative tests, or adapt campaigns based on real-time factors like weather. We’ve effectively brought best practices from technologically advanced markets like London, Singapore, and Hong Kong to Brazil, making data-driven advertising our core differentiator.

Could you tell us about the complex Casas Bahía use case and how Broadsign helped facilitate the deployment?

Casa Bahía is a major brick-and-mortar retailer with stores across Brazil. To build greater loyalty with them, we pushed the boundaries of our network capabilities, and the Broadsign Platform proved to be the ideal partner to help us do so. On the day of a new Casa Bahía store’s opening, we broadcast the live event in which company executives presented details about the new store via the terminals in our network. Following this success, another large retailer, Magalu, requested a similar live commerce activation via YouTube, which we executed with equal ease. These innovations and the simplicity with which Broadsign enables them have become powerful tools for captivating new and existing clients.

How Proxymo is scaling and monetizing digital OOH with Broadsign

Founded in 2008, Proxymo is one of the largest digital media companies in Mexico, with over 1,200 digital screens nationwide, distinguishing itself through a unique blend of media reach and technological innovation. With the Broadsign Platform, they deliver cutting-edge solutions and engaging experiences for their diverse audience.

What are your biggest technical challenges in integrating and, above all, monetizing a network as large and diverse as Proxymo?

The biggest challenge is having the right tool to integrate the different formats. We are constantly expanding our digital presence, from our well-established kiosks in shopping malls to our new Smart City kiosks with 4K resolution and LCD screens on public streets. To scale efficiently, we focused on finding a solution, such as Broadsign, that made managing varying graphic resolutions seamless and eliminated the friction of manual creative adaptation. Another key factor was access to a supply-side platform (SSP) that offers a holistic view of our inventory and the flexibility to integrate either third-party metrics or our own data.

How does Broadsign help Proxymo optimize operations and ensure transparency in the delivery of its campaigns to its clients?

The primary advantage is the platform’s exceptional flexibility and stability. With a CMS that integrates seamlessly across Linux, Windows, and IoT environments, we can scale confidently without worrying about system failures. Additionally, Broadsign’s Proof-of-Performance (PoP) data, which we cross-reference with our internal audience measurement, allows us to deliver highly reliable reports. On top of that, there are incredible API integrations. I believe Broadsign is one of the few platforms that offer all these capabilities in addition to an incredible Support team that is very attentive to its customers.

Proxymo has a clear vision of how programmatic advertising is a sales channel that complements direct sales. What advice would you give other media owners in the region looking to balance their strategy across both revenue streams?

The primary challenge for many media owners is internal education. Sales teams must understand that not only are the budgets for programmatic and direct sales different, but so is the approach to selling them. Direct sales requires a high-touch, consultative approach to deliver maximum value, while programmatic enables you to capture omnichannel budgets, such as those originating from TV and radio. Educating your sales team on how to leverage both channels strategically ensures that you don’t miss out on these revenue opportunities. Another aspect is investing in a robust SSP that simplifies technical connections and provides access to a large demand ecosystem.

Discover the platform that powers out-of-home here.

Product News | October 11, 2021

Insights from CSP’s At Your Convenience Podcast: Building a retail media network that actually performs

Retail media networks are expanding rapidly, with retailers investing in in-store digital infrastructure to create new revenue opportunities and influence shopper decisions closer to the point of purchase. However, deploying screens is only the first step. As the industry matures, retailers face a larger challenge: building networks designed for monetization, measurement, and long-term scalability.

In the latest episode of CSP’s “At Your Convenience” podcast, Drew Walls, Sales Director of Retail Media at Broadsign, joins CSP Vice President of Content Strategy Abby Lewis to discuss what it takes to move beyond infrastructure and build retail media networks that deliver measurable value for retailers, advertisers, and shoppers.

From monetization strategy and ecosystem flexibility to the importance of in-store relevance, Drew shares the operational realities behind building retail media networks that can scale successfully.

Let’s dive in.

Moving beyond screens: Selling the shopper moment

One of the biggest opportunities for in-store retail media is changing how inventory is valued and packaged. Many networks continue to treat screens as standardized placements, applying consistent pricing regardless of shopper context.

However, in-store environments are dynamic. Drew highlighted that the industry needs to move beyond pricing the screen itself and focus on understanding the value of the shopper moment behind it.

“We are still pricing the screen and not necessarily the moment. My 7 a.m. coffee run looks very different from a cold vault visit after I get off work at 5:30. Those media units are very different because my mission is different.”- Drew Walls, Sales Director of Retail Media at Broadsign

These moments reflect different shopper behaviours, purchase intent, and advertiser opportunities. To capture their value, retailers need the right technology foundation to package and activate inventory based on real-time signals such as location, time of day, and shopper context. By turning these moments into measurable media opportunities, retailers can move beyond generic screen placements and deliver more relevant value to advertisers.

Building the right foundation: Control, flexibility, and monetization

As retailers build their media networks, one of the biggest strategic decisions is determining what they should own versus where they should leverage specialized partners.

The conversation is often framed as a choice between closed ecosystems and fully open models. However, Drew explained that the right approach depends on the retailer’s goals, maturity, and ability to scale over time. Fully closed systems can limit flexibility by tying retailers to a single vendor roadmap, while fully in-house approaches require significant resources, expertise, and operational investment. A hybrid approach allows retailers to maintain control over critical assets while leveraging specialized partners across areas such as technology, infrastructure, and demand access.

For retailers looking to build a true media business, the technology foundation matters. Hardware and content management systems may enable screen deployment, but they are not designed to manage the complexities of monetizing media inventory. An ad server provides the capabilities needed to manage campaign delivery, pacing, advertiser commitments, and multiple demand sources, helping retailers turn available inventory into measurable revenue opportunities.

When evaluating partners, Drew noted that retailers should consider whether their technology ecosystem can grow alongside the business. “The real question for a retailer is: will my partner grow with me, or am I eventually going to outgrow my partner?”

A regional retailer launching its first network will have different needs than a national retailer managing thousands of locations. The right architecture should provide flexibility as the business evolves without creating unnecessary constraints.

Defining control: What retailers must own

As retail media networks scale, maintaining control over critical components becomes essential to long-term success.

Three areas, in particular, should remain firmly within the retailer’s control:

Audience data forms the foundation of targeting, personalization, and performance insights. Retaining ownership ensures that retailers can fully leverage their unique customer relationships.
Direct advertiser relationships are central to revenue growth and margin expansion. These relationships enable retailers to build demand strategically and sustain long-term investment from brand partners.
Measurement methodology plays a decisive role in establishing credibility. Whether through closed-loop attribution, lift studies, or control-store testing, the ability to define and validate performance metrics is critical. Retailers must ensure that measurement frameworks are transparent, trusted, and not solely controlled by platform vendors.

Other components, including hardware, content management systems, and ad tech infrastructure, can be effectively managed through external partners, provided they are integrated in a way that preserves flexibility and interoperability.

Designing for monetization from the start

One of the biggest misconceptions in retail media is that monetization can be addressed after a network is deployed. In reality, the foundations for revenue generation are established much earlier.

Many retailers begin with infrastructure because screens are the most visible first step. However, building a successful retail media business requires investment beyond hardware, including sales capabilities, advertiser relationships, measurement frameworks, and operating models.

Drew highlighted that monetization should be considered before deployment, not added later as a layer on top of an existing network. Retailers that design their networks around demand generation and measurable outcomes from the beginning will be better positioned to build sustainable revenue streams.

Unlocking demand through relevance and access

Inventory alone does not create a successful retail media network. Retailers must also build accessible pathways for advertisers and ensure their inventory is valuable, measurable, and easy to buy.

Direct sales remain an important foundation, allowing retailers to build relationships with endemic advertisers and demonstrate value. At the same time, programmatic access should be considered early to support future scalability. Drew encouraged retailers to build direct relationships today while ensuring their networks are positioned for future demand opportunities.

Beyond demand access, retailers must also consider how they create relevance inside the store. Unlike onsite or offsite media, in-store media reaches shoppers at a unique point in the journey: when decisions are actively being made.

The unique value of in-store relevance

In-store media offers a different type of value than onsite or offsite channels because it operates at the intersection of shopper mission, physical context, and purchase intent.

Drew explained that in-store relevance is not simply about better measurement. It is about reaching shoppers closer to the decision point. “Someone is three feet from a shelf, not three clicks and a day away from making that decision.” This proximity creates a powerful opportunity for retailers and advertisers, but unlocking that value requires stronger measurement, more thoughtful inventory packaging, and a better understanding of shopper behaviour.

What does this mean for retailers?

Building a retail media network that performs requires more than deploying infrastructure. It demands a deliberate approach to monetization, control, and relevance, supported by an architecture that can evolve over time.

As the industry continues to mature, the distinction between networks that scale and those that plateau will become increasingly clear. The most successful retailers will be those that design for performance from the outset, align their operating models with demand, and fully leverage the unique advantages of the in-store environment.

Screens create the opportunity. Strategy, data, and technology turn that opportunity into revenue. Retailers building in-store media networks need more than digital displays. They need the right tech foundation to manage inventory, unlock demand, and deliver measurable value for advertisers.

Ready to move beyond screens? Connect with our team to see how Broadsign helps retailers transform in-store media into scalable revenue-generating networks.