Large businesses and corporations have long employed Out of Home (OOH) and Digital Out of Home (DOOH) advertising to promote their products, services, and brands and expand into new markets.
However, in recent years, new technology for accessing premium Digital OOH media at affordable rates has democratized OOH advertising for businesses of all shapes and sizes, meaning that today, SMBs are just as able to reap all the fantastic benefits of outdoor advertising as large corporations.
The name given to this new technology is Programmatic Digital Out of Home (pDOOH), which enables the programmatic buying, selling, and delivery of DOOH ads on digital billboards and other digital signage in the real world. This all takes place via Demand Side Platforms (DSPs), which advertisers use to find the perfect screens on which to display their messages, and Supply Side Platforms (SSPs), which media owners use to sell DOOH ad space to buyers.
(Image source: iab.com)
Read more: Supply Side Vs Demand Side Platforms: What’s the Difference?
What Is Programmatic DOOH Advertising Exactly?
In essence, programmatic DOOH is the automated purchase and delivery of Digital OOH advertising.
Purchases are based on various factors predetermined by the buyer, such as audience demographics, time of day, day of week, number of impressions, and even things like live weather conditions, temperature, traffic data, and sports results – all of which can be set to automatically trigger the purchase of a DOOH slot.
Automation has many benefits for the buyer.
For starters, it eliminates the costly and time-consuming process of negotiating with agencies and middlemen over the cost and placement of advertising creative. As such, advertisers can launch DOOH advertising campaigns efficiently and affordably, with little barrier to entry.
In addition, pDOOH triggers mean that Digital OOH ad space is only bought and paid for when ideal conditions are met for maximum exposure to the right people in the right time and place, maximizing reach and ROI for SMBs.
What’s more, programmatic DOOH advertising performance is easy to track and measure using powerful and modern platforms like The Neuron. This gives advertisers hugely valuable insights into which ads work best and where, so DOOH campaigns can be adjusted in real-time to improve advertising outcomes.
With so many benefits, it’s no wonder programmatic DOOH is a fast-growing medium.
According to the Programmatic DOOH 2022 State of the Nation report, nearly 60% of marketing campaigns are expected to include pDOOH over the next 18 months.
Proportion of campaigns executives that have planned, bought or placed programmatic DOOH in the last / next 18 months
(Image source: viooh.com)
In addition, the report finds that three-quarters (75%) of advertisers are planning to increase their investment in programmatic DOOH over the next 18 months by up to 100% – with nearly 1 in 5 (19%) believe their investment will more than double (101-200%).
How advertisers think their investment in OOH will change in the next 18 months
(Image source: viooh.com)
Best Practices for Success with Programmatic Digital Out of Home Advertising
The benefits of pDOOH advertising are clear – but how do advertisers make the most out of the medium?
Below, we offer three best practices for success with programmatic DOOH.
Use pDOOH Triggers to Boost Contextual Relevancy
As touched on above, one of the best things about programmatic DOOH is that there is a huge variety of data points that can be linked to the pDOOH platform to trigger ad purchases and displays.
What this means is that DOOH content can be dynamic and responsive, creating a truly unique experience for viewers. It also allows advertisers to create contextually relevant campaigns that boost results.
Read more: Contextual Advertising: What Is It and Is It Right for You?
One of the easiest data triggers to use is the weather trigger. Creating dynamic content that takes weather conditions into account can really make an advertisement stand out from the crowd.
For example, café owners can have creatives that advertise hot drinks when the temperature is below 18 degrees. The advertisement could then automatically switch to one for cold drinks or ice cream when the temperature rises above 20 degrees. This is a fantastic innovation, as it means businesses are only advertising products that customers want at any given time.
Combine DOOH with Mobile Channels for Maximum Engagement
Today, practically everyone has a smartphone in their pocket. What’s more, practically everyone recognizes QR codes, what they are, and how they’re used.
This means advertisers can make smart use of this ubiquitous knowledge and technology by embedding QR codes into their Digital OOH campaigns.
According to Statista, 83.4 million smartphone users in the US scanned a QR code this year, a figure which is expected to grow to nearly 100 million by 2025.
(Image source: statista.com)
The most common use of QR codes is to have users scan the code with their smartphone camera and be directed to a dedicated landing page, app, or promotional coupon or offer – as in the example below.
(Image source: arabadonline.com)
The great thing about combining QR codes with DOOH ads is that advertisers can drive conversions instantly. No matter if you’re trying to increase traffic to your website, physical store or restaurant, social media channels, or promote special offers, QR codes in DOOH ads make it happen.
Read more: 3 Benefits of Incorporating QR Codes into Your DOOH Advertising
Choose the Right Programmatic DOOH Advertising Platform for Your Business
The final best practice – and the most important one of them all – is to ensure that you choose the right pDOOH platform for your brand and advertising campaign.
What you’re looking for is a platform that connects you directly with a huge range of premium DOOH media in all the areas you want to reach your target audience.
The platform should also be intuitive, easy-to-use and support single-click processes to launch the automated real-time bidding process.
Finally, you need a platform that offers real-time analytics reports that you can use for real time campaign optimization.
The Neuron ticks all these boxes and much more. A fully automated pDOOH platform specifically designed for SMBs, The Neuron connects advertisers with digital signage and digital billboards across the USA and globally.
Simply upload your creative (which you can also craft for free using the DOOH Design Studio), select your screens, criteria, and triggers, and let the platform do the rest.
Why wait? Try The Neuron today.
