Around the globe, digital Out of Home (DOOH) advertising is increasingly being bought, sold and executed programmatically. As nearly all major players in the DOOH ad inventory space are making programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) a top priority, it’s expected that this relatively new model, with all its fantastic benefits, will soon become the industry standard.
What a lot of SMBs don’t realize, however, is that they too can access DOOH inventory and launch digital out of home programmatic campaigns just as easily and affordably as the largest brands on the high street.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how, as an SMB, you can get started with Programmatic DOOH and launch targeted, high-quality digital out of home ads in no time.
The Rise of Programmatic DOOH Ads
As revealed in VIOOH’s State of the Nation: Programmatic DOOH 2022 white paper, appetite and demand for buying DOOH ads programmatically has markedly increased over the last few years. This is in no doubt due to the advancements made in programmatic digital out of home ad buying technology in recent times.
While the advent of programmatic buying within online advertising dates back a couple of decades, the technological capabilities that enable advertisers to scale and target specific audiences and optimize campaigns in real-time were only extended to out of home (OOH) channels more recently.
Today, however, advertisers can use a programmatic demand side platform (DSP) to target audiences with laser precision. This, coupled with the flexibility that programmatic DOOH offers to optimize campaigns in-flight, has led to the rapid rise of pDOOH we are currently witnessing as advertisers find in pDOOH opportunities to access relevant audiences in the right place at the right time.
Read more: Programmatic DOOH: Why It’s a Game-Changer
As such, it’s no wonder that the State of the Nation report finds that, in the last 18 months, over half (56%) of campaigns (+9% pts vs. 2021) in the US have included programmatic digital Out of Home.
(Image source: viooh.com)
Demand for pDOOH is expected to continue to grow over the next twelve months, with respondents to the State of the Nation survey signaling they are likely to increase investment. 46% said they have planned, bought, or placed DOOH programmatically in the last 12 months, and this is set to increase to 48% in the next year.
(Image source: viooh.com)
Programmatic DOOH is increasingly becoming a top priority for advertisers.
In fact, the study finds that nearly two-thirds of advertisers (61%) are shifting existing budgets for traditional OOH onto programmatic DOOH. In addition, 26% have moved budgets from other traditional channels, while 19% are utilizing budgets presently earmarked for digital channels to buy pDOOH.
What’s more, a full half of advertisers (50%) have created entirely new budgets specifically for programmatic DOOH.
(Image source: viooh.com)
How to Get Started with pDOOH
Clearly, programmatic DOOH is in the ascendancy – often at the expense of both traditional and digital marketing channels.
The benefits are clear – programmatic DOOH offers enhanced time + place audience targeting capabilities, real-time analytics so you can optimize campaigns in-flight, and speeds up and streamlines the ad buying process through automation.
Read more: 3 Great Benefits of Programmatic DOOH for SMB Brands
So, how easy is it for an SMB to get started with programmatic DOOH?
Very easy indeed. Let’s break the process down into four simple steps.
Step 1 – Find the Right Demand Side Platform to Access DOOH Ad Inventory
A demand side platform (DSP) is an automated system that allows ad buyers to purchase DOOH ads remotely – without any negotiation with middlemen, agencies, or media owners. All you do is log in, upload your creative, select your screens and your criteria for your DOOH ad, and you’re away.
DSPs connect with supply side platforms (SSPs), which are used by media owners and publishers to sell their ad space to buyers. Together, DSPs and SSPs help advertisers and media owners find each other.
(Image source: theneuron.com)
Read more: Supply Side Vs. Demand Side Platforms: What’s the Difference?
As an ad buyer, you’re interested in finding the right DSP.
The Neuron, for example, is integrated with some of the leading SSPs worldwide, giving you unparalleled access to top inventory owners with digital billboards, street furniture, transit DOOH, and place-based digital screens everywhere.
Step 2 – Design Your Creative
Just like programmatic platforms have made the purchase of digital OOH ad inventory seamless and easy, today, a brand-new design tool from The Neuron has made the process of crafting high-converting DOOH creative fast and simple as well.
100% free to use, the DOOH Design Studio from The Neuron is jam-packed with hundreds of professionally designed vertical-specific design templates that you simply drag and drop into our online editor. It’s then simply a case of customizing your message, adding your logo and your ad is ready.
If you want to know what makes a great DOOH ad, read our post – 5 Top Design Tips for a Successful DOOH Campaign.
Step 3 – Set Your Campaign Conditions
Using a powerful programmatic DSP like The Neuron, you can fine-tune precisely where and when you want your ad to go live, under what conditions, and who you want to see it.
This is because pDOOH platforms utilize anonymized mobile location data (plus data from other sources) to build a picture of where various demographics spend their time throughout the day and their daily routines. This means that, as an advertiser, you can literally choose your audience.
(Image source: unsplash.com)
Not only that – you can choose when, where and under what conditions you want your audience to see your ad. Programmatic DOOH platforms allow you set specific criteria for your campaigns, including time of day and day of week, as well as things like weather conditions, temperature and traffic.
This all combines to make pDOOH advertising an incredibly powerful medium for targeting your ideal customers with contextually relevant messages as they go about their day.
Step 4 – Launch Your Campaign
You’re now ready to launch your campaign.
Your DSP will take your ad along with all your campaign data and find the best SSP to provide inventory that will meet your goals – all in the blink of an eye.
With The Neuron, this all happens via single-click processes on a dashboard that’s easy to use and navigate. You can then use the platform to track your campaign and view in-depth analytics so you can adjust and optimize in real-time..
It couldn’t be easier to get started with programmatic DOOH – so why wait?
