DOOH Programmatic Advertising Buyer's Guide

Programmatic digital out-of-home enables advertisers to reach their target audience with engaging content, according to Hivestack. Here, they present their go-to guide for the channel, covering campaign preparation, inventory selection, targeting, optimization, trading options, and measurement.

Programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) offers an effective way for advertisers to reach their target audience with engaging and contextually relevant ad content at scale. As the out-of-home (OOH) channel has evolved, this technology and automation have simplified the buying and selling process of DOOH eliminating a plethora of manual requirements.

The following guide will prepare brands, agencies, and omnichannel DSPs to launch programmatic DOOH campaigns with ease and efficiency. By taking all of these factors into account and regularly monitoring and optimizing your campaign, buyers can achieve the best possible results and make the most of the benefits offered by programmatic DOOH.

Briefing checklist

Before diving into your campaign, it’s crucial to have a comprehensive briefing checklist that outlines important details. This checklist should include:

Campaign objectives: Clearly define the objectives of the campaign, such as increasing brand awareness, targeting a specific audience, or driving foot traffic to stores.

Campaign budget: Outline the total budget allocated to the campaign and if relevant, what the split by market should look like and any CPM guidance.

Target audience: Identify the specific target audience for the campaign (e.g. demographics, interests, locations). Provide any relevant insights, or audience segmentation data that can help shape the campaign strategy.

Targeting options: Select days of the week, time of day, point of interest, preferred environments, creative formats and any supporting data triggers, such as weather, traffic, events, etc.

Advertising period: Provide the duration of the campaign. It can be evergreen/always on, or a fixed period.

Creative execution: If known, provide information about the creatives that are expected. Landscape or portrait, static or dynamic, as well as any advertiser or category restrictions.

Explore the inventory

When choosing venue types, it’s worth considering the format and creative requirements of each venue type and ensuring that the message is relevant to the context and environment. It’s also possible to see the potential impressions on any given screen integrated via your chosen programmatic DOOH partner. Some of the common venue types are:

Airports

Mails

Transit hubs

Roadside billboards

Sports and entertainment venues

When you are buying the inventory programmatically, targeting requested venue types can be done in a granular way, such as targeting sub-categories. For example, targeting food courts in shopping centers, or the arrival halls of airports.

Creative types

Global DOOH inventory is composed of many different screen sizes. While bus shelters and roadside formats are available for landscape and portrait screens, sizing can vary from environment to environment. Integrating some of these creative recommendations into your strategy will ensure your campaign can perform successfully. These include:

Proper formatting Contrast and color The KISS method Typography and font sizes clear call-to-action (CTA)Imagery Context and relevance matter Interactivity

Targeting

The essence of OOH has always relied on context, and now, thanks to data and technology, marketers can programmatically activate audience-based targeting in DOOH.

This audience-centric approach allows advertisers to customize their targeting strategy using pre-built, or bespoke customized segments, that can be further leveraged for retargeting across mobile or other digital channels, maximizing the effectiveness of the campaign from a holistic perspective.

Budget and optimization

One of the biggest benefits of programmatic DOOH is the ability to remain flexible and optimize campaigns in flight. This ensures buyers can achieve maximum efficiency and effectiveness every time. Regularly analyze performance metrics, adjust targeting parameters, and refine creatives to drive optimal results, like you would in any other digital channel.

The right type of trading

In programmatic DOOH advertising, there are two primary trading options to consider: PMP (private marketplace): PMP involves an exclusive auction where publishers offer their inventory to a select group of advertisers. It requires a direct interaction between the buyer and seller to finalize deal terms. These terms are set up in the SSP (supply-side platform) and sent to buyers through their DSP (demand-side platform).

Open exchange: Open exchanges are public RTB (real-time bidding) auctions open to all buyers and sellers. This option requires no direct interaction between the buyer and seller, providing a more open and automated trading environment.

Measurement

When all is said and done, accurate measurement is essential to assess the effectiveness of a programmatic DOOH campaign. Consider implementing the following measurement methodologies: Brand lift study: Assess changes in brand perception, awareness, or intent as a result of the campaign. Footfall lift study: Measure the impact of the campaign on driving in-store visitation and foot traffic. Additional metrics: Depending on campaign objectives, consider additional metrics such as ad viewability, engagement rates, or conversion tracking.

Programmatic DOOH advertising provides marketers with a powerful and streamlined approach to engage consumers in the out-of-home environment, enhancing overall advertising strategies.