Martech is just a tool; to deliver it correctly, it must be approached across the entire marketing ecosystem,' says 66% of CMOs, according to a recent survey by The Drum and AAR. And when marketing leaders say there's an issue with how their martech solutions are stacking up, their partners must evolve and adapt to answer their call.

Digital out-of-home advertising (DOOH) is a rapidly moving market and one of the most exciting emerging media to watch in 2024. Why? Because as the medium has evolved, so have its targeting benefits and purchasing flexibility, making it a must-have for today's marketers, increasingly capturing consumer attention and driving action effectively and innovatively.

It's no wonder that players in both demand and supply are scrambling to get their own slices of the pie. But in doing so, they risk fragmenting the potential of DOOH martech into loose pieces.

Demanding More Cohesion

The big challenge for over half (55%) of marketing leaders in the next 12 months is the ability to link marketing with business growth, according to research from The Drum and AAR. That means squeezing the maximum value out of every investment is crucial, yet most say they aren’t utilizing their platforms to the fullest.

Does marketing have a cohesion problem? According to nearly half (46%) of marketers, digital, content, and media strategies need to be more integrated and less compartmentalized. It's no wonder, then, that the majority (66%) know that a holistic approach is key to achieving success in martech.

With over 10 years of experience in the adtech and martech space, Karan Singh, the newly appointed CEO of Vistar Media, knows this all too well:

“CMOs are under more pressure than ever to prove their worth to CEOs. But there's untapped potential in today's martech investments. The current need for cohesive customer experiences requires a cohesive, yet specialized, approach across all channels and technologies. And that's especially important when it comes to an evolving market like DOOH.”

Uniting the DOOH Opportunity

With 45% of total OOH spending predicted to be digital by 2027, the dynamic, interactive, targeted, and measurable nature of DOOH ads leads 65% of consumers to seek, post, or visit a brand. That's no small feat in today's volatile and fragmented market.

Programmatic buying is playing a huge role in the rise of DOOH, with spending forecasted to grow at an annual rate of 39%, reaching $4.7 billion by 2028. This potential is due to the combination of generating awareness at scale and having a significant creative impact, in a highly measurable way. Recent programmatic innovations include dynamic ads that adapt their images and messages to time and place. Meanwhile, consumers exposed to a campaign can now be retargeted on mobile devices and other channels.

“Thanks to programmatic buying, DOOH is increasingly connected with the broader omnichannel mix,” says Singh. “Its audience insights offer more meaningful interactions that benefit brands and communities, at scale. And its immersive experiences bridge the physical and digital worlds to reach consumers at the moments that matter. In this sense, programmatic DOOH is the glue in today's marketing ecosystem, providing the cohesion marketers crave.

“And so, it makes sense to adopt an equally cohesive and specialized approach when it comes to choosing DOOH martech.”

A Comprehensive Approach

Currently, the DOOH market is filled with players offering marketers a demand-side platform (DSP) that allows them to reach audiences. Or those offering a supply-side platform (SSP), connecting media owners with marketers looking to buy their advertising space. Then there are those selling digital signage software. With so much fragmentation, how can marketers provide the holistic approach they know will get the best out of their martech investment?

Vistar Media is a DOOH player that believes it has the answer. The company's new branding underscores its comprehensive proposition for a market clamoring for cohesion. It connects marketers, media owners, and large-scale audiences, offering an integrated DSP, SSP, and digital signage software solution that enables more transparent, efficient, and future-proof DOOH investments that don't rely on third-party cookies.

“Our comprehensive approach means marketers have direct access to extensive inventory, so they can target any audience, on any screen with more data-driven, personalized, creative, resulting in more attention that drives 'action,' but in a less intrusive way,” explains Singh. “At the same time, we offer media owners the technology they need to monetize their advertising spaces more effectively and set their prices according to real-time demand.

“Meeting the need for comprehensive solutions across the marketing ecosystem can't just be about a technology sale. Global knowledge at local scale is also key to maximizing DOOH investments, so we also provide marketers and media owners with specialized consulting and strategic support.”

The evolution of DOOH will continue.