Targeting and measurement improvements put pDOOH on par with other digital channels
Partner Content
Programmatic capabilities have transformed DOOH into a highly addressable, measurable, data-driven-by-default channel. There is undeniable proof that it delivers results throughout the funnel.
Programmatic digital OOH (pDOOH) is often underappreciated by programmatic purists and OOH specialists.
Traditionally, OOH and DOOH have been seen as strong in brand awareness, top of funnel, large scale — and they are, without question. However, the addition of programmatic capabilities transforms DOOH into a highly addressable, measurable, data-driven-by-default channel.
This is why, among those that have mastered at least the basics, pDOOH is emerging as a performance-driven channel in its own right and is claiming a strong foothold on media plans.
Flexible addressability
The depth of the addressability in pDOOH is vast, with granular data that can be layered to create almost unrivalled audience insights and activation opportunities.
Housed in demand-side platforms or data management platforms, this data is interactive, tangible and powering the growth of pDOOH, which is expected to account for 16% of OOH adspend by 2027 — a significant increase from just 5% in 2023.
For example, location data can be used to pinpoint areas where target audiences over-index and overlaying affinity data and demographic insights can help refine creative. Once in flight, the campaign delivery, bids and creative can then be optimised in real time, maximising the efficiency of the budget.
Measurement as standard
Thanks to advances in targeting, measurement is fast becoming a must-have in pDOOH, because it’s easy to identify test and control groups.
Furthermore, thanks to integrations with sales data providers, campaign delivery can be easily matched to real-world outcomes.
This means that pDOOH buyers have a range of measurement opportunities, from brand awareness and uplift to sales and return on investment (ROI), at their fingertips. The challenge today isn’t “how can we measure pDOOH?”; it’s “what should we measure?”
Measuring delivery and share of voice
One of the most straightforward ways to measure the performance of pDOOH campaigns is to look at delivery and share of voice.
Working alongside JCDecaux, EssenceMediacom devised an omnichannel campaign to promote Costa’s over-ice drinks throughout the summer of 2023. The campaign ran across OOH, radio, social media, influencers and experiential activations.
Within the OOH element of the campaign, programmatic played a pivotal role in driving product association via aligning messaging with relevant summer moments. The programmatic team at EssenceMediacom used data and insights to define a more bespoke pDOOH Costa audience compared with the traditional campaign.
An additional data layer based on proximity to Costa stores, competitors’ stores and Costa Express stores serving iced drinks was used alongside weather triggers to maximise budget efficiency.
The campaign exceeded delivery goals, achieving 37.8m impacts over 18 weeks, demonstrating efficient budget allocation and contextual relevance. Post-campaign measurement showed that the always-on strategy resulted in a high level of presence for Costa in the right places at the right times, in optimal weather conditions.
Clever activation using proximity and weather triggers extended the budget, enabling Costa to benefit from the largest share of voice in its competitive set (37%) throughout the summer months.
Brand measurement results and Google Trends data showed increases in awareness and consideration, and the over-ice products featured in the campaign showed significant year-on-year sales growth.
Measuring mid-funnel metrics and performance of other channels
Thanks to the flexibility and reliability of measurement options, we’re seeing brands lay down smarter challenges that go far beyond “grow market share”. They encompass specific goals for different areas, targets for different demographics and objectives for both short- and long-term performance.
In the planning phase for last year’s Black Friday campaign, data from Locala enabled Displayce to identify zones with high concentrations of Dell’s target audience. The role of pDOOH was to reach specific audience segments, such as tech enthusiasts and business owners, when they were in those areas.
Additionally, pDOOH was used to enhance the visibility of the mobile display campaign and ensure a seamless connection with the audience when they were in those key locations.
The campaign achieved great results: a six-point uplift in purchase intent, a two-point increase in preference, more than twofold increase in click-through rate on high-impact and pre-roll ads, and a 74% video completion rate.
Sales uplift — integrating real-world metrics
To build the most targeted, effective audience for Mars, Blis employed several layers of rich data. Proprietary geolocation intelligence data was combined with Circana till sales data to highlight regions where opportunity to win market share was highest.
Blis then created bespoke audience segments without cookies or identifiers that were further enriched with anonymised location data to reach frequent visitors of stockists. To effectively reach the audience, Blis activated an omnichannel approach across online video and programmatic DOOH — identified as the two best channels for message impact.
A full-funnel measurement approach enabled Blis to prove an eight-point increase in brand awareness versus category benchmark, a seven-point increase in purchase intent versus category benchmark, £2.21 ROI for pDOOH versus £1.35 benchmark, an impressive 53,333 store visits (equal to a 109% increase) and a 3.4% increase in sales (versus the 2% online video benchmark).
What’s next for pDOOH?
Early adopters of pDOOH have carved the way to a bright future for the channel. Thanks to the efforts, enthusiasm and willingness to educate the market, there is undeniable proof that pDOOH delivers results throughout the funnel.
At JCDecaux, we’re committed to providing best-in-class measurement solutions. We work with a range of providers to enable brands and agencies to measure performance, no matter what your objectives are or how big your budget is.
We believe pDOOH campaign measurement should be the default, not the exception.
This article is part three of a series by JCDecaux UK.
Read part one:
The importance of understanding media quality in programmatic DOOH
Read part two:
Mark Halliday is director of programmatic at JCDecaux UK