DOOH Meaning + The Powers of Digital Out-of-Home
Videos of this 3D billboard have gained massive internet traction over the last few months. The digital billboard, developed by Ocean Outdoor, is known as a DeepScreen and takes advantage of "forced perspective" to make the images appear to pop out of the screen.
Digital billboards like this give a glimpse into the massive potential of digital out-of-house advertising.
Source: Ocean DeepScreen
In this article, we'll dive into digital out-of-house advertising, why it is an effective advertising tool, and why advertisers should keep an eye out for modern display technologies like the example above.
DOOH Meaning: What is DOOH?
DOOH (digital out-of-home advertising) refers to any digital billboard or ad signage experienced outside the home. These digital billboards can field multiple ads played in succession and often include elements like 3D visuals, video, sounds, and interactive features.
How is DOOH Currently Being Used?
According to Pathlabs' DOOH expert, Joe Fairchild, DOOH ads are large-format and typically seen as billboards, ads on taxi cabs, on public transportation, or even on kiosks at the mall.
Compared to traditional OOH ads, DOOH offers many additional features:
3D and high-quality video display
Sound effects
Interactive features allow audiences to talk to the ad, take pictures, or play games
AI cameras that serve specific ads based on time of day, weather, or who is walking by
What Are the Benefits of DOOH Advertising?
DOOH ads are great for generating awareness. If placed in an ideal location, ads can reach thousands of people daily. With DOOH, advertisers have the opportunity to form an interactive and memorable ad experience.
While online advertising can be incredibly cost-effective, campaigns take time to optimize. With DOOH ads, although challenging to optimize, creatives are designed to reach a mass audience. It can be displayed for hours on end and reach swaths of people.
Digital out-of-home ads are less intrusive than online ads. While DOOH ads are highly engaging, audience interaction is not required, unlike many online ads.
Examples of DOOH in Action:
Ocean Outdoor Deepscreens is the leader in creating mind-bending, dynamic DOOH ads that "jump" off the screen.
Source: Ocean DeepScreen
Spotify uses DOOH ads to promote artists, playlists, and monthly themes. This particular example is from Latin Heritage Month.
Vertical Impression Elevator Ads
Millions of people ride elevators daily. Vertical Impressions takes advantage of this audience in the corporate environment by displaying time-sensitive coupons encouraging folks to grab food on their commute home.
McDonald’s does an exemplary job of creating unique, food-centric advertisements. The example below shows a real-time weather display, distinguished by its most popular food items.
Volvic Juice uses interactive DOOH ads to engage with younger audiences.
ILUM Modern LED Mobile Billboards
ILUM has taken DOOH a step further by incorporating digital screens into mobile trucks and buses. This method allows the advertisement to reach more people on-the-go while providing a memorable experience.
The Future of Digital Out-of-Home
According to Joe, as CTV did to the television advertising space, as more marketers invest their budgets into DOOH, suppliers will start converting ad space to DOOH ads.
What trends will we see in the future of DOOH ads? The first we anticipate is an increase in DOOH ad exchanges.
Most DOOH ads require manual set-up. However, as more regions become urbanized and this technology becomes more accessible, many businesses will jump at the opportunity to develop programmatic software that pairs advertisers and publishers together in a real-time bidding format to fill DOOH ads.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning will play a vital role in the future of DOOH ads. These have already taken the marketing world by storm and will likely impact the DOOH field.
Ad tech developers are playing around with cameras to identify characteristics of those passing by to display targeted ads in real time. For example, if a DOOH ad camera sees a Gen Z male walking by, they may field an ad for fantasy football or an upcoming action series on Netflix.
The Challenges of DOOH
Digital out-of-home ads are useful for campaigns of all sizes. However, they are not without disadvantages and challenges.
DOOH advertising may not be as effective with niche products. As with every advertising method, advertisers should use DOOH based on their product and target audience.
Building an effective DOOH advertisement takes a designer with skills beyond the typical in-house creative. These ads are complex and often require video editing, graphic skills, 3D animation, sound design, and a bit of thinking outside the box. Outsourcing a DOOH ad designer can be spendy.
How to Start a Successful DOOH Campaign
Advertisers can set up DOOH ad campaigns programmatically or via direct-buy.
The direct-buy route entails contacting the ad space owner directly to negotiate a deal. They will nail down parameters, including the ad's frequency, duration, and location.
The programmatic advertising route is slightly more complicated. Advertisers use demand-side platforms that automatically communicate with different ad publishers to field ads.
Joe suggests the programmatic route since DSPs automatically find pre-negotiated deals with suppliers. This method eliminates a lot of the manual set-up work.
What to Keep In Mind When Setting up a DOOH Campaign
Is DOOH suitable for your marketing strategy?
Before anything, advertisers should verify that DOOH corresponds with their marketing strategy. DOOH ads are great for generating awareness but challenging to execute successfully if the audience is niche.
Attribution
Most advertisers take advantage of display and search campaigns. DOOH can be a fantastic addition to this marketing mix.
When using multiple ad methods, it is not easy to attribute which ads make customers convert. On DOOH creative, ensure an element is in place to track customer acquisitions. This can be a question on an intake form or a unique link attached to a QR code.
Sizing & Content
As mentioned above, these ads are an artistic challenge to create and can become quite complex. Advertisers should research how to create the media for these ads and ensure they have the creative capacity to make engaging content that will generate a good ROI.
Get in touch with Pathlabs to see how we can become an extension of your media team.
