The introduction of programmatic buying to Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) has firmly placed the advertising medium as an essential component across omnichannel marketing and a go-to when looking to increase exposure at the top of the funnel.

A growing inventory of digital screens across Europe has enabled programmatic buying to deliver creative, agile, targeted, and most importantly measurable, DOOH advertising. As programmatic trading continues to grow, campaigns are at risk of missing out on potential reach and results if they ignore it.
DOOH can now be measured like all other advertising channels
Historically, calculating the success of DOOH has been challenging. Distribution is done automatically, so it wasn’t always known in advance when creatives would be displayed. Recent improvements in data and technology have combatted this, allowing marketers to make the most of specific, accurate data when measuring their DOOH campaigns.
These measurement tools combined with the introduction and development of programmatic technology have ensured that there is a clear understanding of performance through all DOOH campaigns across multiple assets and media owners.
What can be measured in programmatic DOOH?
The overall impact of DOOH can now be assessed in a multitude of ways including:
- Brand Impact: Focusing on the top end of the funnel, brand studies are used to understand campaign effectiveness on overall brand impact for marketers launching campaigns, whether for maintaining brand recall, new or rebranding efforts, product launches, purchase intent or action-driving measures (engagement, visits, downloads, etc.). Sports brand Hoka applied this model as they ran a DOOH campaign launching the brand to the German audience.
- Footfall: Footfall studies measure visits to a brand’s physical locations prior to, during and after the DOOH campaign by tactically using location data. A particularly successful approach for retail business in demonstrating the effectiveness of the medium for them. Albert Heijn, the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands, applied a footfall study for their programmatic DOOH drive-to-store campaign, encouraging infrequent shoppers to visit their local Albert Heijn store.
- Online Engagement: brands can also measure the effectiveness of DOOH campaigns across a variety of digital KPIs, such as web conversions and behaviours, app downloads, and in-app actions. Dementia UK and its media agency The Kite Factory learned that their DOOH awareness campaign drove a strong conversion of direct and organic traffic to the site, and sign-ups, layering data and insight from its own Google Analytics.
Marketers and brands can use this type of measurement to learn how many consumers are visiting their site after being exposed to DOOH, understand how many exposed consumers are signing up or making purchases, and see in-app metrics, such as uplift in activity or orders after DOOH campaign exposure. - Sales Lift: Sales lift studies measure the impact and increase in sales driven by DOOH campaigns. Thanks to Sage+Archer’s partnership with IRi Worldwide, brands are able to gain insight into important ROI metrics based on consumer purchasing behaviour, and to the detail of each retailer location.
Data is king with DOOH
Measurement tool improvements and increased digital screen inventory have increased data accuracy to improve campaign success. Since programmatic buying moves with and targets consumers in a way that no other form of traditional advertising can, it provides vital manoeuvrability for campaigns. Investing in DOOH amplifies messaging and builds brand awareness through specific consumer targeting. More importantly, marketers can:
- Follow the customer journey and activate media where and when they need it
- Make the most of first or third-party data to understand movement patterns of consumer groups to maximise campaign effectiveness
- Use high-impact ads that see maximum attention from time-poor consumers
- Use detailed measurements to see campaign results and gain insights
As DOOH advertising continues to evolve, we must discard the notion that it is an old-school and siloed form of advertising, ensuring that marketers integrate the medium into their plans. Thankfully, DOOH is now as measurable as any other advertising channel providing valuable insights and data to maximise untapped success.
Do you want to know more about these measurement solutions, or ready to create your own DOOH campaign? Get in touch with us via mail sales@sage-archer.com or call us: +31 20 702 8206.
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