Top 3 tips to effectively utilize programmatic DOOH in 2023
As the year comes to a close, it’s likely brand marketers and agencies are putting the finishing touches to their 2023 media plans
Perhaps you’re a CPG brand gearing up to launch a new product and need tactics to really bolster awareness, or you’re a well-known retailer trying to retain customers by offering exclusive loyalty promotions. Regardless of your industry, campaign goals or audience, DOOH can reach your target consumers when and where they’re most likely to be. Additionally, it’s one of the most flexible advertising channels available today and offers unmatched measurement capabilities to give you a clear picture of results.
So yes, it would be a miss to not even consider leveraging the channel in 2023, but to utilize the medium without truly understanding the full scope of capabilities? An equally big miss, if you ask me. With that, we’re sharing three proven tips to help you effectively – and seamlessly – utilize programmatic DOOH in the new year:
1. Think outside of the traditional OOH box.
Programmatic DOOH provides the perfect canvas for impactful, personalized content that has the ability to be updated on the fly based on real-world conditions. If you’re looking to utilize the channel next year, it’s important to understand all the bells and whistles you’re working with to ensure you’re getting the most value out of the channel.
As effective as a traditional OOH approach can be, there’s a myriad of data-driven tactics that allow marketers to get even more personalized and targeted with their campaigns – thus driving stronger results and ROI. On top of this, brands aren’t locked into fixed creative for a specific amount of time, nor do they need to make separate campaign plans per media owner, offering them more flexibility than ever. A few tactics to consider that go beyond the scope of traditional OOH include:
- Weather triggers: This tactic allows advertisers to seamlessly activate creative media based on local weather patterns (which I alluded to earlier). For example, you may utilize this if you’re looking to promote your warmest line of winter coats this January when a snowstorm hits specific areas. Or, maybe you’re a travel company and want to display compelling ads of the must-book destination of the upcoming spring break season – the weather-based options are endless (and effective).
- Device ID passback: Another compelling capability, device ID passback is a solution that enables brands to reach consumers on DOOH screens and then re-engage them in a privacy-safe way across other channels with relevant offers or messaging.
- Video-driven DOOH: Advertisers can also consider kicking things up a notch by leveraging motion or video to help attract viewers, convey their story and better elicit emotion.
2. Understand – and lean into – the breadth of DOOH inventory that exists.
Digital OOH inventory is everywhere and consists of the most diverse venue types to meet any campaign objective. So, why limit yourself to only promoting your message via traditional, large-format billboards? Although a highly impactful and trusted screen type, brands can amplify their reach even further by leaning into all the inventory DOOH has to offer.
DOOH screens are widespread in place-based locations, such as restaurants, malls, gyms, office buildings, gas stations, bars, taxis and other contextually relevant places where consumers regularly spend time – and are most likely to see and resonate with your message. Brands can also take advantage of point-of-purchase digital signage located in and around shopping destinations like big box retailers, convenience stores, grocery stores, liquor stores and pharmacies. For instance, a footwear company may choose a digital billboard in Times Square to promote their first new release in 2023, while also activating their creative in malls, at fuel pumps, in taxis and additional unique locations to capture consumer attention while they move about their daily activities. The world of digital screens is truly a marketer's oyster, and it’s important to consider the full scale of inventory when solidifying media strategies.
3. Sync up creative and media planning teams on day one.
DOOH is a smart advertising channel that allows brands to launch personalized, hyper-targeted content in an extremely scalable and cost-effective way. However, it’s evident some marketers are still missing the mark when it comes to tapping into the medium’s full creative capabilities – and that usually starts when media planning and creative teams aren’t properly synced from the beginning.
Yes, you can simply repurpose an ad created for a different channel for your OOH needs, but when you do that, you’re missing out on all the data-driven possibilities the medium has to offer. Thanks to an array of advanced data sets and technologies, advertisers can now leverage dynamic DOOH content that can be updated in real-time with no manual work or creative variations required. For example, brands can use data such as sports scores, traffic, localized promotions, the stock market and more — to ensure their ads are as relevant and impactful as possible. But if a brand’s creative team isn’t concepting ads with this technology in mind, how can they effectively create a series of beautiful, eye-catching creative that gets updated programmatically based on weather conditions in certain markets, for instance?
Heading into 2023, it’s important for brands to knock down any siloes that may be unintentionally separating the creative brilliance from the power of technology when it comes to their DOOH campaigns.
Pro tip: Don’t know where to start? Here’s everything you need to know about building creatives for DOOH.
DOOH presents brands with a unique opportunity heading into 2023: an emerging yet established medium equipped with the necessary tools to drive a more targeted, memorable and measurable campaign. The channel has immense untapped potential, even with thousands of brands already diving in – from dynamic creative capabilities to unique, personalized inventory – and now it’s time for all brand marketers to educate themselves on everything the landscape has to offer.
For a deeper dive into all the channel has to offer, download Vistar Media’s Ultimate Guide to DOOH.