What is DOOH?

Summary : What is DOOH?  

1. Definition of DOOH
2. Why choose DOOH
3. Examples of DOOH ads

This type of digital advertising, mostly outdoor, is very popular with advertisers, especially in the last two years. This device has been growing since 2013, its advertising spending between 2013 and 2019 has actually tripled in volume. 

According to IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), DOOH spending should double by 2024. This rapidly expanding device is seductive because of its many technical and practical advantages, which we will discuss in this article. 

>>> To learn more about the evolution of advertising, go to this article 

The DOOH (Digital Out Of Home) is a digital billboard, which broadcasts dynamic advertisements in the form of video. This display can be declined in several formats, and can be visible both indoors and outdoors. DOOH advertising is very popular with cities, in search of modernity in their communications. 

>>> For more information about dynamic displays, please visit this article

More precisely, DOOH displays are diffused on digital panels lit by LEDs, most often in 2m² format. This dynamic display is usually shared with other advertisers. In addition, it is rare that an advertiser has the exclusive right to broadcast. Often, the advertisement is alternated with those of other advertisers. For example, the display loop lasts one minute and allows 6 advertisers to broadcast a 10-second ad. 

DOOH advertising is therefore ideally placed on the public highway, at strategic points such as subway stations, in shopping malls, city centers and other high-traffic areas. 

Among these strategic locations, there are 3 major distribution environments for DOOH: 

• Transportation
• Outdoor (public streets)
• Retail (such as shopping malls)

The principle of this digital advertising device is to reach a targeted population (outside the home). This target must be reached directly, i.e. without using a smartphone or other connected devices. 

>>> If you want to know more about OOH regulations, read this article

Doing DOOH advertising has several advantages:

• economic
• ecological
• real-time performance tracking
• impactful (original, captivating and dynamic)
• strategic (locations, duration, target)

The economic advantage: 

The classic purchase

DOOH is not one of the most expensive advertising devices. Moreover, it is possible to proceed in two ways to organize and finance your DOOH campaign. 

The first is to turn to advertising agencies such as JC Decaux or Clear Channel. They will then offer their inventories of digital panels. The advertiser will have the possibility to choose either, time slots of diffusion for example every day of the week from 8 am to 10 am during two weeks. 

The other proposal will be to project the advertisement on the digital panels, in rotation with other advertisers in a loop of about 6 advertisers over a given period. In the case where the advertiser goes to an advertising network for its DOOH campaign, the financing will generally be settled on a CPM basis (Cost Per Thousand, in the context of digital advertising, the cost per thousand corresponds to the amount that an advertiser pays for each thousand impressions).

Programmatic DOOH

Another way to finance and organize your DOOH campaign is to use programmatic advertising. This type of campaign is automated. In this case, the cost is done by auction, that is to say that several advertisers will bid on a CPM, and it is the most expensive CPM that takes the location(s). 

It should be noted that digital signage makes it possible to adjust the advertising campaign by optimizing its budget, i.e. it will be possible to modify (reduce or enlarge), in real time, certain broadcasting zones. The DOOH thus grants a great freedom of action and flexibility. 

The ecological advantage 

Using DOOH in your campaign also means being more environmentally friendly. High definition screens have a much smaller carbon footprint than ephemeral posters printed by the thousands. 

A nuanced information since outdoor advertising is more than ever a debate. As such, the "topic of the month" webinar was held last Friday, October 21, during Ratecard Days, in which the subject of DOOH and its impact on the environment was discussed.  

>>> To learn more about the webinar, go here

Easily track the performance of DOOH panels

DOOH advertising is popular because it allows real-time performance tracking. Thus, it is easy to adjust the content, the location, the time of exposure of a DOOH in a few clicks. This is a practical feature, especially in the event of a problem such as a typographical error, for example. Moreover, just like display advertising, DOOH has a great capacity for targeting and personalization.

So you can personalize your ads according to the location and the target you want to reach. Thanks to real-time performance monitoring, it is possible to optimize your DOOH advertising campaign, and adjust it according to the advertising panels that count the most impressions.

The advantage of being an impactful display 

As this medium is digital, it allows you to let your imagination run wild and create more interactive and original campaigns. It is through animations, videos and interactions that DOOH distinguishes itself and becomes the media that is remembered. Indeed, according to IPSOS, 75% of visitors remember a dynamic display compared to 44% for a more traditional display.

DOOH also holds its effectiveness in its strategic location. We find this device in the daily life of all French people. Indeed, it is placed in all the places of strong affluences such as the shopping centers, the food stores, the city centers, the public transport etc.

In this way, thanks to its capacity of personalization and adaptation as seen previously, the DOOH allows to contextualize the broadcasts. It will be possible to broadcast ads according to the time of day, the weather, the place of broadcasting etc. This personalization also has its impact since it will influence the memorization of the ad by the prospect, an important factor in advertising.

In France, there are 704 million spots certified by the ACPM, i.e. 41% more than in the first half of 2021. This figure illustrates the exposure of the French population to DOOH, and therefore, the potential of this advertising device which is only confirmed.

Hugo Boss makes discover its perfume with its interactive DOOH device

The brand decided to make a DOOH advertising campaign allowing passengers to directly test its new product in the streets of Budapest. An interactive device that allows direct contact between passengers and the product. An excellent way to encourage customers to go to the store after testing the new perfume!

 DOOHit for Franprix 

Following the health crisis, the Franprix brand wanted to communicate on the possibility it offers to deliver its products in these difficult times. The brand chose to propose a promotional offer to the first 500 subscribers in order to encourage its audiences to download its mobile application. The campaign chose DOOH in the back of a cab as a communication device.

Dallas Cowboys interactive displays

This "Pose with the Pros" campaign, broadcast in the halls of AT&T Stadium in the United States, reflects the dynamic and interactive aspect of DOOH displays. Here the goal was to invite passengers to select their favorite Cowboys players and pose with them and share the photos on social networks.

The more "event" format of DOOH with the Spotify campaign

To promote the album of Marren Moris, Spotify organized a DOOH XXL device that displayed in real time the publications generated by the #SHAREYOURCROWN on social networks. Thus, anyone posting on the networks with this # had the chance to see their selfies displayed in iconic places such as New York or Los Angeles.