A new programmatic digital out of home (prDOOH) research paper released today by VIOOH has revealed that the future of prDOOH looks promising and its increased inclusion in multi-channel programmatic campaigns is likely to be a key driver of widespread adoption.

The report, entitled ‘Programmatic OOH State of the Nation’, provides a unique insight into the digital out of the home industry by combining survey data with in-depth interview responses.

VIOOH in partnership with international research consultancy, MTM, surveyed 1,000 senior agency and advertising executives across the U.S., U.K., Germany, France and Australia.

The findings identify that since the outbreak of COVID-19, the need for campaign flexibility has been a critical consideration for brands, and once prDOOH is used for the first time, advertisers are becoming reluctant to return to more traditional buying methods for OOH.

“VIOOH’s new State of the Nation report gives further proof that programmatic is the accelerator for DOOH growth, allowing it to be truly integrated into multi-channel campaigns for the first time. Increasing numbers of advertising executives are drawn to the versatility and value that programmatic DOOH offers, and state that they won’t go back to more traditional ways of buying OOH,” said Jean-Christophe Conti, chief executive officer at VIOOH.

“The report also shows that buying responsibilities are being spread across digital programmatic and OOH teams, supporting this shift towards programmatic DOOH. Agencies and advertisers therefore need to establish clear strategies for prDOOH, build expertise to address any knowledge gaps and help create best practices to integrate prDOOH into more multi-channel campaigns,” added Conti.

Key findings from the report include:

1. The increasing importance of programmatic technology also applies to OOH media.
   • Nearly two thirds (62 per cent) of Australian executive respondents (and 62 per cent globally) say they had planned, bought, or placed digital OOH in the last 12 months, and the majority of these had used OOH programmatically (62 per cent Australia, and 61 per cent globally).
2. Trigger-based buying, measurement and value are the key drivers for investment in programmatic OOH. 

• • The ability to measure campaign performance across multiple digital channels including programmatic OOH is key for 81 per cent of Australian executives.
  • Over three quarters (77 per cent) of Australian executives identified trigger-based buying (reacting to events, news, promotions, moments in time, locations, audiences as they move, weather and environmental conditions) as an important driver for investment in programmatic OOH.
  • Nearly eight out of ten (76 per cent) Australian executives stated that the ability to use dynamic creative is an important factor in determining their investment in prDOOH.

1. Programmatically traded OOH is seen as enabling brands to reach broad and targeted audiences and achieve both brand and performance objectives. 

• • The vast majority of Australian executives see programmatic OOH as a great way to reach a broadcast audience (86 per cent agency and 81 per cent advertiser), whilst 82 per cent of agency execs and 82 per cent of advertisers agree that programmatic OOH provides innovative ways to target consumers.
  • On the brand side, most Australian executives (68 per cent agency, 68 per cent advertiser) believe that prDOOH is a great way to build brand awareness.
  • On the performance side, executives also see it as a great way to drive response (69 per cent agency and 68 per cent advertiser).

1. Responsibility for planning and buying programmatic OOH is split across OOH, digital programmatic and specialist prDOOH teams:

• • Over a third (37 per cent) of Australian agency executives have planned prDOOH alongside other digital programmatic campaigns, and 56 per cent have planned it alongside other OOH activity, reflecting a variety of approaches.
  • When it comes to buying, in Australia this responsibility in media agencies shifts towards dedicated prDOOH teams (66 per cent), although there are still overlaps with digital programmatic teams (48 per cent) and the OOH teams (44 per cent).

1. The future is in OOH’s inclusion in programmatic multi-channel campaigns and increased investment in prDOOH expertise:

• • Over eight out of ten (82 per cent) of Australian industry executives plan to integrate programmatic OOH more closely into multi-channel campaigns.

The majority (85 per cent) of Australian executives plan to invest in programmatic OOH expertise