Two of the main benefits of pDOOH is better audience targeting and dynamic content. Targeting tactics are used to get ads delivered to certain people at a certain time. pDOOH is seen as a way to make DOOH more precise and powerful by using external data to trigger content. In addition to pDOOH’s highly targeted capabilities, it is also faster and more flexible with the ability to adapt quickly.

Key Challenges

An IAB study conducted by PwC UK found that three key challenges need to be overcome for pDOOH to realise its full potential.

Senior industry executives from companies and agencies were interviewed who according to the report all expressed their enthusiasm about the potential of pDOOH campaigns as a driver for innovation and growth by giving real value for advertisers.

Three key challenges were identified in making pDOOH a mainstream media buy – more education, reduced fragmentation, and more standardization.

Education was specifically highlighted as critical to the adoption of pDOOH. This includes the education of clients, agency planners, and buyers regarding what is possible with pDOOH

“Understanding the benefits of DOOH, how programmatic trading can bring value to clients, and how you can trade DOOH programmatically, were identified as three areas of focus,” according to the report.

The fragmentation of inventory and media owners was identified as another key challenge. This leads to a restricting of media spend. Different players are developing their technological solutions which are leading to further fragmentation.

The lack of standardization due to the use of different datasets and methodologies is also seen as a key inhibitor to pDOOH. According to the report, audience segments must be defined across all media types as well as the methodology behind the measurement.

Advertising is one of the industries that has borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lockdowns across the world led to an immediate drop in advertising spend. Out-of-home advertising (OOH) has for the past few years been the only form of traditional advertising that has maintained steady growth and the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on this.

With phased re-openings, more people are leaving their homes and OOH and digital out-of-home advertising (DOOH) is poised for a big comeback.

A New Message

COVID-19 forced brands to alter their advertising campaigns and change their messages. The pandemic is also changing consumer behaviour which in turn means that advertisers need to alter how they speak to audiences and how their messages are conveyed. COVID-19 has in some instances changed consumer behaviour and patterns which in turn influences their consumption.

OOH’s Digital Transformation

COVID-19 has demonstrated the need to be able to quickly adjust when something unexpected happens and has brought DOOH even more to the front. With DOOH advertisers were in the position to change and update advertisements much quicker and easier with just a few clicks. Advertisers were able to run new and relevant campaigns and were able to communicate with audiences in increasingly versatile ways. COVID-19 has fuelled OOH’s digital transformation to DOOH as businesses are rethinking their digital strategies and consumers’ priorities have changed.

Transformation of The Medium

COVID-19 has also brought new opportunities and has given the OOH and DOOH advertising industries time to reflect on how the medium is perceived. The pandemic has brought along an increased demand for digital technologies. New technologies and displays are likely to be introduced keeping public safety in mind and adapting to the way’s technology have been embraced during the pandemic.

More Relevant Than Ever Before

With people more excited than ever to leave the house because of worldwide lockdowns, OOH and DOOH can be more visible and relevant than ever before. Advertisers now need to get creative with their messages and content to capture the attention. Using cross-channel strategies advertisers can maximise their reach and ensure that consumers are exposed to or interact with an advertising message and that they act. Advertisers can create more relevant and responsive campaigns and convey messages that resonate with consumers in a meaningful way.