• Media professionals anticipate a 28% increase in prDOOH investment in the next 18 months.
• Programmatic DOOH (prDOOH) continues to experience high demand, with adoption expected to rise from 27% to 35% in the next 18 months.
• For the first time in State of the Nation history, in the last 12 months half (50%) of all DOOH campaigns run were purchased partly or fully programmatically, mostly overseen by digital and programmatic teams.
• When prDOOH is bought by digital/programmatic teams, the budget predominantly originates from other digital (81%) and traditional channels (79%).
• Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO)’s value in enhancing campaign effectiveness is recognised, with an uptick in its use anticipated in the coming year.
• 60% of marketers consider sustainability an important driving factor when investing in prDOOH. 

London, UK, 17 September 2024 - Today, VIOOH, the leading premium global digital out of home (DOOH) supply-side platform, released its annual research into the programmatic DOOH (prDOOH) market. The global findings show that nearly one in three campaigns from the past 18 months have included prDOOH (27%), which is projected to rise to an average of 35% over the next 18 months.

France, Australia, Germany and the US are projected to spearhead this continued growth, with the proportion of campaigns utilising prDOOH in these markets expected to increase the most.

The global survey of 1,200 advertisers and agencies across the US, UK, Australia, Germany, France and this year’s guest market Brazil, reveals an anticipated increase in prDOOH investment of 28% over the next 18 months, led by US, UK and French marketers, all projecting a 29% growth in investment.

Budgets shifting to prDOOH

Marketers globally are projected to increase investment in DOOH by 32%, followed closely by prDOOH at 28%. Investment in traditional OOH is also expected to grow (16%), with the surge in digital investment signifying greater adoption of technology-driven solutions in outdoor advertising.

Over a third (37%) of marketers are reallocating budgets from other digital channels to prDOOH, a growth of 4 percentage points (ppt) year-over-year (YoY).

When prDOOH is bought by digital / programmatic teams the budget predominantly originates from other digital (81%) and traditional channels (79%), indicating that prDOOH is becoming a more attractive option on a multi-channel media plan.

Across the core markets, budgets for prDOOH coming from DOOH have increased by 16 ppt YoY, from 53% to 69%. As more advertisers get involved in prDOOH, over one fifth (22%) are allocating entirely new budgets to prDOOH (22%), with the US and Australia leading this trend (28% and 27% respectively). This year's report also highlights a significant milestone: in core markets, prDOOH is now capturing a larger share of new advertising budgets (24%), a 10 ppt increase YoY.

Interestingly, the growth in global prDOOH investment is being driven primarily by existing adopters, who are more likely to include prDOOH in their media plans in future (36%) compared to those who are investing in prDOOH for the first time (32%). This suggests that familiarity with the format and its benefits is a key factor in continued investment, as global marketers start to embrace programmatic as their standard buying approach for OOH, in line with programmatic’s ascendancy in other digital channels.

Innovative advertising channel

Most (92%) respondents globally consider prDOOH the most innovative of all media channels, a 9 ppt increase YoY in core markets.

Programmatic DOOH serves a diverse range of campaign strategies, proving vital for both brand-led (85%) and performance-led (91%) objectives. Notably, prDOOH rivals social media (85%) as a top choice for brand-led campaigns, even surpassing traditional DOOH (80%).

Most respondents (81%) globally are strategically combining direct and programmatic DOOH buys for performance-led campaigns, capitalising on the incremental reach and precise measurability that programmatic DOOH offers. To enhance brand-building efforts, social media is increasingly integrated with prDOOH (83%, +5 ppt YoY for core markets).

Dynamic Creative Optimisation

In the five core markets, nearly all surveyed marketers (95%) recognise the potential benefits of Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO) for prDOOH campaigns, with many either considering, testing, or actively utilising it to enhance campaign effectiveness. Key benefits cited include creative flexibility (42%), improved relevance (40%) and optimised ad spend (38%).

The real-time adaptability of DCO is a key factor driving its appeal, especially in Australia (37%), the US (36%), and the UK (34%). This agility allows marketers to swiftly respond to trends or events, further amplifying the effectiveness of prDOOH campaigns.

Sustainability & prDOOH

Advertisers and agencies globally are increasingly prioritising sustainability in their advertising campaigns. The survey reveals that 60% of marketers globally consider sustainability an important driving factor when investing in prDOOH. Marketers in the UK (61%), Australia (65%), France (65%), and Brazil (65%) particularly favour prDOOH for its efficiency and sustainability credentials, by activating only when targeted audiences are present or specific conditions are met, combined with its one-to-many broadcast nature (62% prDOOH vs. 58% DOOH vs. 52% OOH).

The growing emphasis on sustainability, now a top three factor for nearly a third of marketers globally (31%), highlights a promising trend towards eco-conscious marketing practices, an area where prDOOH demonstrates a clear advantage.

“Globally marketers increasingly recognise prDOOH’s flexibility, dynamic creative opportunities and sustainability benefits. We’re confident its growth will continue, and as this report indicates, we anticipate a 28% increase in prDOOH spending over the next 18 months, with significant budgets sourced from existing traditional and digital budgets, as well as entirely new budget allocations.

The flexibility of programmatic buying has enabled marketers to seamlessly integrate prDOOH into their campaigns as part of broader multi-channel strategies, and we’re looking forward to continuing to drive the evolution of DOOH towards a programmatic, more integrated future in the media landscape,” said Jean-Christophe Conti, Chief Executive Officer at VIOOH. 

See the full report here: viooh.com/sotn    

-Ends-

Notes to editor 

VIOOH partnered with research and strategy agency, MTM, to survey 1,200 advertisers and agencies across the US, UK, Australia, Germany, France, and Brazil to gain insights into the current state of prDOOH advertising.

Participants in this research have already purchased prDOOH in the past 12 months or are digital buyers open to purchasing it.

About VIOOH

VIOOH is a leading premium global digital out of home supply-side platform.

Launched in 2018 and with headquarters in London, VIOOH’s platform connects buyers and sellers in a premium marketplace, making OOH easily accessible.

Led by a team of digital OOH and programmatic tech experts, VIOOH is pioneering the transformation of the OOH sector, championing its role in enhancing multi-channel digital campaigns through the use of programmatic capabilities and data. VIOOH currently trades programmatically in 22 markets, with more to follow.

For more information about VIOOH, please visit www.viooh.com or follow us on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn