Recently, various demand-side platforms (DSPs) such as The Trade Desk and Amobee have announced the integration of out-of-home (OOH) within their marketplaces. Although the integration of digital out-of-home (DOOH) is an anticipated next step for programmatic self-serve, it is not as easily assimilated as other media.

Namely, when purchasing media for other channels via a DSP, the focus is generally on reaching a desired audience, utilizing various data to accomplish this. Purchasing an audience for a billboard doesn’t sound plausible, given that the medium typically works more as a mass-reach tactic. Similarly, when purchasing OOH, reach and impressions are the most common methods of measurement.

Targeting audiences on DOOH programmatically includes targeting based on time of day, weather and proximity to various locations. For example, executing a campaign targeting frequent flyers by buying boards surrounding airports would be a way to ensure you’re reaching your desired audience. Although these strategies existed prior to the availability of DOOH via a DSP, now the ease of implementing a plan like this doesn’t rely on sending out multiple RFPs, managing multiple vendors and waiting for responses. Furthermore, an additional benefit of purchasing DOOH programmatically is the ease of integration with mobile devices and the ability to reach consumers in a new way. While this offers the ability to target more users on a one-to-one basis, it also provides for more accurate measurement. According to Mediapost, “a number of industry associations are making strides in developing standards that will more accurately measure and analyze how consumers engage with OOH using anonymously collected mobile data.” The combination of mobile and DOOH will fill the gap that OOH has left until recently, lacking the standards for audience demographic data and measurement.

DOOH is about to undergo some big changes, which should help address the skepticism that has previously stalled its growth. With the integration of mobile, the roadblocks of audience targeting and measurement are no longer issues. MediaPost sites that “the DOOH market is on track to grow to more than $26B by 2023, and according to a recent DPAA survey, more than 60% of planners have included DOOH in their media plans.”