Programmatic DOOH Shakes Off its Nascent Label & Enters the Mainstream

For the second year in a row, JCDecaux, the UK’s leading out-of-home media owner, has released new research into the programmatic digital out-of-home (pDOOH) landscape in the UK. The findings show that over the past 12 months pDOOH has become more integrated into the wider media mix, is favoured for its operational efficiency, and is widely used as part of an always on strategy to boost the reach of DOOH campaigns and to support other digital channels. 

“This is the second year in a row that MTM has partnered with JCDecaux UK to produce independent, quantitative insights into the world of pDOOH and we’ve seen real signs of increased maturity in the market compared to last year,” said Carrie Condino, B2B research director, MTM. “Now we're seeing more strategic implementation, true omni channel planning, and more sophisticated campaigns. We're seeing marketers feel more comfortable and confident with the channel and they're moving on to an era of leveraging insights and continually refining campaigns.”

Key findings include:

• Over three-quarters (77%) of UK pDOOH marketers are always directly involved in one or more other channels (up from 61% in 2023).
• The most common reasons for including pDOOH in the media mix are operational efficiency (28%), viewability (27%) and ability to reach incremental audiences (26%).
• Strategies vary with almost half (47%) using the channel to boost DOOH reach in specific locations or times (41%), 38% to support other digital channels, and 35% opting for an always on approach.

“Last years’ research revealed that pDOOH marketers sought better measurement solutions in order to grow the channel. However, over the past 12 months, pDOOH has proven its role in the marketing mix meaning that measurement, while still important, is being superseded by delivery focused objectives when it comes to reasons marketers choose pDOOH,” said Dom Kozak, head of programmatic, JCDecaux UK. “The strength of the channel lies in strategic, holistic planning combined with a robust, appropriate measurement strategy.”

“Marketers are rapidly becoming more adept at buying DOOH programmatically which means they're transferring some of the skills from other programmatic channels, they're optimising campaigns in real-time, they're experimenting with different buying options like programmatic guaranteed deals to ensure quality impressions and reducing wastage. I think all these are signs that pDOOH has become more aligned with programmatic skill sets refined in other channels.” said Carrie Condino.

The full report can be read here.