AMBASSADOR MARKETING

DOOH Advertising: 8 Ways Digital Out-of-Home Can Boost Brand Visibility

At inBeat, we’ve seen just how much digital out-of-home advertising has changed the game for brands. It allows them to connect with people in the real world more effectively.

In fact, studies show that 73% of consumers view digital OOH (and DOOH) ads favourably and 76% say they’ve taken action after seeing one.

You can get similar results if you do DOOH advertising right.

That’s why, in this article, we’ll take you through 8 ways in which you can leverage DOOH to scale your brand visibility.

Let’s dive in.

Pro tip: Pair your DOOH campaigns with user-generated content or social amplification. When people see your ads in the real world and online, your visibility compounds fast.

TL;DR

DOOH Overview: Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) ads use digital screens in public spaces such as billboards, malls, airports, and transit hubs to deliver dynamic, data-driven content.

Why It Matters: 73% of consumers view DOOH ads favorably, and 76% take action after seeing one.

Key Advantage: Combines the real-world impact of outdoor ads with digital precision, flexibility, and measurable performance.

Core DOOH Formats

• Roadside billboards for mass awareness and visibility.
• Transit screens for contextual messaging during commutes.
• In-store displays for influencing purchase decisions.
• Programmatic DOOH for automated, data-based targeting.

Main Benefits

• Broad reach across high-traffic environments.
• High visibility through motion and animation.
• Interactive and memorable experiences that drive engagement.
• Contextually relevant, real-time, and privacy-friendly messaging.
• Measurable impact via foot traffic, engagement, and conversions.

8 Ways to Boost Brand Visibility

1. Use influencers to humanize campaigns and add trust.
2. Target high-traffic locations such as airports and shopping centers.
3. Leverage real-time content that adapts to weather or live events.
4. Personalize with programmatic DOOH for precise audience targeting.
5. Use large-format screens for emotional and visual impact.
6. Integrate with mobile and social to extend engagement beyond the screen.
7. Adopt interactive DOOH to encourage participation and longer view times.
8. Invest in premium placements to elevate brand authority and recall.

How to Get Started

• Define clear objectives and KPIs before launching.
• Select locations and formats based on audience movement.
• Design bold, short-form creative that delivers impact fast.
• Use programmatic buying for flexibility and real-time optimization.
• Track performance using QR codes, impressions, and engagement metrics.

Final Insight: DOOH connects brands with people in the real world through relevant, data-powered, and visually compelling experiences. It enhances brand visibility, engagement, and trust.

What Is DOOH Advertising?

DOOH is digital advertising on screens you see in public spaces. This includes roadside billboards, transit hubs, shopping malls, airports, and even gas stations.

Unlike static posters, which people can ignore more easily, DOOH lets you share dynamic, real-time content. You can adjust it based on the moment, location, or audience behavior. This makes your message feel relevant and timely.

One exciting aspect of DOOH is the creative freedom it offers.

You can use videos, animations, live updates, or even interactive elements. These tools help tell your brand story in ways that stick with people, like so:

       

From our experience, campaigns that use DOOH strategically don’t just grab attention. They also build trust and credibility. Your audience sees your brand in high-traffic, high-visibility environments where they naturally go.

That’s why the DOOH advertising market is growing at a fast pace. According to eMarketer, programmatic DOOH ad spending in the U.S. alone is projected to reach around $1.23 billion by 2026.

DOOH Formats

We’ve learned that picking the right DOOH formats can make all the difference when you want your brand to stand out and truly connect with people in the real world. Each format offers a unique way to capture attention and create memorable experiences for your audience.

So, here’s what we advise you to consider:

1. Roadside Billboards

These large digital screens along highways and busy streets put your brand in front of thousands of eyes every day. Here’s an example, though it could be better:

From our experience, bold visuals and concise messaging work best, since commuters only have a few seconds to absorb your content. In this case, the billboard above has concise messaging, but not bold visuals.

If your goal is broad reach and brand awareness, this format delivers well when you use it correctly.

After all, according to research by Vistar Media, billboard advertising in 2022 saw a lift in awareness on 72% of campaigns, a lift in intent on 79% of campaigns, and a lift in foot traffic on 67% of campaigns.

2. Transit Screens

Found in buses, trains, subway stations, and airports, these screens reach people during commutes or waiting periods.

We’ve noticed that campaigns perform best when paired with contextual or location-specific messaging like promoting a coffee brand in the morning at a busy train station or a travel app near airport gates.

3. In-Store Displays

Screens inside retail spaces give you the chance to influence purchase decisions right at the point of sale. Short video loops or interactive content can showcase product features, promotions, or demos, creating a hands-on, engaging experience.

4. Programmatic DOOH

This format uses data-based targeting and automated media buying to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time, even factoring in weather, time of day, or audience behavior. Programmatic DOOH ensures relevance and timeliness.

That’s why, for example, location‑based DOOH campaigns using contextual triggers (like weather or time‑of‑day) saw up to a 16% sales lift compared to non‑targeted OOH.

Pro tip: Interested in programmatic advertising? We analyzed the top 12 platforms for programmatic ads, with use cases and examples.

DOOH Advertising Benefits

DOOH advertising can completely transform the way brands connect with people in the real world. Leveraging DOOH effectively means creating impactful, memorable, and measurable connections with your audience, as you’ve seen from the examples above.

Here are some of the benefits you can expect.

• Reach: DOOH places your message in front of large, diverse audiences across multiple touchpoints. Roadside billboards, transit screens, and high-traffic locations can generate thousands or even millions of impressions daily.
• Visibility: Digital screens naturally grab attention, especially in busy environments. Unlike static posters, DOOH allows you to use motion, bold visuals, and animation, making your brand hard to ignore.
• Memorable and immersive experiences: DOOH lets your brand tell stories that stick. Interactive screens, video loops, or AR experiences turn passive viewers into active participants. For example, interactive retail displays have been shown to boost engagement by up to 50% across multiple locations. Experiences like these create strong emotional connections and turn everyday moments in public spaces into lasting brand memories.
• Contextual relevance: The best DOOH campaigns are relevant to the moment. Weather-triggered ads, location-based messages, or event-specific content make your brand feel timely and thoughtful. For instance, weather- and context-triggered DOOH campaigns increased the chances of foot-traffic by +57% compared to always-on creatives.
• Real-time flexibility: One of DOOH’s biggest advantages is the ability to adapt instantly. Whether it’s a flash promotion, live event, or breaking news, your content can evolve in real time. During a sports championship, a quick-service client displayed live scores alongside offers on transit screens, boosting traffic and sales immediately. With DOOH, your brand stays agile, relevant, and part of the conversation.
• Precise targeting:  Programmatic DOOH allows you to reach the right people, in the right place, at the right time leveraging location, demographics, time of day, and audience behavior. Geofenced and location-based DOOH ads can increase conversion or action rates by up to 30% through precise targeting and data-driven triggers. Targeting like this ensures every dollar you invest works harder.
• Privacy-friendly: Unlike some online channels, DOOH doesn’t rely on personal data or invasive tracking. Your audience receives engaging, relevant content without privacy concerns, which builds trust and brand credibility. That’s one of the reasons why DOOH adoption is accelerating.

DOOH Advertising Examples: 8 Ways to Boost Brand Visibility

At inBeat Agency, we’ve seen that the best digital out-of-home campaigns do more than just fill screens; they create moments. Moments of surprise, relevance, and emotion that actually make people look up, connect, and remember.

If you’re a CMO or brand leader looking to make your message stand out in the real world, here are eight proven ways to use DOOH for maximum impact.

1. Use Influencers to Bring Your Campaigns to Life:

Influencers don’t have to stay on social media. They can take your DOOH campaigns to another level.

A familiar face on a digital billboard instantly adds trust and recognition, turning a simple ad into a talking point. For example, brands working with creators often report earning an average of $6.50 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing.

This performance underlines the high efficiency of influencer‑driven campaigns, and it shows promising results when you move it to DOOH.

Pro tip: Repurpose influencer-generated content for outdoor screens: quick videos, dynamic images, or live shout-outs. At our sister-agency inBeat, we can help you find the right creators and adapt their content for maximum DOOH impact.

2. Reach Consumers in High-Traffic Locations

The beauty of DOOH is visibility. Airports, metro stations, shopping centres are high-traffic zones where your message gets seen again and again. Repetition builds recognition, and recognition builds action.

All current data reflects this.

In fact, one study suggests that more than 3‑out‑of‑4 (79 %) frequent flyers would like to try new products at the airport; 47 % visited a brand’s website or store after seeing an airport ad.

Pro tip: Context is everything. Coffee ads at dawn, sports drinks near gyms, or travel gear at airport terminals align your message with the environment. We can help you map the perfect placements for your audience.

3. Stay Relevant with Real-Time Content

One of DOOH’s biggest strengths is flexibility. You can adapt your message as life happens responding to weather, events, or even live scores.

Real-time content helps brands stay relevant and ensures your audience sees timely, meaningful messages.

Pro tip: Plan campaigns that can pivot in real time flash deals, countdowns, live updates. When your message feels alive, people pay attention.

Here’s how to make it work:

Build multiple creative variations ahead of time and tie them to live data triggers; think weather APIs, event calendars, or sports feeds. For instance, if rain starts in a specific ZIP code, your ad can instantly switch from sunglasses to umbrellas.

You can also sync DOOH content with social trends or local happenings. A quick creative refresh during a city marathon or concert weekend can make your brand part of the conversation rather than background noise.

Pro tip: Map your audience’s movement patterns. Use mobile location data or heatmaps from your media partner to identify high-traffic touchpoints throughout the day. The closer your message aligns with people’s routines, the higher your engagement.

4. Personalize Messages with Programmatic DOOH

Programmatic DOOH helps brands deliver smarter, data-driven campaigns by tailoring ads based on location, time, audience behavior, and demographics.

According to Perion’s report on the benefits of Programmatic DOOH, programmatic targeting enables real-time optimization and contextual relevance, helping brands reach the right people at the right moment and maximize ROI.

To execute a programmatic DOOH strategy, we advise you to:

• Start by defining your core audience and preferred geos. This could be near gyms, transit hubs, office clusters, or retail zones.
• Then, use demand-side platforms (DSPs) like Vistar Media, Hivestack, or Broadsign Reach to bid on digital screens in those areas.

Remember: You can layer on real-time data like traffic, weather, or footfall volume to optimize delivery on the fly.

Mix data with context, too. Show umbrellas when it rains or ice-cream ads when it’s hot. The more relevant your content, the higher your ROI.

5. Create Impact With Large-Format Digital Screens

A study by The Media Leader and Lumen Research found that premium large-format DOOH attracts up to 5X more attention than standard digital formats and drives 2.5X higher brand recall, making it one of the most effective tools for visibility.

Basically, big screens make big impressions. Whether it’s a city-center LED or a massive building wrap, large-format DOOH captures attention and emotion like few other media can.

Pro Tip: Use these spaces for storytelling, launches, or brand moments. When people stop to film your ad, that’s impact.

This Nike campaign lights up downtown Los Angeles with massive LED screens, showcasing products like Air Force 1 and special collaborations. It’s a perfect example of how large-format digital billboards can capture attention and create a strong visual impact in high-traffic urban areas:

6. Integrate DOOH With Mobile and Social Campaigns

The most powerful DOOH campaigns don’t stop at the screen. They continue onto your audience’s phones. QR codes, hashtags, and geo-retargeting bridge the physical and digital worlds.

Many sources highlight that combining DOOH with mobile and digital channels more than triples reach  and drives measurable online behavior. That way, you can convert real-world impressions into digital engagement and sales.

Pro tip: Blend DOOH with UGC or social feeds: show real customers, live comments, or trending moments. It makes your campaign interactive and worth sharing.

Here’s how we advise you to proceed:

• Start by aligning your out-of-home placements with the routes your audience actually takes, using mobility or heat-map data from your media partner.
• Connect those screens to a mobile-first experience: add high-contrast QR codes (at least 3 cm for visibility), short vanity URLs, and a clear incentive to scan, such as a timed discount or early access. Always tag your links with UTMs by screen or location so you can measure which placements drive the most engagement.
• Next, sync your DOOH with mobile and social flights. Launch social ads or geofenced retargeting within the same area 15–60 minutes after the DOOH plays, reinforcing message recall. Platforms like Meta, TikTok, and YouTube let you target users recently near your DOOH screens.
• Add context triggers to keep the experience consistent. For instance, show rain-responsive creatives on both the screen and in mobile ads.
• Track incrementality: measure QR scans, store visits, or conversions by geo.

7. Leverage Interactive DOOH for Engagement

Why settle for passive ads when you can make people interact with your brand? Interactive DOOH like AR mirrors, gamified screens, or motion sensors transform curiosity into engagement.

According to PQ Media’s Global Digital Out-of-Home Media Forecast, interactive DOOH formats generate a 3–5 longer viewer duration than static displays, proving that participation truly pays off.

Pro tip: Keep it quick and fun. If users can interact within 30 seconds and get something back (e.g., a reward, a surprise, or a selfie moment), they’ll remember it.

Here’s a good example.

GMC’s interactive campaign uses facial detection technology to engage passersby. People can interact directly with the screen, turning a simple ad into a memorable, hands-on experience. This is a great illustration of how interactive DOOH can drive engagement and leave a lasting impression.

8. Boost Brand Authority With Premium Placements

Nothing says “industry leader” like your brand lighting up Times Square or other iconic urban landmarks. These high-profile placements go beyond visibility; they position your brand as aspirational and trustworthy.

According to Ocean Outdoor’s Premium DOOH Effectiveness Report, brands featured in premium locations enjoy up to 2.5X higher ad recall and significantly stronger emotional impact, turning short-term exposure into long-term brand equity.

Pro tip: Even a short burst in an iconic location can drive long-term brand authority. Think of it as PR, advertising, and social proof all rolled into one.

How to Get Started With DOOH Advertising

Launching your first Digital Out-of-Home campaign can feel like stepping into a new world. One that merges creativity, data, and physical presence. From our experience at inBeat Agency, the brands that truly shine in DOOH are the ones that plan with intention, stay flexible, and measure what actually matters.

Here’s how we help brands like yours get started the smart way.

1. Identify Clear Objectives:

Every great campaign starts with a simple question: why are you advertising? Are you trying to boost awareness, spark engagement, or drive conversions? According to HubSpot’s Marketing Strategy Guide, clear goals are the foundation of all successful campaigns.

The “why” determines everything: your format, your message, even your media mix. We’ve seen too many brands rush into execution without clear intent and that’s where campaigns fall flat.

Pro tip: Pick one or two measurable KPIs and design your campaign backward from those goals. It’s easier to optimize one clear target than to chase five vague ones.

2. Choose the Right Locations and Formats:

Once your goals are clear, the next question is: where does your audience move? Mapping your ideal customer’s daily routes helps you find the sweet spots: the places where your message will actually meet their eyes.

For example, a luxury skincare brand in Paris may choose screens in upscale shopping areas and metro corridors near beauty retailers. This kind of placement feels natural and credible.

Besides, each format serves a purpose:

• Large-format LEDs → Perfect for bold visibility and emotional storytelling.
• Transit and retail screens → Ideal for repeated impressions in daily routines.
• Interactive or AR displays → Great for engagement and brand memorability.

Pro tip: Mix formats strategically. Use one large, high-impact billboard to grab attention and smaller retail screens nearby to reinforce your message. It’s how you build frequency without fatigue.

3. Plan Creative Assets for Instant Impact

DOOH isn’t a “sit-and-read” medium. You get about five seconds to make an impression, so every element has to work hard. Keep your copy short, visuals bold, and design clean.

Faces and motion catch attention faster than text-heavy ads. For example, research by QMS found that creative that evolves in-format delivered a 38% higher impact compared with static creative by day 5.

Pro tip: Test your creative on your phone screen. If it’s striking at arm’s length, it’ll pop on a billboard. Think of it as a headline in motion, not a paragraph in pixels.

4. Consider Programmatic Buying for Flexibility:

Traditional outdoor ads require months of planning and rigid placements. Programmatic DOOH flips that script by giving you real-time control over when, where, and how your ads appear. Imagine you’re promoting a cold-drink brand: with programmatic, your ads can trigger automatically on hot afternoons or around gyms post-workout.

Or say you’re a retailer: your creative can change instantly based on store inventory or local events. We often recommend programmatic to brands testing new markets or creative ideas.

And it works: one case study reported a campaign achieving 156% ROI within 90 days after switching to programmatic DOOH.

Pro tip: Start small. Run a few test markets, watch performance closely, then scale where engagement spikes. Treat it like an agile outdoor marketing: test, learn, refine, repeat.

5. Track, Measure, and Optimize Results:

Modern advertising techniques are no longer about “gut feel.” They should be data-driven and measurable.

Most platforms today offer metrics like impressions, dwell time, and even store-visit attribution through mobile data.

At inBeat, we go a step further: we collect secondary signals like search spikes, hashtag mentions, and UGC.

Pro Tip: Use trackable QR codes or short, branded URLs to measure engagement. Compare pre- and post-campaign data to see your true brand lift.

Boost Brand Engagement and Visibility with inBeat

Digital out-of-home advertising is redefining how brands connect with real people in real places. DOOH blends the emotional impact of traditional outdoor with the precision, flexibility, and data of digital. That’s how it creates meaningful brand experiences where they matter most in the physical world.

Today, it’s no longer about simply showing your ad on a screen. You want to be reaching audiences at the right time, in the right context, with a message powered by real-time data. From weather-triggered billboards to AI-driven programmatic screens and interactive experiences, DOOH allows brands to stay relevant, memorable, and measurable.

At inBeat Agency, we help brands unlock this potential by combining creative storytelling with data-driven strategy. The results speak for themselves: higher engagement, stronger recall, and a lasting emotional connection.

Are you ready to elevate your brand’s visibility through smart, measurable DOOH campaigns? We’d love to help. Get in touch today and let’s craft a digital out-of-home strategy that drives real growth!

FAQ

What is the difference between DOOH and OOH?

OOH advertising includes static billboards and posters in public places, while DOOH uses digital displays that update in real time. With DOOH, you can use audience targeting and data-driven creative to make your digital ads more relevant.

How much does DOOH advertising cost?

Digital OOH advertising typically costs between $8 and $25 CPM, depending on screen type, location, and audience targeting. Because campaigns run on digital displays, you can adjust spend and creative instantly for stronger campaign performance.

How can DOOH campaigns be measured for effectiveness?

You can track campaign performance using impression data, QR scans, mobile retargeting, and foot traffic analytics. Modern DOOH platforms integrate with digital ads to measure engagement and conversions directly from public places and digital screens.

Is DOOH better for brand awareness or conversions?

Both. Digital OOH builds large-scale brand awareness in high-traffic public places while driving conversions when combined with mobile or social retargeting. Its dynamic audience targeting ensures your digital ads stay visible and measurable.

What industries benefit most from DOOH?

Retail, travel, food, entertainment, and automotive brands benefit most from OOH advertising. They use digital displays for precise audience targeting, contextual messaging, and real-time updates that boost campaign performance and visibility.