DOOH is not CTV and understanding 'Why' is the key to actually selling more DOOH.
Environment and Context:
DOOH refers to digital advertising that appears on physical screens in public or semi-public spaces, such as billboards, transit screens, or digital signage in retail locations. The context of DOOH is the real world, where ads are part of the environment that people pass by or interact with as they go about their daily activities. This makes DOOH an extension of the traditional out-of-home advertising that has long been a staple of brand marketing, operating within the established infrastructure of physical spaces.
CTV, on the other hand, is digital advertising delivered via internet-connected TVs, where ads are shown alongside or within streamed content. The context of CTV is the home or personal viewing space, where individuals have opted-in to watch self-selected video content. CTV offers a digital analog to the trusted broadcast and linear TV that media buyers are familiar with. That familiarity and existing relationships provide a seamless transition for buyers to be more targeted and performance-driven with a format they know and trust.
Targeting and Data
DOOH uses location-based targeting and sometimes leverages anonymized data from mobile devices to reach audiences in specific physical locations. The targeting is often broader and context-driven, aiming to reach people based on their physical location and behavior patterns in the real world, that is - context. Media buying in this space doesn't necessarily lack advanced targeting capabilities; rather, it operates within a framework where broad, contextually relevant targeting is the norm, and the infrastructure to support this type of targeting is well-established. The power of broadcast media is to reach a lot of people, at the same time, with a unified message, efficiently.
CTV benefits from more granular audience targeting, leveraging household-level data or individual user profiles to deliver highly targeted ads, however, that's not how everyone is buying it. The data-driven approach of CTV allows for more personalized ad experiences based on viewing habits, demographics, and other user data collected through streaming platforms but CTV also offers first-party data (1PD) verification, the known location of screens (in someone's living room), and the trust of major media companies with decades of historical performance. This is all part of the "Investment Confidence" equation.
Have you ever heard the saying - "Nobody Gets Fired For Buying IBM"
In this case, CTV is IBM. And that's critical to understand because it will save you from saying things like "DOOH is CTV". In fact, by understanding it, you'll be better equipped to educate buyers on the superpowers of DOOH.
Now can you repurpose CTV creative on DOOH networks? Sure. +1
But what about First Party Data (1PD)?
1PD refers to data collected directly from users by the platforms or publishers themselves, offering advertisers the ability to reconcile critical metrics like incremental reach, contribution, and other outcome-based insights.
Strength: CTV leverages 1PD to understand reach/incremental reach before buying a dollar of media. Advertisers can target customers based on detailed data such as viewing habits, demographic profiles, purchase history, and personal preferences, all in a privacy-friendly (and compliant) way. This allows CTV to deliver personalized ads, ideally leading to higher engagement and conversion rates, further increasing Investment Confidence.
Advantage of 1PD: The use of 1PD in CTV means that advertisers can create segments and deliver ads tailored to specific households or even individual users, allowing marketers to (ideally) be more precise and more efficient in delivering their message.
Efficiency Consideration: However, while CTV’s strength may lie in precision and personalization, efficiency—in terms of cost and reach—is arguably the superpower of DOOH.
Why Efficiency is DOOH’s Superpower
- Broad Reach at Scale: DOOH excels in delivering messages to large, diverse audiences at scale, with unmatched speed and effective ad dollars. The efficiency of DOOH lies in its ability to reach these large audiences in key contextual locations with a relatively low cost per impression, especially when compared to the potentially higher costs associated with highly targeted digital campaigns in CTV.
- Cost-Effective Brand Building: For brands looking to build instant grassroots credibility, overnight, DOOH offers a powerful solution. A well-placed digital billboard or transit ad can deliver significant visual impact and brand exposure without the need for the granular targeting that CTV requires. Trigger social media amplification, turn on the PR machine, and amplify the campaign. The campaign is the content. That makes DOOH particularly efficient for campaigns where the goal is to reach a wide audience with a strong, memorable message - online or off.
- Lower Complexity in Execution: DOOH campaigns are often simpler to execute and manage compared to the highly personalized, data-driven strategies required for CTV. Don't overcomplicate this - they're scaled-up display ads. These are signs on sticks in the ground or signs on walls and taxi tops. Advertisers can achieve widespread visibility with fewer creative variations and less need for constant optimization.
- High Impact in Key Locations: DOOH’s ability to dominate physical spaces like city centers, highways, and transit systems means it can deliver high-impact messaging in locations that matter most to advertisers. This efficiency of placement—targeting people in environments where they are likely to be receptive to the message—is a unique strength of DOOH. The ability to activate while the moment is happening? Superpower.
Measurement and Attribution
DOOH
- Strength: Measurement is typically done through metrics like impressions based on foot traffic or vehicle counts, often enhanced by mobile data that tracks movement near DOOH displays.
- Limitation: The challenge for DOOH isn't "measurement" as The Big I "Industry" defines it. In fact, I'd argue that DOOH has parity (even an advantage over) with CTV. Why? CTV reporting can be opaque. A lack of visibility in regards to which networks ads are shown on, programming ads are shown against, and other visibility factors are existing challenges.
DOOH doesn't have a measurement problem, DOOH has an "understanding the conversation" problem.
But what does "Measurement" mean to marketers? It has two parts.
Attribution
- Focus: Attribution assigns credit to specific touchpoints in a customer's journey that lead to a conversion or desired action. It tracks the sequence of interactions a user has with different marketing channels (e.g., ads, emails, social media) before making a purchase.
- Purpose: The goal is to understand which marketing channels or touchpoints are most influential in driving conversions. This helps marketers optimize their strategies by identifying which interactions contribute the most to the desired outcomes.
- Types: Common models include Single-Touch Attribution (credit given to one touchpoint, like the last click) and Multi-Touch Attribution (credit distributed across multiple touchpoints).
Contribution
- Focus: Contribution measures the overall impact of each marketing channel or tactic on the campaign's success. Instead of focusing on individual touchpoints, contribution assesses how much each channel contributes to the total results, like sales or conversions.
- Purpose: This approach is used to evaluate the effectiveness of each channel or tactic in isolation, often by analyzing the incremental lift (e.g., additional sales) generated by a specific marketing effort.
- Types: Methods like Media Mix Modeling (MMM) or Incrementality Testing are used to determine contribution by looking at broad, strategic impacts rather than specific touchpoint interactions.
Key Difference
- Attribution is concerned with the path to conversion and how different touchpoints interact to lead to a sale, focusing on tracking and credit assignment.
- Contribution focuses on measuring the incremental value added by each channel, often looking at the effectiveness of individual components in a broader marketing strategy.
How to Sell DOOH with CTV
- Tip: Emphasize how DOOH’s ability to reach large, diverse audiences in public spaces complements CTV’s more personalized, household-level targeting. Explain that while CTV reaches viewers in their homes, DOOH captures attention in the real world, building efficient top-of-funnel awareness and priming the audience for targeted middle-of-funnel tactics.
- Talking Point: “DOOH is brand insurance beyond the living room, reinforcing your message throughout your audience’s day as they move through high-traffic areas like city centers, shopping districts, and transit hubs.”
Leverage DOOH’s High Impact in Key Locations
- Tip: Discuss how DOOH can amplify the impact of a CTV campaign by choosing ad placements where targeted CTV audiences are likely to show up. This creates ubiquity, the all-important "everywhere effect".
- Talking Point: “By showing up where your customers are, DOOH guarantees delivery of that core message resonates in key moments and unlocks 'The Halo Effect' for everything down-funnel”.
Position DOOH as a Cost-Effective Way to Boost Brand Awareness
- Tip: Sell the efficiency of DOOH in delivering broad, impactful messages at a lower cost per impression compared to CTV. This can help maximize the overall budget by ensuring wide visibility without compromising on the depth of targeting offered by CTV.
- Talking Point: “DOOH offers a cost-effective hedge to ad fraud and is unmatched in driving top-of-funnel awareness with unit economics that make sense at scale. This allows you to maximize your effective ad dollars and create more outcomes for your budget.”
Emphasize the Synergy of Multi-Screen Exposure
- Tip: Highlight the benefits of a multi-screen strategy where DOOH and CTV work together to reinforce the brand message. Explain that seeing the same brand in different contexts—on TV at home and on digital billboards in public—enhances recall and drives action.
- Talking Point: “Combining DOOH with CTV creates a powerful multi-screen strategy. As consumers see your brand both at home and in their daily environments, it strengthens recall and increases the likelihood of engagement, leading to higher overall campaign effectiveness.”
Promote DOOH’s Role in Driving Immediate Action
- Tip: Point out how DOOH can be used to drive immediate, location-based actions, such as visiting a nearby store or attending an event, which complements CTV’s ability to drive online engagement or brand awareness.
- Talking Point: “DOOH can prompt immediate, real-world actions by delivering timely, location-specific messages. Whether it’s driving foot traffic to a nearby store or promoting an event happening in the area, DOOH works hand-in-hand with CTV to convert brand awareness into tangible results.”
What To Do Next
Double-down on DOOH’s broad reach, high impact, cost efficiency, multi-screen synergy, and ability to drive immediate action complement the precision and personalization of CTV. You'll be more credible, more helpful to buyers, and may even sell a little more along the way.
