The Competitive Edge: Top Metrics to Enhance DOOH Performance

If you are interested in programmatic DOOH (digital out-of-home) advertising, you probably want to know how to measure the results of your campaigns. After all, measurement is crucial for evaluating the success and ROI of your ads, as well as for optimizing and improving your strategies.

But what are the metrics that matter in programmatic DOOH? How can you track and analyze the performance and effectiveness of your ads in this dynamic and data-driven medium? In this article, we’ll discuss different types of metrics that are used in pDOOH (Programmatic digital out-of-home), and show the results of some real campaigns where these metrics were applied.

Top 5 DOOH Metrics You Need to Know

Digital screens worldwide have made DOOH advertising more creative, flexible, and targeted. Measurability is a key part of this change. Given its popularity, programmatic trading must be tracked and evaluated for maximum customer reach. However, quantifying the impact of DOOH has been a challenge.

This issue has been addressed as a result of recent advancements in data and technology. Marketers can now use accurate data to assess their DOOH initiatives effectively. New technology and better tools provide insights into the campaign's performance with different media owners and assets. Based on JCDecaux's research, the most commonly used KPIs are brand awareness (70%), performance of digital channels (67%), and impressions (66%). Let’s see them in detail:

1. Brand Awareness

Brand awareness is how well a target audience knows and likes a specific brand. It shows how much consumers can remember, identify, and/or connect a brand with certain attributes or values. Ad frequency, reach, and creativity are a few examples of factors that can affect brand awareness. A memorable and eye-catching DOOH campaign in a high-traffic area can boost brand awareness among the target audience. Surveys, website traffic, branded search volume, and social listening are all common methods for measuring brand awareness. According to a study by Nielsen, DOOH campaigns can increase brand awareness by 38% on average, compared to 21% for traditional OOH campaigns.

2. Impressions?

Impressions show advertisers how many people see their ads during a campaign. The cost per impression (CPM) is what they pay for every thousand views. Online ads only show one impression per user, but pDOOH impressions are based on one ad playing on a screen that many users can view at once.

Various data sources, such as mobile GPS location data, visual sensors based on LiDAR, WiFi, Bluetooth, thermal and video cameras, or surveys, estimate how many people see each ad. If measurements are not constant, an impression multiplier multiplies this number to get programmatic DOOH impressions. Screen location, size, type, time of day, weather, traffic, and events affect the impression multiplier.

3. Performance of Digital Channels

This metric measures how well a DOOH campaign drives traffic, engagement, and conversions to websites, social media, and mobile apps. It can be influenced by factors such as ad relevance, call-to-action, and cross-channel integration. For example, a DOOH campaign that uses QR codes or NFC tags to direct consumers to a website or app can increase this metric. Analytics tools that monitor the origin and actions of online visitors or app users are a common method to evaluate the effectiveness of digital channels. According to the mentioned JCDecaux study, DOOH campaigns can increase online traffic by 14% on average, compared to 7% for traditional OOH campaigns.

4. Online Sales

Based on JCDeaux's research, “2/3 (63%) of marketers always or usually measure online sales, proving it is possible to overcome the challenge of tying online and offline together”.? The online sales metric measures how a DOOH campaign affects brand or product online sales. This metric depends on factors such as ad messages, offers, and timing. Online sales can increase with a DOOH campaign that promotes a product's features and offers discounts. For example, e-commerce platforms can track and measure the amount and value of online orders. A study, Sightline’s DOOH Difference 2022, notes that DOOH encourages 50% of people to make online purchases.

5. Increase in Search Activity

The same study found that DOOH motivates 66% more people to search online. Also, DOOH campaigns can boost search activity by 17% on average, compared to 16% for traditional OOH campaigns. An effective DOOH ad campaign generates brand- or product-specific new searches or social media mentions. Factors such as ad content, keywords, and hashtags play a role in driving an uptick in search activity. SEO tracks search query volume and ranking to measure search activity. Also, social media monitoring tools can track the volume and sentiment of social media posts.

Real DOOH Campaigns

• HP used DOOH ads to reach hybrid remote workers and high-level decision-makers and increase their brand awareness and purchase intent. They targeted key markets and tech industries, commute routes, and conferences when the audience was most receptive. In fact, by using retargeting technology and full-motion creative where supported, they achieved an increased brand opinion and purchase intent of 30%, raised brand consideration by 36, and generated a 39% lift in ad recall.

• Renault planned a comprehensive promotional effort in Spain for its Arkana SUV, employing a mix of pDOOH, video, and display ads. This multichannel strategy is connected with a youthful and eco-conscious consumer base. Tailoring the approach to the ebb and flow of seasons and audience interactions, the campaign effectively boosted brand recognition, purchase intent, web traction, and Arkana leads. In fact, the campaign reached over 10 million people across the UK, France, Italy, and Germany, increasing brand awareness by 6.7% and purchase consideration by 4.4% among the target audience.

• Polish Smog Alarm’s anti-smoking campaign raised awareness of smoking's health risks and encouraged quitting. They installed DOOH screens with smoke detectors that recorded a man coughing when someone smoked near them. The campaign also encouraged smokers to quit and directed them to a support website. The result was reaching over 2 million people, generating over 20,000 online visits, and increasing search queries for “quit smoking” by 25%.

• Samsung used DOOH screens in South Korea to demonstrate the features and benefits of the Samsung Z Flip 4 smartphone and its integration with Google Assistant. They used voice recognition technology to allow users to interact with the screens using voice commands and see how Google Assistant can help them with various tasks. It resulted in over 6 million impressions, 10,000 interactions, and a 9% increase in sales.

Bottom Line

When it comes to programmatic DOOH, determining campaign success is critical. We have seen how metrics like brand awareness, impressions, and digital performance can be key indicators of a campaign's performance. Combining data and advanced technologies has unlocked the ability to understand the impact of DOOH better. The final outcome? Accurate measurement amplifies strategies and ROI. How do you use these tools to guide you through this dynamic journey and improve your campaign outcomes?