Being a millennial, what is our best memory while sitting in front of the TV? Can you remember the ad launched by RC Cola, “Tomar jonno morte pari?” Or the ad “Tumi, ami ar Danish” by Danish. Those were the highly budgeted ads that were launched that time. And those ads had the most catchy songs and tunes. We all enjoyed those ads; frankly, some of us usually sat to enjoy those, thinking when the ad would run. Gone are those days, sigh!
But nowadays, that kind of ads are not made, and we don’t have time to sit in front of the TV. We are busy in the rat race. And if by any chance we look at traditional bill board what do we see? We see a posh and perfect-looking model’s face, but can we remember what the product was?
Exactly, that’s how most of them are: big photos, dramatic poses, and the brand name tucked somewhere in the corner. And if you’re traveling down a busy highway, spotting the full message on one of those boards is no easy job; whether you’re on a bus or in a car, it often takes three or four passes before you notice what the ad is about.
But digital billboards? They are different.
You don’t need to force yourself to look. Your eyes are just drawn to them. The screen changes, the motion grabs your attention, and before you even realize it, your mind is already asking, What’s coming next?
Traditional billboards usually fade into the background as we often get confused about what to look at, like whether to look at the poised model, the product, or the dress that is worn by the model so many background noises, right? The right thing is not rightly served. And what more to say? Due to excessive use of mobile phones, our attention span has become shortened. Thus, we tend not to look for traditional ads.
On the contrary, DOOH is more like a conversation. The fast-forward movement sparks both interest and curiosity, does it not? Let’s learn about a fun fact, which is, globally, top brands are now spending nearly 2.5 times more on digital out-of-home ads than on the regular printed ones. It’s not just about catching attention anymore; it’s about holding it.
Let’s See How Programmatic DOOH Works
Unlike the ads that run on our mobiles, like while seeing something, we mostly skip those, but DOOH is impossible to skip. Think beyond Times Square (located at the heart of New York) billboards; we are talking about hundreds of thousands of outdoor ad opportunities that are made in real-time, with the same targeting abilities as other digital channels.
So, more specifically, DOOH is more than just displaying an ad on a digital screen and hoping that people will notice. Nope, it doesn’t work like that. It’s far more intelligent than that.
These screens are connected to a system that can decide on the spot which ad to show, when to show it, and where to show it. What you see on the screen depends on things like the time of day, the weather, where the screen is, and how busy the place is. There is no need for phone calls, physical setup, or waiting for someone to change the banner. The system understands the situation quickly and changes the screen instantly.
Let’s say, it’s a hot summer afternoon in Dhaka and the temperature’s touching 38°C. You are sitting in a rickshaw, stuck at the Farmgate signal, sweat rolling down your back. Suddenly, you notice an ad for a cold soft drink on a digital billboard. It wasn’t shown by chance; it was planned to appear when the weather became this hot. It appears that the advertisement arrived at the right time.
This is what programmatic DOOH is all about. It automatically displays the correct message at the proper moment and location.
Different Types of DOOH You are Probably Already Seeing around You:
Most of the DOOH can play video as well as image ads. Digital out-of-home advertising is engaging, 100% viewable, and a potent addition to any media mix. Let’s learn about some popular DOOH screens that you’re sure to run into and notice:
1. Large Roadside Digital Billboards: These are found throughout Dhaka, including Farmgate, the intersection of Gulshan 1 and Airport Road, and the area around Bangla Motor. Particularly during morning and evening rush hours, when traffic is heavy, these massive LED screens rotate advertisements every few seconds.
2. Screens Inside Shopping Malls and Supershops: The majority of large shopping centers, including Jamuna Future Park, Shimanto Shambhar, Unimart and Meena Bazar, now have digital screens that display flash sales, food specials, or seasonal discounts. These screens keep brands in front of consumers when they are already in the buying mood.
3. Screens in Public Transport or Terminals: Digital screens that display advertisements, news updates, or safety messages can be found inside public transportation like BRTC double-deckers or at launch terminals like Sadarghat. These are ideal for people who have time to look while they are traveling or simply waiting.
So far, these are the most popular formats of DOOH.
3. Benefits of Programmatic DOOH
Unlike traditional advertisements, DOOH ads are unskippable, appear in contextually relevant environments without relying on 1st- or 3rd-party data, and can even be used for retargeting.
Here are some more benefits of using programmatic DOOH over traditional advertising:
- Real-time Flexibility: Brands can launch, pause, or adjust campaigns anytime based on budget, weather, location, or time of day, unlike traditional billboards, which are static.
- Targeted Reach: Programmatic DOOH makes it possible to show different ads to different people depending on the place, time, and situation. For example, one kind of ad can play near offices in the morning, and a different one near shopping areas in the evening.
- Efficient Budget Utilization: Because media is purchased based on impressions, brands only pay to reach their intended audience, minimizing waste and increasing ROI.
- Data-Driven Optimization: You can keep track of how the campaign is doing from time to time and make quick changes if needed. This isn’t possible with regular billboards.
- Faster Campaign Execution: Since there’s no need to book everything by hand, ads can start running right away on many screens at once, which saves both time and effort.
- Easy Scalability across Cities: Once the ad is ready, it can be shown in different cities like Dhaka, Chattogram, or Sylhet at the same time, without needing to manage each place separately.
4. How to run Programmatic DOOH for optimized results
To increase the effectiveness of DOOH efforts, do the following steps:
- Know your audience first: Before you do anything else, you should know who you are trying to reach. For example, if your target audience is office employees in Gulshan or students in Dhanmondi, your campaign should be designed around when these people are most active.
- Choose the right locations: Not every screen is the same. A busy intersection in Farmgate generates different results than a screen inside a shopping mall. Choose places where your message will be noticed by those you care about.
- Plan for the right time: Timing is crucial. For example, cold drink advertisements are more effective when shown in the afternoon than in the morning. Similarly, promoting fashion deals during the Eid season generates a higher response than doing so outside of the season.
- Keep the message short and clear: DOOH advertisements are not read by people for very long. Use clear imagery and a straightforward message. “Buy 1 Get 1 Only This Weekend”, for instance, is more effective than lengthy descriptions.
- Check the results and adjust: As soon as your campaign launches, monitor its progress. Move to a different location if the current one isn’t providing adequate visibility. With programmatic DOOH, you can make changes fast without waiting for the entire campaign to be finished.
Measuring the results from programmatic DOOH
It’s smart to run a DOOH campaign, but even smarter is to know if it was successful. It’s difficult to track actual impact with traditional billboards, but programmatic DOOH provides a clear way to measure performance. Here’s how to determine whether your advertisement led to any real change: An indication that your advertisement was successful is if more customers began entering the store during or immediately after it was placed.
For instance, if you placed a clothing advertisement close to Bashundhara City on a weekend and saw more people than normal, the advertisement probably attracted them.
One easy way to see if your ad worked is by checking sales. If you promoted cold drinks during a hot week and saw more sales in the areas where the ad ran, that’s a good sign. Many brands simply compare sales before and after the ad to understand the result.
Some systems can tell if someone saw your ad on a screen and later visited your store. For example, if someone sees a burger ad on a screen near Dhanmondi and later visits that burger shop, it shows the ad worked. This helps brands understand if people are visiting after seeing their ads.
Lastly
Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising is not only the future; it is already changing the way brands interact with people in the real world. DOOH provides a smarter, faster, and more efficient way to be seen, whether it’s a screen that responds to the weather, a campaign that adjusts in real time, or ads that appear precisely when someone is most likely to notice them.
Unlike traditional billboards, these screens actively attract attention rather than simply waiting to be noticed. From busy city streets to quiet mall walkways, DOOH transforms everyday moments into timely, targeted, and measurable marketing opportunities.
For brands looking to remain relevant and visible in a world full of distractions, programmatic DOOH is not just an option; it is the only way forward.