The question: “Is the journey to programmatic digital Out-of-Home worth as much as the destination?” has been on my mind for years, and it came to the forefront when I had the opportunity to host a panel at the Campaign Breakfast Briefing: Out of Home 2025 event, interviewing four of the leading minds in the realm of programmatic digital OOH (PrDOOH).

Here in the UAE, the journey towards fully integrated, seamless programmatic OOH has undoubtedly started – though how far we’ve travelled remains open to debate. Will we ever reach a future when advertisements can be bought, optimised and measured with the same fluidity that we see in advanced digital channels? That’s still unclear. Perhaps we should embrace the uncertainty and enjoy the ride. For all the promising headlines and bold market-size predictions, we need to first answer a fundamental question: are we even speaking the same language? Some speak of ‘automation’, essentially using technology to streamline workflows and accelerate processes.

Others aspire to ‘true programmatic’, where real-time data and algorithms power every decision, from which creative to show, to when and where it’s displayed. Both views have merit, but the difference between the two can be vast, especially in a market like the UAE that’s rapidly catching up to more mature regions.

We quickly learned from those who did. From the outset, we knew we had to harness digital transformation, invest in data, and prioritise education – not just for ourselves, but for our clients. This wasn’t a matter of fixing a broken system. Traditional OOH was working just fine, delivering consistent results. Rather, we saw an opportunity to evolve, ushering in more transparency, efficiency and innovation for both agencies and brands.

It’s incredible how far we’ve come in just a few years. The old refrain, “OOH isn’t measurable”, no longer holds quite the same weight. Integrations with third-party platforms, advanced audience analytics and new reporting standards have taken OOH to a level of accountability that once seemed out of reach.

The notion that OOH couldn’t be adjusted in real time, or that it was cumbersome to buy, is being challenged by dynamic screens and emerging marketplaces that combine multiple inventories. Even the criticism that OOH offers only broad, location-based targeting is being addressed with more precise data driven strategies, though there’s still plenty of ground to cover before we fully tap into the potential of behavioural and contextual insights.

Amidst these exciting developments, a crucial distinction remains: automation versus true programmatic. Automation certainly makes life easier, with less paperwork and quicker turnarounds. But true PrDOOH leverages live data signals and AI-powered decision-making to optimise delivery on the fly, often without human intervention. The UAE is making headway, though the infrastructure and adoption rates vary by operator, and not every media owner has embraced this new model. Still, there’s no question that we’re moving in the right direction.

Do we truly need PrDOOH? For many advertisers, traditional OOH still performs exceedingly well. Yet the broader marketing ecosystem keeps pushing toward integration and agility, qualities that PrDOOH can deliver in spades. By making OOH campaigns more flexible, measurable and data-driven, we ensure they can seamlessly fit into omnichannel strategies, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with digital and television. That’s a powerful allure in a rapidly evolving advertising landscape.

No, we’re not at the same level of programmatic maturity as some other regions. But that’s precisely what makes this journey so exciting: we have the benefit of hindsight, real-world benchmarks, and an increasingly sophisticated digital ecosystem that is hungry for innovation. If current trends are any indication, the UAE may very well surpass expectations, leaping ahead by selectively adopting and refining the best practices from around the world.

Ultimately, the growing presence of PrDOOH in the UAE reflects a market eager to align with global standards while embracing its own unique strengths. The future of OOH here is likely to look like a fusion of cutting-edge technology, creative storytelling and region-specific adaptability.

While there is still work to do before we can claim a fully programmatic ecosystem on par with the world’s most advanced players, each new milestone serves as a reminder of how far we’ve come – and how much promise lies ahead.

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The advertising industry is undergoing a seismic transformation, with digital channels reshaping the landscape and dominating ad spend. With their ability to deliver granular audience targeting, real-time analytics, and dynamic scalability, digital advertising has set a new standard for the industry. Moreover, they have transformed how ads are created and delivered while redefining consumer expectations, forcing advertisers to adopt innovative and agile strategies to stay relevant in the digital age.

Looking at Group M’s This Year Next Year: 2024 Global End of Year Forecast, digital advertising has emerged as the largest segment of global advertising revenue, poised to account for 72.9% of total ad spend by the end of the year and an estimated 76.8% by 2029. As digital channels continue to dominate ad spending, Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising finds itself at a pivotal moment. It’s never been more important for OOH to modernise and embrace flexibility, adopt innovative technology, and meet the evolving expectations of modern media buyers.

The challenge: Adapting to digital-first demands

Addressable advertising—where personalised messages are tailored to specific audience segments—has become the norm, reshaping expectations across all media formats. Advertisers today, particularly those well-versed in digital-first strategies, now expect:

• Data-driven insights: Modern advertisers demand detailed, real-time audience metrics and campaign analytics to optimise performance and demonstrate ROI. These insights, ranging from demographic profiles to behavioural trends, are critical for refining media plans and proving the value of ad spend.
• Real-time adaptability: In a fast-paced digital environment, advertisers value the ability to pivot campaigns instantly with minimal friction. Whether responding to market changes, consumer feedback, or unexpected events, this level of flexibility is non-negotiable.
• Accountability: The modern media buyer prioritises measurable outcomes. Every campaign must demonstrate its impact, whether through foot traffic attribution, engagement rates, or sales lift, ensuring every dollar spent is justified and effective.

While OOH advertising retains its enduring strengths — such as broad reach, unmissable visuals, and premium placement — combining these core strengths with the granularity, responsiveness, and transparency would make the medium more easily accessible to digital-native buyers.

The OOH advantage: Connecting the physical and digital

OOH’s core strength is its ability to reach audiences in the real world, delivering messages in moments that matter—whether during a morning commute, while shopping, or at a live event. With the added agility enabled by its digital transformation, OOH has become more dynamic than ever. Advertisers can now run campaigns that respond to live events and trends, adapt to environmental factors like weather, and update creative dynamically to keep messaging fresh. We’ve seen some iconic examples of this in 2024, which we highlighted in this blog, but here are a few examples:

Decathlon turned outages into adventures
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When the world was hit by a major IT outage in July, sporting goods retailer Decathlon turned a tech fail into a win with a witty DOOH campaign. Mimicking Microsoft’s error screen message (infamously dubbed the ‘blue screen of death’), the brand switched its OOH buys within 24 hours of the crisis.

H&M and Charli XCX dazzled with their surprise Times Square takeover
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In November, H&M pulled off an unforgettable Times Square takeover with a surprise collaboration featuring global popstar Charli XCX. The event celebrated the re-opening of H&M’s flagship Times Square store and the launch of its Holiday collection, blending music, fashion, and bold OOH to create a can’t-miss spectacle. With just 30 minutes’ notice shared via social media and in select H&M stores, thousands of fans rushed to the heart of New York City to catch the show.

This unique ability to resonate in physical spaces makes OOH indispensable, especially when paired with advancements, like unified audience measurement with impression-based metrics that help bring OOH in line with digital standards, and flexible buying, which allows advertisers to activate and adapt OOH campaigns on the fly, and data from mobile devices, geolocation services and others to deliver personalised content to specific audience sets.

Selling the future: rethinking the OOH playbook

Despite the many advancements brought on by OOH’s digital transformation, to thrive in today’s fast-evolving advertising landscape, media owners must shift from a traditional sales approach and align with the needs of modern buyers. While this shift won’t happen overnight, here are a few strategies that media owners can start with:

Flexible and tailored buying options‍

Providing customisable packages based on specific audience segments, geographic locations, or unique campaign objectives can help reinforce your network’s value and effectiveness to advertisers. Giving advertisers the ability to build a campaign that fits their unique goals not only delivers more pointed results but also allows you to charge premium pricing for custom campaign setups.

Agile campaign delivery and management

The ability to accommodate creative, non-standard campaigns not only builds trust with advertisers but also positions OOH as a flexible and adaptable medium. Offering flexibility in campaign duration, placements, and messaging allows you to deliver OOH campaigns that reflect the precision and responsiveness of digital-first strategies.

Technology-driven optimisation

Adopting technology-driven optimisation will be pivotal in transforming OOH into a smarter, more competitive medium. This includes data-triggered campaigns that allow advertisers to target specific audiences and behaviours, dynamic pricing models that adjust rates based on demand and performance to drive revenue, and real-time campaign optimisations to meet targets while maximising fill rates. Finally, combining these capabilities with robust analytics and reporting tools that demonstrate performance will turn OOH into a modern, indispensable part of any media strategy.

Staying ahead: Strategies for long-term growth

To secure its position as an essential advertising medium, OOH media owners should build a culture of experimentation and continuous improvement, embracing new technologies and shifting market dynamics. Here are a few strategies to drive long-term growth:

Balance stability and agility

Combine traditional, slot-based campaigns with dynamic, flexible placements. This dual approach allows you to ensure stable revenue streams by maintaining relationships with existing advertisers, while opening new revenue streams by attracting advertisers seeking flexibility for short-term or event-driven OOH campaigns.

Cultivate adaptability

Foster a mindset of flexibility within your teams and processes. This includes rethinking traditional sales models to offer more customisable packages and pricing structures, as well as continuously integrating new technologies and capabilities that enable flexible selling strategies.

Strengthen cross-channel integration

Make your inventory easier to buy through fostering collaboration with digital platforms that create unified, multi-channel campaigns, seamlessly connecting OOH with online and mobile experiences. Offer attribution metrics that demonstrate how OOH drives brand awareness, sales, and online engagement.

Enhance measurement and accountability

Standardise impressions-based metrics and provide transparent reporting that demonstrates results, aligning OOH with the accountability of digital advertising. Incorporate real-time dashboards that allow advertisers to monitor campaign performance and make adjustments as needed.

Leverage AI and automation

Begin evaluating how new technologies, like AI and automation, can help make operating your network more efficient. For instance, leveraging AI to accelerate manual-heavy processes, like reviewing and analysing vast data sets or conducting creative optimisation. Implementing automation to make purchasing OOH inventory as seamless as digital ads can also increase efficiency and open up inventory to new buyers.

The future of OOH advertising isn’t just about surviving in a digital-first world; it’s about thriving by embracing change. By leveraging new technologies, offering greater flexibility, and prioritising audience-focused strategies, OOH can continue to grow and capture the attention of advertisers seeking impactful and dynamic ways to reach their audiences. The future of OOH is undoubtedly bright, but unlocking its full potential requires a shift in mindset and a willingness to embrace new approaches to selling and delivering value.

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DPAA, the global trade marketing association leading the growth and digitisation of out-of-home media, delivered an unparalleled experience at CES 2025. The curated multi-day event connected industry leaders, innovators, and disruptors, offering exclusive insights into the future of Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) and its intersection with cutting-edge technology.

CES—the world’s largest gathering of brands, media, technology, and innovation—drew over 140,000 attendees and featured over 4,500 exhibitors. DPAA’s carefully structured program provided its members with a streamlined, high-impact experience. It featured private fireside chats with top brands and agencies, a VIP tour spotlighting game-changing technologies for DOOH, and the highly anticipated semi-annual DOOH Cocktail Event.
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The experience started with an exclusive Spago dinner overlooking the iconic Bellagio fountains. Sponsored by VIOOH, the evening featured dynamic discussions with industry trailblazers, including insights from Quan Media Group and Gemini Crypto. Gemini, known for its explosive growth, emphasised its commitment to DOOH, recognising its power in high-impact advertising and creative-first strategies.
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The sessions continued at the Waldorf Astoria, where United Airlines executives explored the power of agency partnerships in enhancing brand storytelling and consumer engagement. Lenovo’s Global Media Director delved into the brand’s FIFA partnership, highlighting the synergy between global sporting events and strategic media placements.
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ESPN’s VP of Media Strategy & Planning underscored DOOH’s integral role in a holistic media mix, driving brand awareness and marketing performance. Meanwhile, RITE AID’s Chief Marketing and Customer Officer, alongside the Executive Leader of Thrifty Ice Cream, shared compelling insights on the power of organic marketing and celebrity endorsements in amplifying brand reach.
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MGM Resorts International’s VP of Advertising & Social Strategy provided an inside look into full-funnel marketing strategies. At the same time, Valvoline Inc.’s VP of Marketing explored data-driven approaches to customer journey optimisation, working alongside NOVUS Media LLC to redefine audience engagement.
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A key highlight was the DPAA Global DOOH Cocktail Party, sponsored by Serve Robotics, where industry leaders gathered for a night of networking and forward-thinking discussions. The momentum continued the next day with an inspiring lineup of speakers, including Omnicom Commerce’s CEO and EVP, who emphasised the critical role of omnichannel planning in crafting seamless consumer experiences.
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Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ VP of Media & Brand Marketing joined the CEO of Havas New York for a compelling conversation on the evolving landscape of brand marketing in an increasingly digital world.
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James Harrison, Chief Product Officer of BackLite Media attended CES to engage with global leaders, explore groundbreaking innovations, and build transformative partnerships that will shape the future of Digital Out-Of-Home (DOOH) advertising. He left the event feeling more inspired than ever, reinforcing our commitment to pioneering creative collaborations and leveraging emerging technology to enhance impactful brand storytelling. From the futuristic displays of LG Electronics to Panasonic North America's cutting-edge smart technologies, and from TCL’s sleek innovations to Samsung Electronics’s immersive experiences, I witnessed firsthand how the next wave of consumer electronics will transform our daily lives.
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As the industry evolves, one thing remains certain—DOOH is at the heart of the future of media. Here’s to embracing innovation, redefining possibilities, and leading the charge in shaping the next era of Out-of-Home advertising.

The GCC OOH Industry Summit, the first Out-of-Home (OOH) industry conference in the GCC region, is set to take place on February 13th, 2025, at the prestigious Habtoor Grand Hotel in JBR, Dubai. The event, initiated by Seventh Decimal, is sponsored by leading regional media owners and organised by the global event management company, Global Studio Srl Congress & Incentives Italy.

The summit aims to provide a platform for advertisers and agencies to address the opportunities and challenges of the OOH sector in the region. With a mission to foster collaboration among stakeholders and gain insights into advertisers needs, the event seeks to drive growth and innovation within the industry.

An Unparalleled Gathering of OOH Stakeholders

The GCC OOH Summit will bring together a diverse audience from across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including representatives from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain. Attendees will include local and regional media owners, advertisers, media agencies, and global Adtech providers.

Engaging Content and Expert Speakers

The summit will be opened by the WOO President Mr. Tom Goddard and will feature insights from speakers representing multinational and local brands, who will share their expertise on the latest research, technologies, and strategic models driving the OOH sector forward. Topics will range from cutting-edge advertising technologies to strategies for maximising impact in the evolving OOH landscape.

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An Opportunity for Growth and Collaboration

The GCC OOH Industry Summit is more than just a conference; it is an invaluable opportunity to network with regional OOH stakeholders, exchange ideas, and forge new business partnerships. By bringing together key players from the industry, the summit is poised to shape the future of OOH advertising in the GCC.

Event Details and Registration

Event Date: February 13th, 2025
Venue: Habtoor Grand Hotel, JBR, Dubai, UAE
For registration and program details, visit:

https://registration.global-studio.it/cmsweb/Index.asp?IDEvento=2014&Lang=EN

About Seventh Decimal

Seventh Decimal is the research company behind Streach - the standardised OOH measurement system in the GCC. Streach provides the currency metrics for OOH measurement (Reach, Frequency, and Impressions) measuring roadside, transit and place-based media for both static and digital OOH.

For Media Inquiries, Please Contact:

congress@global-studio.it

Phone: +39 02 45 89 85 29

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Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising has traditionally been considered challenging to measure, but that perception is shifting. Thanks to advancements in analytics and cross-channel tracking, OOH is now demonstrating its strength as a powerful driver of return on investment (ROI).

According to a recent study by Analytics Partners, reallocating even a small portion of your marketing budget to OOH can lead to impressive results. For example, increasing your OOH spend has been shown to boost ROI by up to 27% — especially when combined with other channels like digital and TV.

Ready to harness OOH’s full potential? Let’s explore the strategies and tools that make it easier than ever to measure its true impact and drive tangible results.

The attribution challenge:Why it’s crucial to prove OOH’s ROI

(D)OOH attribution links your Out-of-Home advertising efforts to measurable outcomes, like store visits, online purchases, or app downloads. It helps advertisers understand how OOH ads impact the customer journey and how they contribute to broader marketing goals.

Today, proving ROI is more important than ever. Recent research shows that 88% of marketing leaders are now responsible for revenue goals, so there’s growing pressure to justify their team’s ad spend with clear, actionable data tied directly to measurable business outcomes. Yet, only 25% of leaders report high visibility into ROI across channels​.

Advancements in technology have transformed OOH into a measurable, performance-driven channel capable of delivering actionable insights and proving its impact on modern marketing strategies. The rise of digital OOH (DOOH) and programmatic DOOH (PrDOOH) is also helping solve traditional measurement challenges, offering access to tools like geofencing, dynamic audience impression tracking, and real-time analytics.

How to accurately attribute results to OOH campaigns: 4 tried-and-true methods

Tracking the impact of your campaigns doesn’t have to be complicated. By using proven methods like brand lift studies, foot traffic attribution, and interactive elements, you can directly connect ad exposure to measurable outcomes. These strategies help you maximise the value of every campaign and confidently demonstrate ROI.

Collecting brand lift insights through surveys and direct feedback

Brand Lift Studies provide tangible evidence of how OOH influences brand perception and consumer behaviour,  uncovering data on ad recall, brand awareness, purchase intent, and more. Insights from these studies can guide targeting strategies, creative design, and placement decisions for future campaign efforts.

Measurement partners play a critical role in this process. They identify survey zones based on the geo-locations of digital OOH screens and use GDPR-compliant methods to gather responses through in-app and mobile ads targeting consumers in these areas. The uplift is measured by comparing survey results from two groups: those who recall seeing the ad (exposed group) and those who don’t (control group). Both groups are matched for demographics like age and gender, ensuring accurate, actionable results. Using targeted surveys as part of a brand lift study gives you a clear picture of how your OOH campaigns resonate with audiences and drive results.

Combining OOH attribution with sales data

One of the most direct ways to measure the success of OOH campaigns is by connecting ad exposure to sales outcomes. Integrating sales data — whether from in-store purchases or online transactions — can help you understand how OOH influences customer buying decisions and contributes to your bottom line.

Similarly, pairing OOH exposure data with e-commerce analytics can reveal spikes in online sales or conversions from specific geographic regions targeted by your campaign. This connection is especially valuable for measuring the effectiveness of location-based ads, like billboards near stores or transit ads in high-traffic areas. Integrating OOH attribution with sales data gives you a complete view of your campaign’s performance, helping you allocate budgets more effectively and focus on strategies that drive the greatest return.

Using geofencing and mobile data for foot traffic attribution

Geofencing has revolutionised how advertisers measure the impact of OOH campaigns on foot traffic, making it simple to track real-world results. By setting up a virtual boundary around your ad placement, you can use mobile data to see how many people are exposed to your ad and visit a specific location, like a nearby store or restaurant. For example, a restaurant with a billboard near a shopping mall can measure how many mall visitors stop by after seeing the ad.

Foot traffic attribution partners specialise in helping brands leverage geofencing and mobile data to measure campaign performance. These platforms analyse mobile location data to determine how exposure to OOH ads influences visits to specific locations. They also compare visitor patterns between exposed and non-exposed audiences to provide a clear picture of ad effectiveness. With tools like these, advertisers can gain actionable insights into customer behaviour, ensuring every OOH dollar is well spent.

Embracing marketing mix modelling (MMM) for cross-channel campaigns

When it comes to measuring the true impact of a brand’s outdoor advertising placements across various marketing channels, marketing mix modelling (MMM) is your secret weapon. MMM looks at the bigger picture, analysing how different marketing channels — both online and offline — work together to drive results. For (D)OOH campaigns, it offers a way to capture the full value of your ads, even when there’s no direct click or digital trail to follow.

This is important because, while effective on its own, OOH has also been shown to supercharge the reach of your other advertising channels, with one study finding that OOH amplifies all major media by more than 90%. For example, a well-placed digital billboard might boost the performance of your paid search campaigns by increasing brand recall, which MMM can measure alongside your total marketing mix. MMM quantifies these synergies, helping you understand how OOH fits into your broader marketing mix and optimise your investments accordingly.

Leveraging technology to optimise (D)OOH ROI

By leveraging new tools that provide real-time data and integrating OOH campaigns with digital platforms, marketers can gain deeper insights and drive greater returns on investment. Here’s how these technological advancements are shaping the future of OOH advertising:

Real-time impression tracking

For digital and programmatic OOH campaigns, tools like the impression multiplier — a dynamic, DOOH-specific multiplication index that’s applied to each play on every individual screen — give advertisers a more accurate idea of how many impressions are delivered in a single ad play.

Depending on the network, the impression multiplier for a given DOOH screen is calculated by analysing factors like:

• Screen size and visibility: Larger, more prominent screens are likely to capture more attention and generate higher impressions.
  
• Location and foot traffic: The number of people passing by the screen in a given timeframe, such as in busy urban areas or transit hubs.
  
• Viewing angles: How easily the screen can be seen from different positions and distances.
  
• Dwell time: The amount of time individuals spend within viewing range of the screen, such as in waiting areas or checkout lines.
  
• Content duration and frequency: The length and repetition of ads, which influence the likelihood of being seen.
  
• Time of day: Variations in audience size and engagement during different hours, such as rush hours or peak shopping times.
  
• Environmental conditions: External factors like lighting or weather that may impact screen visibility and audience behaviour.

This data provides accurate audience exposure metrics, giving you a reliable way to measure reach, which remains a cornerstone of OOH advertising’s effectiveness. Real-time data also allows you to adjust your campaigns on the fly, maximising impact.

Interactivity and real-time environmental triggers

Interactive elements in DOOH campaigns go beyond capturing attention — they invite participation and create measurable links between ad exposure and consumer action. Incorporating dynamic QR codes, touchscreens, augmented reality (AR), or social media prompts into your DOOH creative make it easy to track engagement, from website visits and conversions to social shares and app interactions.

Pair these interactive tools with dynamic DOOH content that adapts to real-time factors like time of day, weather, or location, and advertisers can deliver highly relevant messages that resonate with their audience.

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Investments in programmatic advertising keep growing, which means that the industry’s evolution is not going to stop in the foreseeable future. Continuously offering new opportunities to both advertisers and publishers, the niche keeps moving forward. What is awaiting for it next year? Here are some trends to look out for in 2025.

Focus On Artificial Intelligence

AI isn’t a new trend in programmatic, but it will continue reshaping the industry in 2025. Apart from automation, the expected benefits are advanced personalisation, enhanced real-time optimisation and more effective audience insights. For marketers and publishers willing to remain competitive, AI will play a crucial role. Therefore, owners of programmatic solutions need to integrate AI capabilities into their platforms or improve the already existing ones. Otherwise, they won’t survive on the market full of AI-powered products.

Prioritising The Privacy-First Approach

Again, the cookieless environment isn’t something new, but it still hasn’t arrived yet. Therefore, the privacy-first approach remains a trend in 2025. I highly recommend marketers and publishers switch to first-party data collection if they have not done this yet. Failing that, when the cookieless future is finally here, their competitors will leave them behind. As for the owners of programmatic solutions, they should also keep their products compliant with data privacy regulations and standards.

Ad Fraud Prevention Remains On The Stage

Ad fraud prevention will also remain among the leading trends in 2025 since fake clicks and malicious creatives are a problem for all the parties involved in programmatic advertising. To meet the needs of advertisers and publishers, the developers of programmatic platforms need to equip them with fraud detection and prevention features. I also recommend keeping an eye on fraudulent techniques—just like the industry, they always evolve, and it’s important to be ready to fight them back.

The Rise Of DOOH Advertising

Digital-out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is on the rise, so, in my opinion, we can expect more ads to be delivered via billboards and at bus stops. For publishers, this means additional monetisation opportunities, while advertisers can reach their audiences beyond traditional screens. Therefore, more and more programmatic platforms are projected to adopt DOOH.

CTV Advertising Keeps Gaining Momentum

CTV ads enable advertisers to reach potential customers with engaging and high-quality content, so there is no surprise that CTV ad spend is expected to grow in 2025 and keep growing afterward. Therefore, those owners of programmatic solutions who haven’t implemented CTV advertising capabilities yet should consider doing so to remain competitive and keep delivering value to their users.

Programmatic Audio Ads Are Getting More In Demand

Audio ads tend to be less popular than, for instance, video ones, but they are on the rise as well, allowing marketers to reach a greater brand awareness in a cost-effective manner (they are simply cheaper to create). Considering this, in 2025, more programmatic solutions are going to be equipped with audio advertising capabilities, and more streaming platforms and podcasts will start using such products to monetise their inventory.

In-Game Advertising Is Evolving

Finally, in-game programmatic advertising is also forecasted to be among the key marketing elements in the coming year. Why? Because the mobile gaming market is growing. Besides, such ads ensure high engagement and, as a result, allow marketers to reach their goals more effectively and drive conversions (players tend to pay close attention to the screen while interacting with a game). While many programmatic solutions already support in-app advertising (which also applies to games), we can expect increasing investments in in-game marketing and the growing number of apps offering ad inventory.

Is Following The Trends A Must?

The ever-changing nature of the programmatic advertising industry implies the continuous emergence of new trends, but this doesn’t mean that you should blindly follow all of them. Certain tendencies, like focusing on fraud prevention and adopting privacy-first strategies, are crucial to follow, as doing so helps create a “healthier” programmatic environment.

As for other trends, advertisers, publishers and owners of DSPs, SSPs, ad exchanges and other programmatic solutions need to make a choice with their goals in mind. For instance, if playing games is not on the list of the target audience’s hobbies, launching such a campaign most likely will not make a lot of sense to a marketer. At the same time, in my opinion, it’s important for programmatic product owners to equip their solutions with trending features (e.g., audio advertising), as this is the way to remain competitive and provide users with greater flexibility.

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Revenues for billboard operators have grown as much as eightfold in the past few years as digitalisation has given out-of-home (OOH) advertising a notable boost.

Sometimes seen as a bellwether for the local economy, billboards get plenty of viewing time in places such as Dubai during morning and evening traffic rush hours when cars are bumper to bumper.

For that reason, having your company’s name on them can be expensive.

Advertising on the large static billboards along the side of Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road can cost anywhere between AED700,000 ($190,000) and AED1 million a month.

Digital billboards can command even more. James Bicknell, CEO of BackLite Media and Viola Outdoor UAE, says its three double-sided digital displays near The Mall of the Emirates, called The Triple Crown, could fetch anywhere between AED1.8 million and AED2.5 million for a month.

Bicknell says that after the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry globally went into a rapid period of digitalisation, which has been hugely beneficial to bottom lines.

“Since digitalising, we have multiplied revenue by a factor of eight compared to when they were static previously,” Bicknell tells AGBI.

“Demand massively outstrips supply. We have six clients that we can put on there. In the busy months, we could probably double that if we wanted to.”

Spending in the UAE OOH advertising market is forecast by Mordor Intelligence in Hyderabad, India, to reach $158 million this year, with digital accounting for 29 percent of that. Mordor says the market will grow to $183 million by 2029, when digital is expected to have a market share of 35 percent.

Bicknell says the market is growing at 15 to 20 percent a year, though BackLite is seeing growth of between 30 and 40 percent a year.
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At a time when mobile and online are dominating advertising spend, Bicknell says “fractured news media” gives billboards a distinct advantage, because they are viewed by everyone.

Normally, around the world, outdoor advertising has a market share of 4 percent, but Bicknell says: “Here it has over 20, because of how media is consumed in this region.”

Bicknell believes advertisers are favouring OOH and social media advertising over online, radio and traditional forms of media.

He predicts that in 15 years’ time, OOH and social media advertising “will probably be the only two mediums that are still around”

Social media can significantly amplify outdoor ads in a way that is making advertisers sit up and take notice, industry observers say.

Austyn Allison, Middle East advertising expert and an AGBI columnist, says that done right, a planned OOH campaign reaches a new audience with the help of social media.

He says the Adidas Liquid Billboard, which featured what Adidas called “the world’s first swimmable billboard”, at Jumeirah Beach, went viral with the help of social media.

“It got liked and shared and discussed around the world, and that’s the same for any OOH work – it can now reach beyond line of sight,” Allison says.

Higher attention span

Marketing Marina had a 3D holographic display at the F1 event, which Ruolahti says received 40 percent higher attention span compared with a normal screen.

When advertisers are spending in high volumes, return on investment (ROI) can be important. New technology allows companies to track who is looking at the ads – male or female, young or old – anonymously and give footfall stats.

The technology also extends to people driving in cars, Bicknell says, though only 5 percent of customers have requested any sort of feedback.

“At the moment, customers are far more interested in sustainability – where we get our energy from, how we get rid of our panels. Those are the questions that they’re being asked more than the ROI,” he says.

The industry has seen several mergers and acquisitions. Multiply Group of Abu Dhabi acquired BackLite Media in February last year, and one of the remits is to create one holding company owning a house of brands, Bicknell says.

“We are currently in negotiations with various businesses, both regionally and internationally, to expand our portfolio,” he says, although he declines to say which companies.

The outlook for the industry is strong, Bicknell says, especially for those switching to digital.

“What’s interesting about outdoor is that there are very few industries that have in-built growth,” he says.

“If you have a heavy static network, that you can get permission to digitalise without doing very much, you can multiply your revenue by four, five or six times.”

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Dino Burbidge, consistently one of the top-ranked speakers at World Out of Home Organization Annual Congresses and Regional Forums, is joining WOO as its first creative-in-residence to lead a strengthened focus on creativity and new technology. Burbidge, whose career spans leading creative agencies including WCRS and major media owner Sky, will lead a Creative Workstream aimed at exploring the conjunction of creativity and technology in Out of Home.

Other areas of activity will be scoping and developing the Creativity section of the WOO database; helping to develop the flagship WOO Creative Awards, providing insight and advice for WOO members on occasions including the monthly online member calls and contributing an increased creative and technological focus to WOO communications including the weekly newsletter.

Burbidge says: "There's never been a better time for Out of Home to take a major leap forward as technology, in particular developments within AI, create a bigger, stronger and richer palette for outstanding OOH creativity. I'm delighted to be able to contribute to such an exciting new era for the medium."

WOO CMO Richard Saturley says: "Creativity is key to the ongoing success of Out of Home but to maximise that we need to embrace the opportunities technology brings too. We couldn't have a better guide for this than Dino and we're delighted to welcome him officially to WOO."

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Amid the digital noise, one medium has consistently demonstrated its ability to captivate audiences and deliver results: out-of-home (OOH) advertising. For UAE businesses, OOH offers a unique opportunity to engage with consumers in a way that no other format can match.

Reaching audiences beyond screens

The average adult spends significant hours commuting, shopping, or enjoying leisure activities outside their home. OOH advertising takes full advantage of this, positioning brands in prime locations where they can be seen by thousands of people daily. Whether it’s a striking digital screen in the heart of Dubai or a 3D digital billboard along the roads of Abu Dhabi, OOH captures attention where other media fail.

Unlike digital advertising, which can be skipped, blocked, or ignored, OOH is unmissable. Its physical presence means that your brand remains visible, providing a constant reminder to potential customers.

Building trust through visibility

A strong physical presence builds credibility. Studies show that consumers perceive brands advertised on OOH platforms as more trustworthy and reputable. This is particularly important for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) and local businesses looking to establish themselves in competitive markets.

For national brands, OOH reinforces trust and authority. Seeing a familiar logo or a well-designed campaign on a prominent billboard creates an impression of stability and success. For businesses in the UAE, where reputation is key, this can be a decisive factor in winning over new customers.

Targeted and flexible campaigns

Gone are the days when OOH was limited to static posters. Today’s digital out-of-home (DOOH) technology allows businesses to create dynamic and highly targeted campaigns. Through programmatic advertising platforms, businesses can display ads tailored to specific audiences, times, or even weather conditions.

For example, a coffee shop can advertise hot drinks during chilly mornings or iced beverages on sunny afternoons. This flexibility maximises the relevance of your message, ensuring it resonates with the right audience at the right time.

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Cost-effective brand building

Many businesses assume that OOH advertising is out of reach financially. However, the reality is quite the opposite. With options ranging from high-impact digital screens to affordable local posters, there’s an OOH solution for every budget.

For SMEs, OOH offers an excellent return on investment (ROI). A single, well-placed ad can generate significant local awareness, driving foot traffic and sales. For larger brands, OOH complements digital and TV campaigns, amplifying their reach and effectiveness.

Driving online engagement

One of the most powerful aspects of OOH is its ability to drive online engagement. A well-crafted OOH campaign can encourage people to visit your website, follow your social media channels, or even make a purchase. By including QR codes, hashtags, or personalised URLs, businesses can bridge the gap between physical and digital marketing seamlessly.

In a recent UK study, 46% of people said they searched online for a brand after seeing an OOH ad. This synergy between offline and online channels makes OOH a critical component of any integrated marketing strategy.

Sustainability and community impact

Sustainability is an increasing priority for UAE consumers, and the OOH industry has taken significant steps to reduce its environmental impact. Digital screens use energy-efficient technology, and many traditional billboards are now printed using eco-friendly materials. For businesses, investing in OOH shows a commitment to responsible advertising practices.

Additionally, OOH campaigns can support local communities by revitalising public spaces and providing relevant messaging. For example, promoting local events or health campaigns alongside brand messaging can enhance community connections and goodwill.

Measuring success

One common misconception is that OOH advertising is difficult to measure. However, advances in analytics now make it easier than ever to track the success of OOH campaigns. Tools such as geo-location data and audience measurement platforms allow businesses to understand how many people saw their ad, who they were, and what actions they took afterward.

This data-driven approach ensures that every pound spent on OOH delivers tangible results, providing businesses with the confidence to invest in the medium repeatedly.

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