Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) Advertising

Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) refers to digital screens placed in public spaces for advertising. This includes digital billboards (large-format LED screens on roadsides and buildings), digital transit displays (screens in metro stations, airports, bus shelters), digital place-based screens (shopping mall directories, gym screens, airport lounges), and digital street furniture (bus shelter panels, information kiosks).

DOOH is distinct from regular OOH in three fundamental ways: (1) creative can be updated remotely and in real time, (2) multiple advertisers share the same screen in rotation, and (3) programmatic buying and audience-based targeting are possible.

DOOH is also distinct from CTV (Connected TV) and digital display advertising, which appear on privately-owned screens inside homes or on personal devices. DOOH screens are always in public spaces.

A DOOH screen runs multiple advertisers in a rotation. In India, the standard slot structure is typically 10-second spots in a 60-second loop (6 spots per minute), meaning your ad appears once every minute to everyone in front of the screen. High-dwell environments (airport lounges, metro platforms) may use longer loops with 20-second spots.

Direct buying

The traditional method: contact the screen owner (Times OOH, Laqshya, JCDecaux, Clear Channel) directly and buy a fixed number of spots per day for a fixed duration. Rate is quoted per spot per day or per day per panel.

Programmatic DOOH

The OAAA released its OpenOOH taxonomy in 2025–2026, designed to enable programmatic buying of DOOH at scale. Programmatic DOOH allows: targeting by time of day, weather conditions, audience demographic (inferred from mobile device data near the screen), proximity to competitors, and real-time campaign triggers.

Audience measurement for DOOH

DOOH audience measurement is more robust than static OOH because digital screens can log exact impression counts. Advanced markets (US, UK) use mobile device proximity data via Geopath to measure actual people exposed, not just traffic counts. In India, DOOH measurement is evolving — Roadstar applies to static OOH; DOOH measurement is screen-owner dependent.

DOOH creative must work differently from static billboard creative:

• Animation is available but should be used sparingly. Simple motion (logo animation, product reveal) captures attention without creating confusion.
• Dwell time still governs word count. Even on a digital screen, if you are in a drive-by location, the 7-word rule applies. For high-dwell locations (airport, metro platform), longer copy is acceptable.
• Contextual creative is DOOH's superpower. Show a hot coffee ad when the temperature drops below 18°C. Show a travel ad on Monday morning on the corporate corridor. Update creative for match days during IPL without reprinting.
• Size specifications: Most Indian DOOH screens run at 1920×1080 (Full HD) or 3840×2160 (4K). Deliver creative as H.264 MP4 (video) or high-resolution PNG/JPEG (static). Always confirm spec with the screen owner before production.