The future of DooH is programmatic

Vistar Media is considered one of the real success stories in the DooH business with the potential of being acquired by Google & Co. in the foreseeable future. The New Yorker based programmatic platform manages already 250.000 plus DooH screens mainly in North America. An international expansion was on the agenda for 2020 before COVID19 put all expansion plans in jeopardy.

Even DooH growth is currently hampered by a global pandemic, DooH has become a worldwide success story. Before Corona hit, digital out of home grew in the USA for 35 consecutive quarters. In 2020 the industry remains on a growth trajectory despite the current challenges, primarily driven by simpler booking options and the megatrend data-driven campaign planning.

Programmatic is in the DNA of Vistar Media – the founders already successfully developed an online booking platform and ultimately sold it to Google. The past year 2019 was quite successful for Vistar even for an industry accustomed to double digit growth.

The company has achieved a leading position in the US market; 250,000 DooH displays are available via the platform. This number was expected to increase significantly in 2020. Vistar is focusing in particular on non-traditional DooH networks, which have been difficult to market for network owners in the past. The focus here is on DooH screens in vending machines, self-service terminals and restaurants as well as displays on top of taxis and rideshare cars such as Uber or Lyft; in addition, Vistar markets screens in gyms (fitness equipment). The advantage for network operators: the displays are already installed and connected online. Most of the networks have in common, that they attract a lot of attention – albeit at very low frequency.

Besides aggregating smaller networks Vistar has the great advantage of full integration with the programmatic platform from all major agency groups as well as to Omnichannel specialty marketers beyond the out-of-home industry.

„Given the ongoing controversies over advertising practices in social media channels and online platforms, and the demand for highly targeted election advertising in 2020, this year will be a crucial turning point for brands to look closely at DooH,“ said Michael Provenzano, co-founder and CEO of Vistar Media, earlier this year. „From vending machines and self-service checkouts to transportation hubs and waiting rooms, digital signage-based advertising media can be found along the customer journey in the real world. DooH creates the opportunity to convey a brand message in a secure, relevant, meaningful and timely manner. We expect this trend to continue to grow – and advertising spending will follow“.

According to the platform, screens are becoming an integral part of a holistic marketing strategy – especially in today’s networked world, which demands immersive experiences. If these screens are given programmatic, targeting and measurement capabilities, similar to TV and online, DooH becomes an even more exciting option for network operators and advertisers.