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Out-of-Home Advertising Meets AI

Leo Celis 04/15/24 Ad Tech

Out-of-home advertising is undergoing a transformation that marries the vast visibility of public ads with the precision and adaptability of AI.

This fusion is changing the nature of public space advertising and reshaping how businesses connect with their audiences.

The Rise of Digital OOH Platforms

One pivotal change in out-of-home advertising is the increased use of digital OOH platforms.

Companies like Broadsign are leading the charge, offering software solutions that empower businesses to manage and publish digital advertisements across an array of screens situated in high-traffic public spaces.

These platforms allow for real-time content updates, making it possible to serve ads that are relevant to the time of day, the audience present, or even current weather conditions.

3 Key Advancements in Digital OOH Advertising

As we delve deeper into how AI is reshaping this field, here are three fundamental developments that are making waves:

  1. Programmatic Buying: The automated buying and selling of digital ad space. With programmatic advertising, businesses can more efficiently target their desired demographics, leveraging data to make real-time decisions on where and when their ads will be most effective.
  2. Data-Driven Personalization: Leveraging consumer data to create highly targeted and personalized advertising experiences. This can range from showing different ads based on the time of day to tailoring messages directly to individuals based on their preferences and behaviors.
  3. Interactive and Immersive Experiences: AI technologies enable interactive OOH advertisements that engage users more deeply by responding to their physical presence or actions. This could include gestures, facial expressions, or even passerby density to change the advertising content in real-time.

FAQs about Digital OOH

What makes digital OOH advertising effective?

Digital out-of-home advertising excels in versatility and immediacy. By analyzing real-time data, advertisers can deploy content that speaks to the moment, ensuring high relevance and engagement.

How does AI enhance OOH advertising?

AI can analyze vast amounts of data to predict the most effective placements for ads, personalize content in real time, and even measure engagement levels, offering unprecedented insight and control over campaigns.

Can digital OOH achieve personalization at scale?

Yes, through the integration of AI, digital OOH can deliver highly personalized content to wide audiences, balancing the scale of traditional billboards with the precision of online ads.

What are the benefits of programmatic DOOH?

Programmatic DOOH streamlines the ad buying process, enables dynamic content changes, and uses data-driven insights to optimize ad placements for maximum effectiveness and ROI.

Digital OOH: The Checklist for Advertisers

Here’s a handy guide for marketers looking to navigate the evolving landscape of digital out-of-home advertising:

  • Embrace Data-Driven Strategy: Utilize consumer data and AI insights to inform your advertising decisions and content customization.
  • Experiment with Interactive Experiences: Integrate technologies like AR, VR, or touch interaction to create memorable ad engagements.
  • Leverage Programmatic Buying: Automate your ad buying process to efficiently reach your target audience at scale.
  • Monitor and Adapt: Use real-time analytics to monitor performance and be ready to pivot or adapt content as needed.
  • Focus on Creative Storytelling: Even with technology, the story and the creative idea behind your ad are critical for emotional engagement.

A Proven Success Story: Coca-Cola’s Personalized Campaign

Coca-Cola’s recent “Share a Coke” campaign is a stellar example of digital out-of-home advertising done right.

By leveraging digital billboards that displayed names and messages customizable via smartphones, Coca-Cola tapped into the personalization trend, making a mass-produced product feel personal and unique. This innovative approach not only encouraged interaction but significantly boosted brand engagement and sales.

The broader impact of this campaign demonstrates that digital OOH, especially when combined with AI and personalization, holds immense potential for connecting brands with their audiences in meaningful ways, supporting the creation of advertisements that are not just seen but interacted with and remembered.

Future Predictions: The Evolution of Digital Out-of-Home Advertising

Looking ahead, the integration of AI in digital out-of-home advertising promises to bring about several significant changes:

  1. Increased Personalization at Scale: Advancements in AI will allow for even more precise targeting, enabling advertisers to create highly tailored experiences for diverse public spaces.
  2. Greater Interactivity and Immersion: Future digital OOH ads will likely leverage augmented reality and interactive technologies to engage audiences in novel ways.
  3. Enhanced Measurement and Analytics: With improved data analysis capabilities, advertisers will gain deeper insights into campaign performance and audience engagement.
  4. Seamless Online to Offline Experiences: The gap between online and physical advertising will continue to blur, offering cohesive brand experiences across all touchpoints.
  5. Sustainability in Focus: Eco-friendly and energy-efficient digital displays will become the norm, aligning with broader environmental consciousness.

Code Example: Enhanced Measurement and Analytics for Digital Advertising Campaigns

This Python script demonstrates how to integrate with Google Analytics and a simple CSV data source to track and analyze the performance of digital advertising campaigns.

The script includes functions to fetch analytics data, parse CSV files for campaign details, and calculate performance metrics.


import csv
import requests

def fetch_google_analytics_data(start_date, end_date, metrics, dimensions, view_id, access_token):
    """
    Fetches data from Google Analytics.

    Sample input data:
    start_date: '2023-01-01'
    end_date: '2023-01-31'
    metrics: 'ga:sessions,ga:pageviews'
    dimensions: 'ga:campaign'
    view_id: '123456'
    access_token: 'ya29.a0ARrdaM-...'

    Sample output data:
    [{'campaign': 'Summer_Sale', 'sessions': '1500', 'pageviews': '4500'}]

    API documentation: https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/reporting/core/v4/rest
    """
    endpoint = f'https://analyticsreporting.googleapis.com/v4/reports:batchGet'
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f'Bearer {access_token}',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }
    body = {
        'reportRequests': [
            {
                'viewId': view_id,
                'dateRanges': [{'startDate': start_date, 'endDate': end_date}],
                'metrics': [{'expression': expr} for expr in metrics.split(',')],
                'dimensions': [{'name': name} for name in dimensions.split(',')]
            }
        ]
    }
    response = requests.post(endpoint, headers=headers, json=body)
    return response.json().get('reports')[0].get('data').get('rows')

def parse_campaign_csv(file_path):
    """
    Parses a CSV file containing campaign data.

    Sample input data:
    file_path: 'campaign_data.csv'

    Sample output data:
    [{'campaign': 'Summer_Sale', 'budget': '1000', 'impressions': '50000'}]

    Sample CSV data:
    campaign,budget,impressions
    Summer_Sale,1000,50000
    """
    with open(file_path, mode='r') as csv_file:
        reader = csv.DictReader(csv_file)
        return list(reader)

def calculate_roi(campaign_data, analytics_data):
    """
    Calculates Return on Investment (ROI) for each campaign.

    Sample input data:
    campaign_data: [{'campaign': 'Summer_Sale', 'budget': '1000', 'impressions': '50000'}]
    analytics_data: [{'campaign': 'Summer_Sale', 'sessions': '1500', 'pageviews': '4500'}]

    Sample output data:
    {'Summer_Sale': {'ROI': 1.5, 'sessions_per_dollar': 1.5}}
    """
    roi_data = {}
    for campaign in campaign_data:
        name = campaign['campaign']
        budget = float(campaign['budget'])
        analytics = next((item for item in analytics_data if item['campaign'] == name), None)
        if analytics and budget > 0:
            sessions = float(analytics['sessions'])
            roi = (sessions / budget)
            roi_data[name] = {'ROI': roi, 'sessions_per_dollar': sessions / budget}
    return roi_data

# Usage instructions
# 1. Obtain your Google Analytics view ID and access token.
# 2. Prepare your campaign data CSV file with columns for campaign, budget, and impressions.
# 3. Call `fetch_google_analytics_data` with your date range, metrics, dimensions, view ID, and access token.
# 4. Call `parse_campaign_csv` with the path to your CSV file.
# 5. Call `calculate_roi` with the data from the above functions to get the ROI for each campaign.

Code language: Python (python)

This script works in the following steps:

  1. Fetch Analytics Data: fetch_google_analytics_data connects to the Google Analytics API to retrieve session and pageview data for given campaigns over a specified period.
  2. Parse Campaign Data: parse_campaign_csv reads a CSV file containing the campaign budget and impressions to prepare it for analysis.
  3. Calculate ROI: calculate_roi computes the Return on Investment and sessions per dollar spent for each campaign, using data from the previous functions, providing a straightforward analysis of campaign performance.

Conclusion

The merging of out-of-home advertising with AI is not just transforming the medium itself but also offering new horizons for marketers to create deeply personalized, dynamic, and engaging ad campaigns.

By staying ahead of these technological advances, brands can captivate audiences in more meaningful ways, turning everyday encounters into memorable experiences.

References

  • Broadsign – A leading platform for managing and publishing digital out-of-home content.
  • Tamoco – Insights on the effectiveness of programmatic buying in DOOH advertising.
  • JCDecaux – Trends and innovations in digital out-of-home advertising.
  • Wikipedia – Comprehensive overview of out-of-home advertising and its forms.

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