What does the launch of the DOOH glossary mean for the industry?

For the first time, the Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) industry has come together to agree on a set of shared terms across multiple areas, including measurement, programmatic and targeting. Developed by IAB UK’s (DOOH) Advisory Group, the trade body for Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising Outsmart and the industry’s audience measurement body Route, the DOOH Glossary follows significant growth within the DOOH industry over the past few years, with the sector now evolved to a point where ads are increasingly bought programmatically.

But why is this step significant? We speak to members of our DOOH Advisory Group to get their views. 
 

How has DOOH developed over the last few years? 

Today, over half of OOH media billings are derived from digital campaigns, whilst the OOH industry now employs the likes of data scientists, project managers, software developers, in addition to the traditional roles of planners, buyers, creatives and strategists. Growth of digital inventory has also been a catalyst for proving effectiveness - driven by improved stand out, larger audiences and greater use of context from clients. In other words, OOH has gotten smarter. And thanks to significant global investment from many landlords and media owners, digitisation and technology is adding to the OOH value proposition to advertisers.

Lisa Portman, Head of Marketing, Talon Outdoor

Arguably, 2018 was the year the traditional and longstanding OOH industry finally pivoted towards programmatic. It was also the year that VIOOH launched, demonstrating both the commitment of the larger players such as JCDecaux, and the growing demand for precise targeting, flexible trading and detailed reporting for OOH inventory. Recently, we’re seeing growth come from including programmatic OOH alongside other digital channels for truly omnichannel campaigns. Including DOOH in the programmatic buy enables brands to truly see the impact that DOOH is providing from a broadcast perspective, and how that interplays on individual screens such as mobile and display.

Helen Miall, Chief Marketing Officer, VIOOH

Why are the development of these terms a significant milestone for the DOOH industry? 

The work the IAB’s DOOH Advisory Group is doing is crucial for making this unique medium accessible, understandable and actionable. With 99% coverage of the UK being enabled by three or four OOH media owners, these open standards also facilitate direct programmatic trading, without the need for third-party SSPs, exchanges and DSPs. 

Tim Harvey, Founder, Knitting Media

Traditionally, our medium has been very difficult to standardise so it’s an immense achievement to have everyone contribute to this across the board, from tech specialists, media owners, agency specialists and the OOH industry bodies too - with Outsmart and Route also collaborating to agree definitions. Ultimately, the goal for OOH transformation is to streamline OOH by reducing complexities and manual processes. OOH is a complex medium, ultimately our goal is to demystify the industry by creating tools and technologies which adds value, insight and ultimately reduce the barriers to entry for OOH. This guide is one of the steps in the right direction to achieving this. 

Lisa Portman, Head of Marketing, Talon Outdoor

What are the most important things for advertisers and agencies to take from this work? 

This is the first step on a longer journey ahead - programmatic DOOH is still in its infancy and has huge potential to deliver valuable results for brands. We’re committed to delivering a standardised approach that supports dynamic content, reactive creative, data-driven triggers and competitive pricing, with transparency. Programmatically traded DOOH is now a serious contender for ad spend – and industry standards make it easier to plan, trade, activate and optimise within an advertiser’s overall campaign.

Helen Miall, Chief Marketing Officer, VIOOH
 

Take a look at the DOOH Glossary here.