Types of OOH Advertising: DOOH Advertising

Types of Digital Out of Home (DOOH) Advertising

Digital out of home (DOOH) advertising combines the impact of traditional outdoor advertising with the precision and flexibility of digital advertising. With dynamic screens, real-time content delivery, and programmatic technology, DOOH allows brands to engage audiences more effectively across various public spaces. Here are the key DOOH formats:

1. Digital Billboards

Digital billboards are high-resolution LED displays located in high traffic areas such as highways, city intersections, and major commercial corridors. Unlike static billboards, they support multiple ads on a rotation and can be updated instantly to show contextually relevant content. These formats deliver maximum visibility, making them ideal for high-reach DOOH ads that aim to increase brand awareness among a diverse audience.

Example: A car dealership ran a campaign on digital billboards along I-95 that rotated models and promotions based on time of day.

This use of dynamic content allowed them to show SUVs during morning commute hours and electric vehicles in the evening, adapting messaging to their target audience effectively.

2. Digital Transit Screens

Found inside buses, trains, subways, and stations, transit ads now include digital screens that show real-time, animated, or video content. This format reaches commuters during long dwell times, making it ideal for creative storytelling and sequential advertising messages.

It’s a valuable part of any OOH advertising strategy, especially in dense urban areas where mobility and exposure go hand in hand.

Example: A streaming service advertised its new series through digital displays inside subway cars and transit stations in Boston.

Each ad included countdowns to premiere and changing taglines. These DOOH ads reached a captive audience of daily commuters, offering fresh content during every ride.

3. Digital Street Furniture

Digital displays on street furniture—like bus shelters, interactive kiosks, and smart benches—offer localized, real-time engagement. These digital displays not only provide brand visibility, but also support interactive touchscreens, QR codes, and personalized messages. Placed in pedestrian zones, they help target consumers during daily routines in major cities and retail-heavy areas.

Example: A telecom brand launched a city-wide DOOH campaign using smart bus shelters in San Francisco.

These screens delivered dynamic content triggered by local events, like sports game nights or weather alerts—relevant messaging that resonated with the local target audience.

4. Retail and Mall DOOH Screens

Located in shopping malls, grocery stores, and retail chains, these digital signage units deliver promotional messages at or near the point of purchase. Brands use them to highlight offers, new product launches, or branded experiences—often synchronized with broader digital campaigns.

Their ability to combine foot traffic with impulse-buy environments makes them a strong asset in omnichannel advertising strategies

Example: A cosmetics company ran real-time promotions on digital signage inside high-end shopping malls across California.

Their DOOH ads changed by the hour and featured limited-time product deals, helping drive conversions at nearby counters.

5. Airport Digital OOH Advertising

Airports feature high-end digital out of home formats such as video walls, digital kiosks, and walk-through corridor screens. These airport ads target a premium captive audience with long dwell times and international reach. It’s a prime environment for brand messages that require attention, recall, and trust—particularly in B2B, luxury, and tech sectors.

Example: A luxury watch brand used digital out of home screens in Heathrow Airport’s international terminal to showcase time-sensitive travel content and flight-based countdowns.

These high-resolution DOOH ads captivated business travelers with sleek, rotating dynamic content, aligning perfectly with the premium feel of airport advertising.

6. Stadium and Arena DOOH Screens

DOOH placements inside sports and entertainment venues include video ads on jumbotrons, ribbon boards, and concourse screens. These formats reach large crowds in emotional, engaged states, offering powerful brand association. They’re often part of integrated ooh advertising campaigns that span both event days and digital retargeting windows

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Example: A mobile phone brand launched a high-energy DOOH campaign on jumbotrons and digital ribbon boards during a football championship.

Using animated visuals and motion-triggered effects, the brand engaged a large and diverse audience with interactive polls displayed between quarters.

7. Interactive DOOH Units

This category includes touch-enabled kiosks, motion-sensitive ads, and facial recognition displays that respond to viewer behavior. These interactive elements turn static engagement into active participation.

Whether it’s for gamified experiences, real-time surveys, or AR filters, these formats help brands build deeper connections and deliver effective OOH campaigns with measurable results.

Example: A shoe brand placed AR-enabled screens in Times Square, allowing people to virtually try on sneakers via motion sensors.

This digital out of home advertising example used interactive tech to engage audiences, capture attention, and collect real-time data from users.

8. Programmatic DOOH Screens

Programmatic DOOH allows advertisers to bid on DOOH inventory in real time using data like location, time of day, weather, and audience behavior. These digital ooh platforms offer automation, efficiency, and targeting capabilities similar to online advertising. They make it easier to scale ooh advertising campaigns while maximizing campaign effectiveness across multiple screens and locations.

Example: A local restaurant chain bought programmatic DOOH spots that showed lunchtime promotions only between 11 AM and 2 PM within a 5-mile radius.

The ads were deployed across office buildings and digital billboards, based on geolocation and weather—delivering personalized messages when users were most likely to act.

 In this article we'll be discussed the Digital OOH advertising formats, For Traditional OOH formats check: Traditional Out-Of-Home Advertising