Google just announced digital out of home ads for Display and 360. These new ad formats allow shoppers to be engaged when they are “out in the real-world” in front of screens in public places like stadiums, airports and bus stops, shopping centers and elevators, taxis, and other public places.
How they work. Display and 360 digital out-of home ads allow brands to harness the same power as traditional advertising by placing placements on public screens. All of this can be done from one dashboard, where they can control strategy and reporting.
Brands can also run digital out-of-home ads that allow them to display multiple versions of their message, depending on where they are located and what time it is.
Google’s programmatic partner. “Display & Video 360” already partners with the exchanges Hivestack and Magnite, PlaceExchanges, Stroer SSPs, VIOOH, Vistar Media, and Vistar Media. These exchanges allow access to major media owners worldwide like ClearChannel and Intersection, JCDecaux and Lamar, as well as Stroer and Stroer. Programmatic deals can secure all of this inventory.
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Personalization and targeting are limited. Google claims that digital out-of home ads are not personalized. They do not use unique identifiers and they do not collect user location data. But, advertisers can reach people based on only contextual information such the screen location.
Google, for example, says that a fast food restaurant can advertise on a billboard at a busy spot during lunch hours. The same billboard can also promote an event or concert later in the day.
Early testing. ASOS used digital billboards to create awareness for their brand and encourage people to visit their online store. Their marketing team arranged Programmatic Guaranteed agreements with top publishers like Intersection in America and JCDecaux, in the U.K. They booked hundreds of digital billboards and generated 22 million impressions across both countries.
Read more about digital out of home ads. Google’s announcement can be found here. You can find the Display & 360 help documentation if you are interested in purchasing out of-home inventory.
Why we care. Digital out-of home ads are similar to traditional billboards. However, instead of paying for your ad to be displayed in one location all the time, you can choose to have it shown in certain times and in multiple locations.
These new ad formats may be a good fit for large or global brands such as ASOS, Mcdonald’s or Facebook. However, small and local businesses may find it difficult to justify their use. It’s unlikely that this type of advertising will work for brands who are hyper-targeting certain audiences or demographics. If you have the budget, you might consider testing a few cities in which you operate.
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