Digital marketing continues to push its boundaries. Street corners that once featured only static posters are now filled with illuminated, animated, and even personalized digital billboards. Digital Out of Home advertising (DOOH) combines the solid presence of the offline world with the speed of the online world. As a digital marketing agency, we see this rise as both exciting and a step that shapes the future. So, why is there so much buzz around these billboards?
Why Are Digital Billboards Different?
Traditional billboards would shout a message loudly – but it remained unchanged. Digital billboards are on another level. They can show a coffee advertisement during your morning commute and suggest an umbrella if it rains in the afternoon. This flexibility makes them much more than just ordinary signs. They can track user movements and deliver ads based on the current situation. Walking around the city feels like encountering a screen made just for you.
Where Offline Meets Online
The biggest trick of digital billboards is their partnership with the online world. For example, you can detect visitors to your website using a pixel, and then recapture them on the street with these billboards. Or you can instantly change your advertisement according to weather data – ice cream when the sun is out, a coat when it starts to rain. This means an offline medium reacting at online speed. Moreover, with programmatic advertising, this business is growing even more. For instance, DOOH campaigns can be managed programmatically with platforms like DV360. You control your billboards from a single panel with real-time bidding. However, this service hasn't fully launched in Turkey yet – but we can say it's at the door.
What Does It Mean for Brands?
This rise opens up a brand new playing field for brands. You can talk not to everyone in the city, but precisely to the audience you want. For example, if you're a gym, your billboard activates near sports stores. Or if you're a coffee chain, it comes into play during morning traffic. This targeting transforms digital billboards from mere advertisements into experiences. Plus, it's measurable – how many people saw it, how effective it was, it's all at your fingertips.
The Digital Future Is on the Streets
Digital billboards represent both a traditional and innovative face of marketing. They combine the reach of the offline world with the intelligence of the online world. Programmatic DOOH is not yet widespread in Turkey – while this integration with DV360 is gaining momentum worldwide, we'll have to wait a bit longer here. But that doesn't mean change isn't coming. Streets are no longer just places we walk; they're areas where we communicate with brands.
