Brands’ use of programmatic digital out of home advertising in the UK is set to rise from 29% of advertisers to 36% within 18 months, with growth of the medium in Britain outstripping every other market in the world.
That is according to global platform provider VIOOH, which reveals the UK growth is expected to be fuelled by new budget allocation. UK marketers are also moving budget towards programmatic DOOH from digital channels (82% including DOOH, up 6 percentage points year on year) in line with the global average (83%).
Programmatic-only buys have seen a substantial 18 percentage point YoY increase, accounting for 47% of DOOH campaigns since 2023.
DOOH campaigns have also typically been bought using a combination of programmatic and direct buys (38%) and direct-only buys (45%). The increase in programmatic-only campaigns indicates a growing preference for this automated and data-driven approach to DOOH advertising in the UK, the report maintains.
The overwhelmingly majority of UK marketers (90%) agree that programmatic DOOH offers the most innovative advertising opportunities of all media channels, surpassing social media (83%) and display (81%), although it is most typically bought alongside social media for both brand (83%) and performance (83%) led campaigns.
UK marketers value programmatic DOOH’s ability to deliver high-quality viewability (61% compared to 58% globally). This likely stems from the top-tier placement of digital screens in busy areas and the clear visibility offered by digital displays, the report states.
While OOH specialist media agencies remain a key resource for planning and buying programmatic DOOH – used by 78% of marketers (+27 ppt YoY) – the role of demand-side platforms has grown, with 43% of marketers embracing DSP managed services (+30 ppt YoY).
Recognising the dual benefits of the medium for both brand building and performance marketing, UK marketers prioritise performance-based metrics when assessing campaign effectiveness. The top three metrics used to evaluate programmatic DOOH campaigns include sales uplift (53%), impact on website traffic (44%), and increased performance when integrated with other digital channels (42%).
VIOOH chief executive Jean-Christophe Conti said: “In the UK, awareness of the advantages of programmatic DOOH is widespread, and recognition of its future potential continues to grow. This is driven by a strong emphasis on audience-centric strategies, performance-based metrics, budget shifts and a growing role of DSPs.
“As the advertising landscape evolves and advertisers are increasingly aligning their campaigns across channels, we expect programmatic DOOH’s ability to deliver targeted and measurable campaigns to solidify its position as a key player in the UK’s media landscape.”
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