Digital Out-of-Home Advertising: A Complete Guide for 2025

What is digital out-of-home advertising?

Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising uses digital screens in public spaces to display ads. You'll see these on billboards, in malls, at bus stops, and inside elevators. You can update the DOOH content in real-time to share timely and relevant messaging. That's the reason it is a popular choice for advertisers who aim to reach a broad audience in high-traffic areas.

In fact, 73% of consumers view DOOH ads favorably, and 76% have taken action after seeing one. The global DOOH market was valued at $20.74 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $39.12 billion by 2030. This growth is due to the increasing adoption of digital screens and the demand for more active advertising options.

How does digital out-of-home work?

The purpose of digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertisements is to grab your attention while you're moving. Here's how they work:

• Digital screens in public spaces

You've probably seen big LED billboards, video walls, or kiosks in places like malls, stadiums, or busy streets. Their job is to grab your attention while you're walking by or waiting around. Let's say a sports store shows an ad near a stadium before a big match. Fans walking in will see it, often when they're excited or in "game mode." That means the ad has a better shot of sticking in people's minds. In fact, about 62% of consumers said they noticed a digital billboard in the past month. While aided recall (when someone is later prompted about the ad) for DOOH (digital out-of-home) hits around 82%.

• Content delivery system

All these screens are connected to a network and controlled by a cloud-based Content Management System (CMS). Brands can upload a new ad, pick when it shows, or change it on multiple screens at the same time. Not only that, but over 45% of these systems change ads based on what's happening around.

• Scheduling and targeting

With modern DOOH platforms, it's not just about where, but when and who sees the ad. Brands can buy ad slots automatically through online auctions (called programmatic), and choose times or places where their message will matter most. Stats show that about 72% of DOOH ads are based on time and location.

• Measuring analytics

Advertisers use analytics tools, which include sensors, cameras, and AI, to analyze the success of DOOH campaigns. They track how many people walk by, who glance at the ad, for how long, and even the general age of the audience. This feedback shows them what's catching people's eyes and what's not, so they can optimize their campaigns.

Formats and examples of digital out of home marketing

Here's a look at some common digital out-of-home formats and real-world examples:

• Large display formats

These are the most popular forms of DOOH that you'll usually find on highways, in city centers, and at busy intersections. They display rotating advertisements that include pictures, videos, or even live updates. For instance, the 3D anamorphic display at La Cienega and Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood offers full-motion digital content visible from multiple angles. It generates over 2 million impressions weekly.

• Transit DOOH

Transit DOOH ads appear on digital screens inside and outside buses, trains, and at transit stations. These ads target people during their daily travels. For example, subway screens can show ads that change depending on the time of day.

• Street furniture

Street furniture includes digital displays on bus shelters, kiosks, and newsstands that let people interact with them and display real-time information. In one study, nearly 49% of people said they noticed digital street furniture ads, and among those, 69% took action after seeing the ad. Heineken, for example, used trending data to run an entertaining and engaging ad on a digital bus shelter in Miami.

• Venue-based DOOH

You can find these digital displays in places like shopping malls, sports bars, and gyms. They share the content that matches the location to engage visitors. For example, in a sports bar, the screens might run live polls during a big game, asking fans which team they think will win.

• Airport DOOH

Airport DOOH ads are placed on digital screens throughout terminals, which include check-in areas, baggage claims, and lounges. An example is digital signage in airport lounges promoting duty-free shopping and local attractions.

In short, digital out-of-home takes many forms to reach people in specific moments of their day. With Pippit, businesses can easily design content for these formats, for example, creating short video ads for transit screens, localized promotions for mall displays, or multilingual visuals for airport audiences. This way, campaigns stay fresh, relevant, and ready for any public setting.

Pippit: A smart choice for DOOH campaign content

Pippit is a smart content creation and management platform that lets you quickly generate high-quality marketing videos, promotional posters, product images, and more for your digital out-of-home campaign. Brands can use it for event promotions, product displays, personal digital branding, and more.

It includes AI content creation from product links or text, an AI design tool for generating images and posters, multi-platform publishing for automatic scheduling, performance analytics to track engagement and adjust campaigns, and a library of pre-cleared commercial assets to reduce legal concerns.

Quick steps to use Pippit for creating video DOOH ads

With Pippit, you quickly turn ideas into professional DOOH video ads. Simply follow these three quick steps:

STEP 1
1. Open "Video generator"

Sign up for Pippit using your Google, Facebook, or TikTok account. This will take you to the home page. Here, look for "Video generator" under the "Creation" section and click to open it. Type in the text description of what kind of video you need on the "Turn anything into videos" page.

STEP 2
1. Generate video

Select "Agent mode" from the drop-down and click "Link," "Media," or "Document" to either paste your link, upload media files from your device, or bring in a PDF, PPT, or Word document. After that, click the "Settings" icon to select whether you want to add an avatar, pick a language, and choose the video length, and then click "Generate" to let Pippit produce the video.

STEP 3
1. Edit and export video

Look for your generated video in the taskbar on the top right and click "Edit" to open it in the advanced video editor. Here, you can apply filters and effects, add transitions between scenes, overlay text to highlight your message, change the video size and reframe the subject, and remove the background to replace it with another one. Finally, click "Export," select "Publish" or "Download," and choose the format, resolution, and quality. Click "Export" one more time to either share the video on Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram or download it to your device.

3 steps to using Pippit for creating DOOH campaign images

You can create engaging sales posters, ads, banners, and more with Pippit's AI design tool. Here are the three simple steps to get started with the tool:

STEP 1
1. Open "AI design"

All you have to do is sign up for "Pippit." You can use your Google, TikTok, or Facebook account. After you access the home page, click "Image studio" in the left panel and click "AI design" under the "Level up marketing images" section.

STEP 2
1. Create images for the campaign

A chat window panel will pop up on your screen. Describe your desired design and use quotation marks to highlight the text you want to add. Click "Reference" to upload a sample image and hit "1:1" to set the aspect ratio you want. Then, click "Generate" and Pippit will produce four design versions to choose from.

STEP 3
1. Export to your device

Select the image that aligns with your idea to open it. You can then click ''Inpaint," select the area with the brush, and type in a prompt to add or restore elements, or hit "Outpaint" and choose the aspect ratio to extend the image. It also lets you upscale the design or erase unwanted elements. Finally, hover over "Download," pick the file format, and choose whether you want to add a watermark. Then, click "Download" again to export the image to your device.

Key features of Pippit's DOOH content creator

Pippit's DOOH content creator offers a complete set of tools to create engaging videos and images for your campaigns. Here's a detailed look at its key features:

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1. Quick video creation with AI

AI video generator in Pippit includes an Agent mode that quickly creates any type of video and a Lite mode if you want to generate marketing-specific content. You can produce videos from text prompts, media files, or documents. The platform auto-generates scripts, adds captions, voice, and avatars, and creates content in multiple languages with different video lengths.

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1. Prompt to image generation

The AI design tool in Pippit uses Nano Banana, which is an advanced text-to-image model, to convert text prompts and reference images into detailed visuals or posters. It also includes editing options to erase, inpaint, or outpaint elements or enhance image quality for professional results.

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1. Pre-cleared assets for content creation

Pippit provides a library of commercially licensed templates for both videos and images, which ensures your content is legally safe for public display. You can simply select a preset, open it in the advanced editing space to change the placeholder media or text, apply further edits, and export it to your device.

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1. Auto-publisher and analytics

With the social media publishing tools in Pippit, you can schedule your ads or updates on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook for up to a month in advance. It also offers an analytics dashboard that gives you performance and engagement insights so you can easily adjust your campaigns based on real data.

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1. AI avatars and voices

Pippit offers a library of preset avatars and voices that you can use in your videos without any licensing issues. It also allows you to generate your own avatar from a picture or create a custom voice from an audio recording. This adds a personal touch to your content and makes your DOOH campaigns more engaging and memorable.

Benefits of digital out-of-home marketing

When people spend time outside, digital out-of-home (DOOH) ads meet them right where they are. These ads appear on bright screens in public places and give brands a chance to connect with large groups in creative ways. Below are some of the key benefits

• High visibility: DOOH screens are placed in areas like busy streets, train stations, and malls where people are constantly moving. Since thousands of people pass through these spots every day, the ads get noticed by both regular commuters and casual visitors. People are more likely to remember a brand in the future if they see it more often.
• Real-time updates: Unlike posters or ad banners that take time to change, DOOH ads can be updated instantly. Brands can adjust their messages to match what's happening around them. For example, on a rainy day, a restaurant might run an ad for warm soup, while on a hot day, it could switch to cold drinks.
• Targeted placement: DOOH ads work best when they appear in just the right place at just the right time. An ice cream shop could show ads near a playground on a hot afternoon, while a clothing store might display sales inside a mall where people are already shopping. This way, the ads connect with people who are most likely to pay attention.
• Interactivity: Some screens let people interact with the ads. They can touch the screen, scan a QR code, or use your phone to take part in a contest. This gives people a reason to act right away.
• Scalability and cost effectiveness: With DOOH, ads can appear on many screens at once, either in one city or in different cities. This means brands can start with a small campaign and expand later, depending on what works. They can also track reports to see which ads perform best.

Conclusion

In this detailed article, we've discussed what digital out-of-home is, how it works, its format & examples in real life, and the benefits it offers to marketers and businesses. DOOH has grown into a smart choice for businesses that want to connect with people where they spend their time. Pippit makes this even more practical by giving you AI tools to design videos and images, access pre-cleared assets, and publish campaigns with ease. Its features take the guesswork out of creating content and allow you to focus on reaching your audience effectively. Start using Pippit for your DOOH campaigns today!

FAQs

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1. What does "out-of-home" mean in advertising?

In advertising, "out-of-home" means any ad you see when you're outside. This can be a big billboard on the road, a digital screen in a mall, a poster at a bus stop, or a display at the airport. Pippit takes this a step further. It gives you tools to create smarter digital ads and offers features like multilingual support, smart scheduling, and automated captions that improve accessibility. These options allow businesses to run campaigns that speak to the right people at the right time.

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1. How much does digital out of home cost?

The cost of digital out-of-home varies based on location, format, and duration. Pricing also depends on how long the ad runs and the size or type of screen being used. Pippit can cut down the ad production cost for you! It offers a free plan that lets you generate videos to display your product or highlight its features and create banners or posters from simple text prompts. It also provides the option to resize the images or videos for different platforms with one click.

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1. What are the challenges of digital out-of-home advertising?

One of the main challenges of digital out-of-home advertising is the cost of premium placements, as high-traffic locations can be expensive. Another hurdle is competition for attention since audiences are often on the move and exposed to many other distractions. Technical issues can also arise, such as screen downtime, connectivity problems, or limitations in updating content quickly. Pippit addresses some of these challenges by offering AI tools, which allow brands to refresh their content more often at lower production costs, so they can stay relevant in a competitive advertising space.