Programmatic DOOH adoption rate expected to increase in the UK to 36% in the next 18 months

• Amongst those surveyed, almost one third (29%) of UK campaigns in the past 18 months used prDOOH, projected to grow to 36% in the next 18 months.
• Programmatic-only buys have increased, with almost half (47%) of marketers now exclusively using this method, an increase of 18 percentage points year-over-year.
• Investment in prDOOH in the UK is set to grow by a third (29%) in spending over the next 18 months.
• UK marketers prioritise performance-based metrics when assessing campaign success, specifically sales uplift, impact on website traffic and increased performance when combined with other digital channels.
• 61% of UK marketers particularly favour prDOOH for its efficiency and sustainability credentials.

Today, VIOOH, the leading premium global digital out of home (DOOH) supply-side platform, released its annual research into the programmatic DOOH (prDOOH) market. The findings show that the UK is a well-established prDOOH market, with programmatic accounting for almost a third (29%) of campaigns in the past 18 months. This is the highest growth rate globally, tied with the US and France, and surpasses the global average of 27%. In the UK, adoption is set to increase to 36% in the next 18 months. The UK has a high proportion of advertisers (29%) who have previously used prDOOH and are starting to embrace programmatic as their standard buying approach for DOOH, confirming its status as an established market for prDOOH.

Surging demand for prDOOH reshaping budget allocations

Investment in prDOOH in the UK is set to grow by a third (29%) in spending over the next 18 months. The UK growth is expected to be fuelled by new budget allocation according to a quarter of respondents (24%), a 9 percentage points (ppt) year-over-year (YoY) increase. UK marketers are also moving budget towards prDOOH from digital channels (82% including DOOH, +6 ppt YoY) in-line with the global average (83%), a trend which is slightly more pronounced for advertisers (85%) compared to agencies (80%).

Growing preference for an automated and data-driven approach to DOOH

Programmatic-only buys have seen a substantial YoY increase, accounting for 47% of DOOH campaigns in the past 12 months (+18 ppt YoY).

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.

Most UK respondents (90%, +9 ppt YoY) agree that prDOOH offers the most innovative advertising opportunities of all media channels, surpassing social media (83%) and display (81%), although prDOOH is most typically bought alongside social media for both brand (83%) and performance (83%) led campaigns.

UK marketers value prDOOH’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. 

While OOH specialist media agencies remain a key resource for planning and buying prDOOH, utilised by 78% of marketers (+27 ppt YoY), the role of demand-side platforms (DSPs) has grown substantially, with 43% of marketers leveraging DSP managed services for prDOOH, a notable 30 ppt increase YoY. This aligns with a broader global trend towards greater DSP adoption, as prDOOH is increasingly planned, bought and activated within multi-channel campaigns.

Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO) is gaining significant traction in the UK, with 96% of marketers considering, piloting, or actively integrating it into their prDOOH campaigns.

Recognising the dual benefits of prDOOH for both brand building and performance marketing, UK marketers prioritise performance-based metrics when assessing campaign effectiveness. The top three metrics used to evaluate prDOOH campaigns include sales uplift (53%), impact on website traffic (44%), and increased performance when integrated with other digital channels (42%).

Sustainability & prDOOH

Sustainability is a major consideration for UK advertisers when planning and buying media, with 59% ranking it among their top five factors (compared to 52% globally). Marketers in the UK particularly favour prDOOH for its efficiency and sustainability credentials, recognising its eco-efficient reach as prDOOH is only activated when a relevant audience is present or predefined trigger criteria are met (61% prDOOH vs. 55% DOOH vs. 49% OOH).

“In the UK, awareness of the advantages of prDOOH 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 in planning and buying prDOOH. As the advertising landscape evolves and advertisers are increasingly aligning their campaigns across channels, we expect prDOOH’s ability to deliver targeted, measurable and eco-friendly campaigns to solidify its position as a key player in the UK’s media landscape,” said Jean-Christophe Conti, Chief Executive Officer at VIOOH.

See the full report here: viooh.com/sotn

Source: VIOOH

  DOOH, Marketing, OOH, prDOOH, Report, UK, VIOOH