Beyond the Frame: Why Video is the Strategic Supercharger for Modern DOOH

Digital out of home (DOOH) screens provide the world with bold canvases for advertisers to delight audiences in in real life (IRL) across a myriad of environments. While the static image remains the cornerstone of high-impact advertising, the integration of video allows DOOH to transcend its surroundings, transforming a vibrant screen into an unmissable, cinematic event.

From smartphones and laptops to TVs and digital signage, brands can and should be taking a more holistic approach to video advertising. However, while the technology to broadcast across screens is here, the mechanics of how we do it matter more than ever. Not every screen is created equal. Advertisers will only succeed when they combine the breadth of video storytelling with the specific nuances that make each platform unique. It's not enough to simply exist everywhere; brands must be relevant everywhere.

Shifting From Broadcaster to Concierge

Just because a screen can play a video doesn’t mean the audience will receive it the same way they will on any other screen. The user experience of someone watching a video on social media, often solo, engaged and interactive, is completely different from the lean-back experience of TV in the living room. DOOH introduces additional variables: from on-the-go to place-based, sometimes on a digital billboard where hundreds of people are passing by in seconds, other times in a quiet corner where dwell time is high. Targeting must go from one-to-one to one-to-many.

The right approach for brands is to marry audience data with an understanding of behavior and mindset. A brand can still reach sports fans across each screen, but they're going to behave differently in each situation. Brands need to lean into these differences rather than ignoring them.

Consider a quick-serve restaurant using video in different situations. For promoting a lunch special, on mobile it pushes an “order now” message at 11:30 am with a short distance marker of half a mile. On DOOH, it uses screens near the restaurant with high-impact, appetizing motion graphics of a steamy burger. No audio or interactivity, just pure visual stimulation to trigger hunger in passersby. The screens play different roles: the mobile ad captures intent; the DOOH ad captures impulse.

The Emergence of 'Transcreation' 

Based on the need to tailor experiences on different screens to different mindsets, the concept of one video asset rarely translates effectively to every placement. A commercial that relies on a popular song to convey emotion works on TikTok or TV, but falls flat on a digital billboard where sound is usually off. Similarly, a video featuring dense text or subtitles might be readable on a laptop 18 inches from your face, but becomes illegible on a bus shelter screen viewed from across the street.

Rather than build a single creative, brands need to build a modular creative concept, one that has a set of assets that can be  easily transcreated and broken into pieces that can be mixed and matched to work on different screens and platforms while still adhering to brand and campaign requirements, such as ensuring the brand is recognized in the first seconds of the ad. Sometimes the perfect modular kit of assets isn’t possible, but in all scenarios the best approach is to not limit formats at point of conception and keep an open mind and runway for repurposing.

Triangulating on Success

Triangulating on the right way to measure the results on different screens is one of the biggest challenges for multiscreen campaigns. Attribution between IRL and online is complicated and not linear. People aren’t able to click on a billboard, but it might be the reason they drove to a store. Whereas people will click on a video ad on their computer and visit an online store.

While the campaign might have one overarching key performance indicator like incremental sales lift, each screen might require a different way to measure it. Finding the right mix of metrics that all drive to the same goal is the key to success. With a unified approach, the role of each screen — from DOOH to mobile to desktop to TV — is clear and attributed accurately. Examples of different metrics to use, especially for DOOH, include footfall traffic and incremental lift studies. Using incrementality measurement that attributes results to each channel provides the most accurate picture, especially for DOOH screens where a more interactive or direct action (e.g., a call to action or QR code) isn’t the right approach.

DOOH video is an incredibly powerful strategy, and one that will define the media landscape of 2026 and beyond. However, ubiquity doesn't equal utility.

To truly create an omnichannel experience where every screen (static or video) plays its specific part in the journey, we must respect the environment in which they sit. By tailoring creative to the physical context, adjusting our expectations of audience behavior, and diversifying our measurement models, brands can move from simply buying space to creating genuine, omnichannel experiences.

Kira LeBlanc is senior vice president, global activation, Perion, a technology leader in connecting advertisers and brands to consumers across all major digital channels using AI-powered solutions.