POD Studios

Out-of-home advertising, both traditional (OOH) and digital (DOOH), is a great way to amplify your brand message beyond digital and reach your audience in the real world. For startups and scale-ups, (D)OOH can build credibility, drive awareness and feed your digital funnel. Here’s how to embed (D)OOH into your marketing strategy for maximum impact.

Pinpoint Prime Locations

Start by using your first-party data (i.e. postcode clusters of your highest-value customers) to uncover the real footfall hotspots. At POD Studios, we plug in Experian data to map where your best users live and commute, then prioritise screens in those exact neighbourhoods.

Next, layer in context: choose sites that align with your audience’s mindset. Target transport hubs during rush hour to reach busy professionals, select retail precincts at weekends for leisure shoppers, or focus on entertainment districts in the evening for a night-out crowd. By pairing the right data with the right environment, your outdoor ads place your brand will reach the right people at moments that count.

Tailor Creative to the Medium

OOH and DOOH demand different storytelling techniques - get both right to maximise recall.

Traditional OOH: Use single-line headlines and striking visuals. Your message has seconds to land so keep copy concise and brand elements prominent (logo, colour, typography).
DOOH: Leverage motion, animation or simple dynamic content to seize attention in high-traffic settings. Remember dwell time: longer waits mean you can layer in sequential messaging or mini-stories.

Include OOH/DOOH in Your 20% Experiment Budget

Think of OOH and DOOH as another channel in your test-and-learn portfolio, not a one-off booking. Start with a focused, two- to four-week pilot in a single high-value location, using the same creative themes and calls to action you’ve already trialled online. This consistency helps reinforce your message and makes it easier to spot uplift.

To gauge true impact, run your pilot alongside a control area with similar demographics and foot traffic - only the test zone receives your ads. By comparing conversion rates, promo-code redemptions or mobile-location visits from each area, you can calculate the incremental lift driven by your outdoor campaign. With these learnings in hand, you’ll know exactly which screens to scale, and which to pause; all before committing your full budget.

Scale Your Outdoor Campaigns Data-First

Once your pilot proves successful, it’s time to expand, but only into locations that match your winning site’s demographics and footfall. If your initial trial ran in a busy commuter hub, seek out similar stations in other cities. If it was a retail precinct, identify comparable shopping centres elsewhere.

When you roll out to these new screens, tailor flighting and frequency to local patterns. For DOOH this means increasing ad rotations during peak commute hours or weekends and scaling back at quieter times to preserve efficiency. You should also adjust the daily impression count to strike the right balance between reach and frequency, enough to build familiarity without causing audience fatigue (or media wastage!).

All the while, keep your incrementality methodology in place. Maintain small control zones or use unique promo codes so you can continue measuring uplift against untreated areas. By reviewing conversion rates, location-driven site visits and code redemptions each week, you’ll know exactly when to push harder or reallocate budget. This data-led approach lets you scale your OOH campaigns gradually and efficiently.