Programmatic DOOH: Your Guide to Automated Ad Buying

What Programmatic DOOH Means#

Programmatic Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) refers to the automated buying, selling, and delivery of DOOH advertising campaigns using software and algorithms. Instead of manual negotiations and insertions, programmatic DOOH leverages technology to streamline the entire process, making it more efficient, data-driven, and accessible for advertisers worldwide looking to reach audiences in specific geographic locations, such as Slovakia and Czechia.

At its core, programmatic DOOH enables advertisers to purchase ad impressions on digital screens in real-time or near real-time, based on specific targeting parameters and audience insights. This shift from traditional, often static, OOH buying to a dynamic, automated system allows for greater flexibility, faster campaign launches, and more precise targeting. It's about bringing the efficiency and data-driven approach of online programmatic advertising to the physical world of outdoor media.

For a deeper dive into the fundamental concepts of this advertising method, you can explore our guide on what is DOOH advertising.

How Buying Works#

Buying programmatic DOOH operates on principles similar to online programmatic media, but adapted for physical screens. The process typically involves an advertiser using a demand-side platform (DSP) or a self-serve booking platform to access available inventory. In the context of Lurity, advertisers interact directly with a self-serve booking platform, which simplifies the process significantly.

Here's a breakdown of the typical steps:

1. Inventory Access: Lurity's platform provides access to its network of digital screens across Slovakia and Czechia. This inventory is synchronised from the Lurity Exchange, meaning that the listed screens and venues reflect live availability, giving advertisers an accurate view of what's currently available for booking.
2. Campaign Parameters: Advertisers define their campaign objectives, target audience, budget, and desired geographic reach. For instance, an advertiser might specify wanting to reach consumers in specific cities like Bratislava or Prague, or within certain venue environments like retail malls.
3. Location and Date Selection: Using the online planner, advertisers can browse available screens and pick specific locations and dates for their campaign. This planner allows for precise selection based on cities, venues, and even individual screens.
4. Instant Pricing: A key benefit of Lurity's platform is the ability to see the price for a specific selection instantly before committing. This transparency allows advertisers to adjust their selections to fit their budget in real-time, making the financial planning straightforward.
5. Creative Upload: Once locations and dates are chosen and the price is confirmed, advertisers upload their ad creatives. These creatives must meet specific technical requirements, which are detailed further in the 'Creative requirements' section below.
6. Campaign Launch: After approval of creatives and payment, the campaign is launched and delivered automatically to the selected screens according to the specified schedule.

This self-serve model removes many of the traditional barriers to entry for DOOH, making it accessible to international advertisers who might not have local contacts or extensive media buying teams in Slovakia or Czechia. For more details on the practical steps, refer to our guide on how booking a campaign with Lurity works.

Campaign Workflow Step by Step#

The process of launching a programmatic DOOH campaign with Lurity is designed to be intuitive and efficient. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Account Creation and Login: Start by creating an account on the Lurity self-serve platform. This provides access to the online planner and all campaign management tools.
2. Define Campaign Goals: Before selecting screens, consider your campaign's objectives. Are you aiming for brand awareness, product promotion, or driving footfall to a specific location? This will inform your location and scheduling choices.
3. Explore Inventory and Select Locations: Use the online planner to browse the available screens in Slovakia and Czechia. You can filter by country, city, and venue environment. For example, you might target screens within retail malls in Bratislava or residential buildings in Brno.

Slovakia: Lurity offers 382 screens across 141 venues in 49 cities. Notable cities include Bratislava (100 screens / 34 venues), Košice (81 screens / 23 venues), Banská Bystrica (26 screens / 5 venues), Prešov (21 screens / 6 venues), Liptovský Mikuláš (16 screens / 4 venues), Trenčín (15 screens / 3 venues), and Žilina (11 screens / 4 venues). Czechia: The network includes 353 screens across 198 venues in 158 cities. Key cities feature Praha (49 screens / 12 venues), Brno (26 screens / 9 venues), Havířov (14 screens / 2 venues), and Kladno (13 screens / 5 venues). Venue Environments: The network spans various environments, including retail.mall (279 screens in 52 venues), residential (120 screens in 118 venues), retail (103 screens in 81 venues), transit (25 screens in 7 venues), and more. A comprehensive list of locations can be found on our city and venue inventory listings.

1. Set Campaign Dates and Schedule: Choose the start and end dates for your campaign. You can also define specific times of day for your ads to run, leveraging dayparting options to align with peak audience presence.
2. Review Pricing: As you select screens and dates, the platform will display the total price for your chosen inventory in EUR. This real-time pricing allows you to adjust your selection to match your budget before proceeding. To experiment with different selections, visit our price planner.
3. Upload Creatives: Prepare your ad creatives according to the specifications outlined in the 'Creative requirements' section. Upload them directly to the platform.
4. Finalise and Pay: Once all selections are made, creatives are uploaded, and pricing is confirmed, proceed to payment to launch your campaign.
5. Campaign Monitoring and Reporting: After launch, Lurity provides campaign delivery reporting for every campaign. This report details when and where your ads were displayed, offering transparency and proof of delivery.

Targeting Options That Genuinely Exist#

Unlike online programmatic advertising which often relies on individual user data, programmatic DOOH targeting is primarily based on the physical world attributes of the screens and their environments. The targeting options available through Lurity's platform are concrete and tied to the real-world characteristics of the screens.

Here are the genuine targeting options:

Geographic Targeting: This is the most fundamental form of DOOH targeting. Advertisers can select screens in specific countries (Slovakia or Czechia), regions, cities, or even individual venues. For example, if you wish to target consumers in the capital cities, you can select screens exclusively in Bratislava and Praha. Lurity's network spans 207 cities across both countries, offering granular control over location. Venue Environment Targeting: Advertisers can choose to place their ads in specific types of venues where their target audience is likely to be present. Lurity's network includes screens in various environments, such as: Retail Malls: Ideal for reaching shoppers and consumers actively engaged in purchasing decisions (e.g., 279 screens in 52 venues). Residential Buildings: Effective for reaching local communities and daily commuters (e.g., 120 screens in 118 venues). Retail Stores: Useful for point-of-sale promotions or brand awareness near shopping areas (e.g., 103 screens in 81 venues). Transit Hubs: For reaching commuters and travelers (e.g., 25 screens in 7 venues). Other environments like entertainment and office also exist, allowing for tailored audience reach. Temporal Targeting (Dayparting): This allows advertisers to schedule their ads to run only during specific times of day or days of the week. For instance, a breakfast promotion might run only in the mornings, or an evening entertainment ad might run in the late afternoon and evening. This ensures your message is seen when it's most relevant to the audience present. * Screen Orientation and Type: While not strictly 'targeting' in the audience sense, selecting screens based on their orientation (landscape or portrait) or resolution is a practical targeting parameter for creative optimisation. Lurity's network includes 411 screens with 1920x1080 resolution (landscape) and 326 screens with 1080x1920 resolution (portrait), ensuring creative can be displayed optimally. Every screen is a digital display.

These targeting capabilities allow advertisers to precisely align their ad delivery with specific locations, environments, and times where their desired audience is most likely to be engaged, ensuring an efficient use of their advertising budget.

Scheduling and Dayparting#

Effective scheduling and dayparting are critical components of programmatic DOOH, allowing advertisers to maximise the impact of their campaigns by reaching audiences at the most opportune moments. These features enable precise control over when and how often your ads are displayed on Lurity's network screens.

Scheduling refers to setting the overall duration of your campaign. With Lurity's self-serve platform, advertisers select specific start and end dates for their campaigns. This flexibility allows for short-term promotional bursts, seasonal campaigns, or longer-term brand awareness initiatives. The platform ensures that once selected, your campaign will run continuously during your specified period, adhering to your chosen frequency settings within the screen's loop.

Dayparting, on the other hand, allows for more granular control over the times of day and days of the week your ads are shown. This feature is particularly valuable for advertisers who know their target audience's habits and can leverage this information to deliver ads when they are most receptive. For instance:

Morning Commute (e.g., 06:00-09:00): Ideal for coffee shops, news outlets, or public transport promotions. Lunch Hour (e.g., 12:00-14:00): Relevant for restaurant deals, food delivery services, or quick retail promotions. Afternoon/Evening (e.g., 16:00-20:00): Suited for entertainment venues, grocery stores, or after-work activity promotions. Weekends: Perfect for family-oriented events, leisure activities, or weekend shopping deals.

By strategically using dayparting, advertisers can:

Optimise Relevance: Deliver messages that are timely and relevant to the immediate context of the audience. Reduce Waste: Avoid displaying ads when the target audience is unlikely to be present, making your budget go further. * Enhance Campaign Performance: Increase the likelihood of engagement and recall by aligning ad delivery with peak audience presence and mindset.

Creative Requirements#

To ensure your programmatic DOOH campaign runs smoothly and displays correctly across Lurity's network, adhering to creative specifications is essential. Digital out-of-home screens have distinct technical requirements compared to other digital ad formats. Lurity ensures that both landscape (16:9) and portrait (9:16) canvases are available, providing flexibility for creative design.

Here are the general creative requirements:

File Formats: Accepted formats typically include common image types like JPG, PNG, or video formats such as MP4. Specific details will be provided within the self-serve platform during the upload process. Resolution: Creatives must be prepared to match the native resolution of the screens they will be displayed on. The Lurity network primarily uses two main resolutions: 1920x1080 pixels: This is the most common landscape resolution, used by 411 screens in the network. 1080x1920 pixels: This is the primary portrait resolution, used by 326 screens. Other resolutions like 2160x1080, 1560x624, 2016x672, and 1024x640 are also in use by a smaller number of screens. It is crucial to check the specific screen details in the planner for optimal creative fit. Aspect Ratio: Maintain the correct aspect ratio for the selected screens (e.g., 16:9 for landscape, 9:16 for portrait) to prevent stretching or cropping of your ad. Content Considerations: DOOH creatives should be: Visually Striking: Capture attention quickly, as viewers are often in motion. Concise: Use minimal text and clear, large fonts. Messages should be understood in 3-7 seconds. Brand-Consistent: Ensure your brand elements are prominent and recognisable. High Contrast: Use contrasting colours to ensure readability from a distance and in varying lighting conditions. No Small Details: Avoid small print or intricate details that cannot be easily perceived by passers-by. File Size: While specific limits will be stated in the platform, aim for optimised file sizes to ensure quick upload and smooth playback, especially for video content. Video Loop (if applicable): For video creatives, consider if the video needs to loop seamlessly. Ensure the duration is appropriate for a DOOH loop environment, typically short (e.g., 10-15 seconds).

Always consult the Lurity self-serve platform for the most up-to-date and precise creative specifications before designing and uploading your ads. Preparing your creative correctly ensures your message is delivered effectively to your target audience.

Measurement and Reporting#

Transparency and accountability are key in any advertising channel, and programmatic DOOH is no exception. With Lurity, every campaign includes comprehensive delivery reporting, providing advertisers with clear insights into how their ads performed. This reporting focuses on measurable actions related to ad delivery, ensuring advertisers know exactly what they are receiving for their investment.

What's Measured and Reported?

Lurity's campaign delivery reporting provides verifiable data points, primarily centered around proof of play. This includes:

Proof of Play: Detailed logs confirming when and where each creative was displayed on the chosen screens. This typically includes the date, time, and specific screen ID for every ad play. Total Impressions Delivered: An aggregate count of the total number of times your ad was played across the entire campaign, based on the frequency and duration specified during booking. Screen Uptime/Availability: Information related to the operational status of the screens, ensuring that your ads ran on active displays. Geographic Distribution: Confirmation of ad delivery across the specific cities and venues selected in Slovakia and Czechia. * Temporal Distribution: Verification that ads ran according to the selected schedule and dayparting settings.

Benefits of Lurity's Reporting

Transparency: Advertisers gain full visibility into their campaign's delivery, removing guesswork. Verification: Proof of play reports offer tangible evidence that advertising commitments were met. * Accountability: The detailed reports allow advertisers to confirm their investment is being utilised as intended.

This robust reporting mechanism is an integral part of the Lurity offering, ensuring that international advertisers have the necessary data to evaluate their DOOH campaign's reach and delivery effectiveness. For a broader understanding of DOOH measurement principles, you can read our guide on DOOH measurement and metrics explained.

Programmatic vs Traditional DOOH Buying#

The shift from traditional to programmatic DOOH buying represents a significant evolution in out-of-home advertising. While both aim to reach audiences in physical spaces, their methodologies, efficiencies, and accessibility differ greatly.

Key Differences Explained:

The manual tasks associated with traditional buying are automated, freeing up resources. Transparency: The instant pricing and detailed reporting offered by Lurity provide a level of transparency rarely found in traditional DOOH. Advertisers know what they are paying for and can verify delivery. Agility: Programmatic DOOH allows for quick reactions to market conditions, seasonal opportunities, or competitor activities. Campaigns can be launched and adjusted much faster than through traditional methods. * Scalability: For international advertisers, programmatic platforms like Lurity offer a standardised way to buy media across different regions (Slovakia, Czechia) without needing to engage multiple local vendors.

While traditional DOOH still has its place for very large, long-term brand-building campaigns, programmatic DOOH is rapidly becoming the preferred choice for its efficiency, flexibility, and data-driven approach, especially for advertisers seeking precise, measurable reach in specific markets.

Benefits#

Leveraging programmatic DOOH through Lurity's self-serve platform offers a compelling set of advantages for international advertisers looking to make an impact in Slovakia and Czechia.

1. Enhanced Efficiency and Automation: Streamlined Buying Process: The self-serve platform automates the traditionally manual process of buying DOOH. Advertisers can pick locations, set dates, upload creatives, and launch campaigns without extensive back-and-forth communication or paperwork. This significantly reduces the time from planning to execution. Real-time Inventory: The screen inventory is synchronised from the Lurity Exchange, meaning that advertisers see live availability. This eliminates the frustration of requesting inventory that is already booked.

2. Precision and Control: Granular Location Targeting: Advertisers can select screens in specific cities and venues (e.g., retail malls, residential buildings, transit hubs) to reach their desired audience segment where they live, work, and shop. This allows for highly focused campaigns in markets like Bratislava, Praha, Košice, or Brno. Temporal Precision (Dayparting): Campaigns can be scheduled to run at specific times of day and on particular days of the week, ensuring ads are displayed when the target audience is most likely to be present and receptive. * Budget Transparency: The online planner provides instant pricing for any selection, giving advertisers full control over their budget and enabling them to optimise their screen and schedule choices to fit financial parameters in EUR.

3. Accessibility for International Advertisers: No Local Presence Required: The self-serve nature of the platform removes the need for advertisers to have local media buying teams or extensive market knowledge in Slovakia and Czechia. It democratises access to these markets. Standardised Process: A consistent, English-language platform makes it easy for advertisers from any country to understand and utilise the network across two different European nations.

4. Data-Driven Insights and Accountability: Campaign Delivery Reporting: Every campaign includes comprehensive delivery reporting, providing clear proof of play (when and where ads ran). This offers transparency and accountability for your advertising spend. Performance Optimisation: While audience data is not provided, the delivery reports allow advertisers to see which placements and schedules performed best in terms of plays, informing future campaign strategies.

5. Flexibility and Agility: Short-Term Campaigns: The platform supports flexible campaign durations, enabling advertisers to run short bursts for promotions or events, or longer-term campaigns for brand building. Rapid Campaign Launch: The automated workflow allows for campaigns to go live quickly, enabling advertisers to react promptly to market trends or competitive actions.

In essence, programmatic DOOH with Lurity offers a modern, efficient, and transparent way to engage audiences in Slovakia and Czechia, making it an attractive option for advertisers seeking control and measurable results.

Limitations#

While programmatic DOOH offers significant advantages, it's important for advertisers to understand its inherent limitations, especially when compared to other digital advertising channels. These limitations are primarily due to the nature of physical screens and the DOOH environment itself.

1. No Individual Audience Targeting: No Personalised Data: Unlike online programmatic which uses cookies and device IDs for individual user targeting, programmatic DOOH cannot track or target individual consumers based on their online behaviour or demographic profiles in real-time. Targeting is based on location, environment, and time, not on personal data. No Retargeting: It is not possible to retarget individuals who have been exposed to a DOOH ad with mobile or online ads directly through the Lurity platform.

2. No Guaranteed Footfall or Conversion Tracking (Directly): Impression-Based: DOOH advertising fundamentally measures exposures or plays, not direct conversions. While it can influence footfall or sales, Lurity's reporting focuses on delivery metrics (proof of play) and does not directly track or guarantee footfall figures or sales conversions. Attribution Challenges: Attributing direct sales or website visits to a DOOH ad exposure can be complex and typically requires separate, sophisticated measurement tools (e.g., geo-fencing post-exposure surveys) which are not part of Lurity's standard offering.

3. Environmental Context Matters: Shared Screens: Your ad is part of a loop with other advertisers. Viewers see a rotation of ads, meaning sustained attention for a single ad is not guaranteed. Passive Consumption: DOOH is often a passive medium. Audiences are typically in transit or otherwise occupied, meaning the ad's message must be concise and easily digestible.

4. Creative Constraints: Short Attention Spans: Given the passive nature of consumption, creatives must be impactful within a very short viewing window (e.g., 3-7 seconds). Complex messages or extensive text are ineffective. No Interactivity: DOOH screens are generally one-way communication channels; direct user interaction (like clicking a button) is not part of the standard programmatic offering.

5. Inventory Fluctuations: * While Lurity's inventory is live-synced, specific desirable screens can be booked by other advertisers. Planning ahead, especially for high-demand locations or peak seasons, is advisable.

Understanding these limitations helps advertisers set realistic expectations for their programmatic DOOH campaigns and strategise effectively. It reinforces the idea that DOOH excels at building brand awareness, driving recall, and influencing consumers at key points in their physical journeys, rather than direct, trackable conversions like online advertising.

How to Prepare a Campaign#

Successful programmatic DOOH campaigns, even with a self-serve platform, require careful planning. Here's a structured approach to prepare your campaign using Lurity's network in Slovakia and Czechia:

1. Define Your Campaign Objectives Clearly: What do you want to achieve? (e.g., increase brand awareness by X%, drive traffic to a specific retail location, promote a new product launch). Who is your target audience? (e.g., young professionals, families with children, tourists). This will guide your location and time selections.

2. Research and Select Locations: Geographic Focus: Based on your target audience, identify specific cities (e.g., Bratislava, Praha, Brno) or regions in Slovakia and Czechia where you want your ads to appear. Venue Environments: Consider where your target audience spends their time. Do you want to reach them in retail malls, residential areas, transit hubs, or other specific environments? Use Lurity's inventory breakdown (e.g., 279 screens in retail.mall venues) to inform your choices. You can explore available inventory on our locations page. * Screen Specifics: Note whether landscape or portrait screens are more prevalent in your desired locations, as this impacts creative design.

3. Develop Compelling Creatives: Keep it Brief and Visual: Design ads that can be understood in 3-7 seconds. Use strong visuals, minimal text, and clear calls to action. High Contrast and Legibility: Ensure your message is readable from a distance and in varying lighting conditions. Adhere to Specifications: Create your ads according to Lurity's technical requirements, particularly for resolution and file format (e.g., 1920x1080 for landscape, 1080x1920 for portrait). Incorrect creative sizing can lead to poor display quality. A/B Testing (Optional but Recommended): If possible, prepare a few variations of your creative to test different messages or visual styles, especially if running a longer campaign.

4. Plan Your Schedule and Dayparting: Campaign Dates: Determine the start and end dates. Consider seasonal trends, holidays, or specific promotional periods. Times of Day/Days of Week: Based on when your target audience is most likely to be present at your chosen locations, specify precise dayparting settings. For example, morning for commuters, lunch for shoppers, evenings for leisure seekers.

5. Set Your Budget and Review Pricing: Allocate Budget: Determine how much you are willing to spend. Lurity's platform will show you the price for your selections in EUR, allowing you to adjust your choices to fit your budget. Use the Planner: Actively use the price planner to experiment with different combinations of locations, dates, and durations to find the optimal balance for your budget and reach goals. Our guide on how DOOH advertising pricing works can offer further insights.

6. Final Review and Launch: Double-Check Everything: Before finalising, review all campaign parameters: locations, dates, schedule, creatives, and pricing. Understand Reporting: Familiarise yourself with the campaign delivery reporting features to monitor performance once live. You can learn more about this in our guide on how to plan a DOOH campaign step by step.

By following these steps, international advertisers can effectively prepare and launch impactful programmatic DOOH campaigns on the Lurity network, maximising their reach and engagement with audiences in Slovakia and Czechia.