The definitive guide to DOOH audience & targeting

Vistar Media shares a brand-new comprehensive guide to audience and targeting strategies for digital out-of-home. 

Over the past few years, digital out-of-home (DOOH) has entered a new era. The ability to use data to create audiences and target consumers in the physical world means DOOH is no longer an antiquated or analogue channel. While the technology is still relatively new, it is already delivering tremendous value to brands that have implemented an audience-based strategy for their campaigns.

In the early days, out-of-home campaigns were purchased primarily by geography — zip codes, DMAs, and proximity to stores. That approach still plays a role, but today’s advanced data and measurement capabilities allow marketers to go far beyond geography alone.

By analyzing consumer movement patterns, purchase signals, and lifestyle behaviors, advertisers can understand how people navigate the world and tailor campaigns to fit those routines. The result: brands can show up at the right place, at the right time — and know their message is reaching the right people.

What used to be a medium for mass reach has become a channel for targeted relevance. This evolution gives advertisers the power to plan DOOH the same way they approach digital — with audiences at the center of every decision.

Why audience targeting in DOOH matters

For years, OOH planning relied on zip codes, DMAs and proximity to stores. Today, marketers can go far deeper. Movement data, purchase signals and lifestyle attributes allow campaigns to be planned around people, their routines, habits and intent. You can explore audience targeting with:

• Behavioral insights: who audiences are and what they do
• Visitation patterns: where audiences go and how often.
• Contextual relevance: what's happening in the moment (weather, time of day)
• Demographic insights: age, gender, income and more that help define who your audience is.

Together, these insights help marketers plan campaigns with purpose, ensuring messages reach audiences when and where they’re most receptive.

Want to see how audience data powers smarter DOOH campaigns? Check out how to plan with data, which covers targeting tactics like POI, weather, and behavior-driven segments that amplify DOOH impact.

From movement to action

Audience targeting in DOOH begins with understanding how people move through the physical world. Digital out-of-home uses aggregated and anonymized location data to identify trends, without ever relying on personal information.

That data shows when and where audiences gather: the 7 a.m. coffee rush, the 8 a.m. train station crowd, the lunchtime gym-goers and the after-work diners. By mapping these real-world journeys, brands can serve ads to the right people, in the right place, at the right time. 

The ability to synchronize creative delivery with real-world behaviors transform DOOH into an adaptable, responsive channel — one that can evolve hour by hour or region by region.

Partner spotlights

Behind every audience strategy is a network of trusted data partners who make DOOH targeting actionable and scalable, while maintaining privacy and accuracy. 

T-Mobile

 T-Mobile audiences offer advertisers exclusive access to segments built from app ownership data, from devices within T-Mobile’s network. Available through Vistar, this partnership marks the first time these segments are available for third-party use and gives brands the ability to connect mobile behaviors to real-world screens. Learn more about T-Mobile audiences.

Affinity Answers

Affinity Answers is a marketing data science company that specializes in providing social-powered insights to help brands improve their efficiency and effectiveness. Through Vistar's partnership with Affinity Answers, marketers are now enabled to leverage social-based audiences in DOOH. Learn more about Affinity Answers.

Epsilon

With over 3,000 readily-available audiences in Vistar Media's DSP, Epsilon and Vistar Media's partnership provides comprehensive access to detailed consumer data, including transactional insights, demographic information, and lifestyle details for DOOH campaign activation. Learn more about Epsilon.

Eyeota

Eyeota audiences fuse online and offline identifiers to create powerful, cookieless audience targeting data for B2B and B2C brands to use for marketing and advertising on any digital channel at a global scale. Eyeota has more than 50,000 audience data profiles available which are categorized by vertical, consumer lifestyle and seasonal events. Learn more about Eyeota.

InMarket

Leveraging a network of 200M+ location-based users, $136B+ verified transactions, and proprietary intent signals from shopping lists and surveys, InMarket delivers audiences that connect brands with consumers at pivotal decision-making moments. Learn more about InMarket.

Inside the playbook

Digital out-of-home has moved beyond static placements. It’s now a dynamic, data-enabled channel that mirrors the precision and measurability of digital media, but with the unmatched impact of the physical world.

When audience intelligence, contextual triggers, and creative storytelling come together, brands can connect with people in motion. In our new playbook, Audience & Targeting Strategies for DOOH, you’ll learn about:

• The variety of audiences and targeting solutions available to marketers
• How audiences are built for this real-world medium
• Different strategic approaches to take, depending on campaign goals
• And much, much more!

To dive deeper into the audience and targeting strategies now available for digital out-of-home, download our guide below.