Industry
Automotive
Challenge
An Automotive brand entered the Australian market as a new challenger in a crowded EV category, needing to build awareness while driving real commercial outcomes.
Objective
With dealership visits as the strongest signal of intent, the focus was clear: prove that programmatic DOOH could drive incremental foot traffic, not just visibility.
Key Product
Demand-Side Platform (DSP), Dynamic creative, POI Targeting
Strategy: Built to test, learn and scale
The Auto brand and Vistar approached programmatic DOOH as an evolving performance system, using a phased test-and-learn approach across the year.
- Q2: High-impact roadside billboards to establish scale and validate baseline performance.
- Q3: Shift to high-dwell environments including retail and transit to improve engagement.
- Q4: Introduce Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO) to maximise behavioural impact.
Footfall attribution was used throughout, comparing exposed audiences to a control group to measure true incrementality. Insights from each phase informed the next, allowing the campaign to evolve from broad reach into precision-driven activation.
Execution: Built to drive action in real time
In Q4, the Auto brand introduced location-based dynamic creative, enabling each screen to display the nearest dealership based on its location.
This transformed DOOH from a broadcast channel into a directional tool:
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Creative dynamically updated with the closest dealership.
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Messaging tailored at the screen level based on proximity.
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High-frequency environments like train stations and retail centres became actionable touch points.
Rather than asking audiences to search later, the campaign delivered immediate utility, reducing friction between interest and action.
This level of contextual relevance was only possible through programmatic DOOH, where media and creative work together in real time.
Results: Built for measurable impact
The campaign delivered consistent and accelerating performance across all phases.
Despite running during the most competitive retail period, where baseline visitation was highest, Q4 delivered the strongest results.
Footfall data also showed quality of engagement:
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Median dwell time: 33 minutes
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Majority of visits lasted 31 to 40 minutes
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50% of exposed audiences visited within 12 days
The takeaway
Programmatic DOOH proved its role beyond awareness, driving measurable, incremental dealership visits in a highly competitive category.
By combining scale with location-led dynamic creative, the Auto brand turned everyday environments into moments that guided audiences to act, showing how proximity and relevance can convert real-world movement into business outcomes.
