Triggering greatness: Unlocking Samsung’s real-time targeting with custom API-powered DOOH

Powering programmatic milestones through custom, data-driven connectivity

As digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising evolves, the ability to connect with consumers at the exact right moment is no longer just a benefit, it is an expectation. For the annual Amsterdam Bijlmer Run in the Netherlands, Samsung Electronics (Benelux) wanted to build an ambitious, integrated activation strategy designed to connect specifically with runners throughout their training and commuting journeys.

Partnering with Vistar Media, Samsung launched a pioneering DOOH campaign, from 6 May to 16 May 2026, that marked a major milestone for programmatic advertising in the region. By building a custom connection to Vistar’s demand-side platform (DSP), Samsung successfully executed their first-ever API-triggered campaign based on live public transport mobility data.

The challenge: blending running community targeting with real-time contextual awareness

Capturing the attention of modern consumers requires more than static presence; it demands contextual relevance. For this key campaign, Samsun faced a two-pronged challenge.

• Reaching active audiences: First, they needed to pinpoint and engage fitness-minded individuals and runners during their moments of preparation, training, and community connection.

• Targeted contextual awareness: Second, as a key partner of the Amsterdam Bijlmer Run, Samsung looked to build widespread awareness for the event among commuters. The core hurdle was ensuring that regional transit messaging was only visible to passengers who were actively travelling towards Amsterdam Central Station and the Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA, minimising wasted media spend and maximising contextual impact. Therefore, Samsung needed a way to have their creative automatically triggered exclusively when a train was scheduled to head towards Amsterdam Central Station and Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA.

• Rethinking data feeds: Most programmatic DOOH triggers rely on pre-integrated, third-party data feeds, such as weather or basic environmental changes, supporting campaign impact with powerful contextual relevance. However, to achieve Samsung's specific vision, the campaign required a highly custom infrastructure capable of responding instantly to proprietary, real-time transit schedules.

The strategy: deploying a multi-layered campaign powered by a custom API train trigger

Samsung worked closely with Vistar Media to build out a direct connection to the Vistar DSP, allowing the brand to trigger screens on specific train platforms based on real-time data feeds. Rather than relying on static, predetermined timetables, this advanced integration connected straight into the live data of the train operator, to account for any sudden delays, scheduling modifications or platform alterations in real time.

This multi-layered activation strategy unrolled across several distinct phases to guide the audience from initial training to race day:

1. Pre-event awareness and community targeting

To engage the running community in their natural environments, the campaign leveraged precise audience and location strategies:

• Fitness environments: Placements were activated across gyms to reach health-conscious individuals during peak training moments.
• Route targeting: To map out the most impactful running touchpoints, the campaign identified the most popular routes on Strava and cross-referenced that data to filter specific cities of the participants from the previous year's half marathon.
• Local run clubs: On weekends, messaging shifted to focus heavily around local running clubs across the Randstad region to build authentic grassroots awareness.

2. Real-time API train schedule and destination triggers

The pinnacle of the campaign was the live station activations. Utilising the custom API integration, creative was automatically triggered exclusively when a train was scheduled to depart towards Amsterdam Central Station and Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA. If a train on that specific platform was not heading to the race destination, the ad did not serve. 

3. Race-day execution

On the day of the event, the activation expanded directly onto the marathon route itself, utilising cherry-picked urban panels to capture participants, supporters, and spectators in real time. To strengthen overall reach and frequency, additional digital screens were integrated across Amsterdam’s broader public transport network, capturing daily commuter patterns throughout metro and train touch-points via major media owners like Basic-Fit, Global, and CSDM.

Unlocking infinite programmatic possibilities through bespoke data integration

The true success of the Amsterdam Bijlmer Run campaign lies in its technical innovation and precision execution. Over its flight from 6 May to 16 May 2026, the campaign ran seamlessly without a single technical issue, proving the stability, flexibility and robustness of the infrastructure.

This activation marks a massive shift in how brands can approach programmatic DOOH. Previously, advertisers were restricted to standard data partnerships; however, this solution proves that brands can now connect Vistar’s DSP to any public or non-public data source imaginable. Whether leveraging live transport data, real-time inventory levels, or fluctuating event schedules, brands can now locally activate campaigns based on any condition they choose.

“Partnering with Vistar Media to build this custom API connection was a great shift for our strategy. Moving beyond standard data sets and being able to activate premium screens based on live operational transit data allowed us to meet our audience with absolute contextual relevance in real time."

Gaëlle Toussaint |  Media & Innovation Manager at Samsung  (Benelux)

By seamlessly blending mobility data, contextual triggers and premium digital media, Samsung and Vistar Media have set a new benchmark for highly relevant, location-based audience experiences.