TastyAd Q&A with Lemma CEO Gulab Patil
1. How can advertisers leverage programmatic advertising to complement their out-of-home campaigns? What are some best practices for integrating programmatic Digital out of home in the media mix?
According to eMarketer, US out-of-home (OOH) advertising had a strong Q3, with spending rising 4.3% year-over-year to $2.04 billion, per the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA)—a record for the quarter.
The gap between traditional and digital OOH advertising continues to close. Most digital OOH screens are now programmatically connected, allowing advertisers to use data-driven targeting, dynamic creative, and real-time optimization. This evolution is turning DOOH into a more dynamic, measurable, and addressable advertising channel.
To effectively integrate programmatic DOOH into a media mix, advertisers should view it as a digital channel, not a traditional one. By combining the strengths of both worlds, brands can deliver highly targeted, engaging, and impactful campaigns. Key strategies include leveraging data-driven insights to identify the right audience clusters, utilizing dynamic creative to personalize messages, and optimizing campaigns in real-time. When executed well, programmatic DOOH can significantly boost brand awareness, drive engagement, and ultimately, drive conversions
2. As consumer viewing habits continue to evolve, how can advertisers adapt their strategies to stay relevant and impactful during the holiday shopping season?
The holiday season is centered around high-traffic venues like shopping malls, airports, and restaurants, creating a prime opportunity for brands to leverage venue-based screens. These environments allow brands to engage with consumers at key moments when they are most open to discovering new products and promotions.
Programmatic advertising enhances this connection by delivering highly relevant, contextually tailored content without infringing on consumer privacy. By utilizing location-based and contextual signals, pDOOH enables brands to connect with audiences on the move, ensuring that their messaging resonates in real-time and in the right place. This makes it an effective and non-invasive way to capture attention during one of the most consumer-focused times of the year.
3. How do you see venue-based CTV evolving in the next 2–3 years, and what innovations should advertisers prepare for to stay ahead?
Venue-based CTV is a rising trend. With increasing screen presence in various venues and growing ad-blocking usage, it offers a unique opportunity for brands to reach captive audiences in their everyday routine with no disruption. Advertisers can leverage the trend of interactive ads to seamlessly transition the user experience from an out-of-home setting to a digital screen on their personal device. This can be achieved through various methods, with QR codes being one of the most widely used options.
4. Can you share some examples of successful omnichannel campaigns that have integrated both digital and physical out-of-home touchpoints? What were the key factors that drove their effectiveness?
We ran a highly successful campaign in one of our key markets, APAC, for a leading online video streaming platform. The campaign creatively combined social media with digital out-of-home (DOOH) screens to promote the launch of a new web series. Viewers were invited to share their own modern love stories, which were then featured in real-time on digital billboards just before the show’s premiere. The campaign’s effectiveness was driven by our ability to quickly adapt, map, and render multiple creatives seamlessly within the same campaign, among other key factors
5. What advice would you give to traditional out-of-home advertisers who are looking to dip their toes into more innovative, technology-driven formats like connected TV screens in public venues? What are the biggest considerations they should keep in mind?
I’d say “Just DOOH it”. For traditional OOH advertisers, transitioning into more innovative, tech-driven formats like connected screens in public venues requires a blend of creativity, technology, and data. Focus on understanding the technology, leveraging contextual data for audience targeting, creating dynamic, context-sensitive content, and continuously optimizing based on real-time insights. By taking a strategic and flexible approach, advertisers can tap into the unique benefits of digital out-of-home screens while enhancing their overall media strategy.
