How to Use Dynamic Creative Optimization in DOOH

As personalization continues to rise in popularity across the advertising ecosystem, dynamic creative optimization (DCO) has become one of the most valued tools for advertisers to reach and engage audiences in a contextually relevant and customized way. Dynamic creative is ad content that is updated in real time according to predefined criteria and signals. 

Driven by advancements in programmatic Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH), DCO has transformed OOH advertising and increased its efficacy by offering unmatched personalization and precision. Leveraging real-time data from a myriad of sources, these ads instantly adapt based on factors like weather, time, location, and audience demographics, thereby enhancing message relevance and campaign effectiveness. 

This guide explains how dynamic creative ads capture attention, drive higher engagement, and optimize ad spend. 

Key highlights

• Dynamic creative optimization (DCO) refers to the method where an ad is updated in real-time based on set targeting criteria and live data signals. 

• DCO transforms static ads into dynamic creative formats that drive engagement through personalization and contextually relevant scenarios.

• Benefits of using dynamic creative for DOOH include efficiency, higher engagement and precision, and maximizing ROI. 

Use Cases of Dynamic Creative in DOOH Campaigns

Leading brands are taking advantage of dynamic creative to enhance their campaigns and drive better outcomes. The versatility of dynamic ads makes them suitable for several strategies. Here are some use cases: 

Nearest store location-based targeting. Ads can show the nearest store based on a user’s current location. This hyperlocal targeting helps drive footfall by making the ad more actionable and relevant to the viewer’s immediate context. 

Weather-related targeting. Weather-based triggers enable ads to change depending on conditions. For example, sunscreen ads may appear on sunny days, while hot coffee promotions may display during colder weather. 

Product promotions. Dynamic ads allow marketers to tailor their creative based on real-time product availability or special offers. This could include limited-time discounts, hyper-local promotions, or stock updates that encourage timely purchases. 

Sports or music events. Customized ads can engage fans by featuring real-time event updates, scores, or promotions tied to popular sports or music events, creating a sense of immediacy.

Time of the day and day of the week. Creative messaging can adjust based on the time of the day (breakfast offers in the morning) or week ( weekend getaways promotion), aligning ads with user habits. 

Countdowns. Using countdown times for events or product launches creates urgency and encourages immediate action, boosting engagement and conversions. 

Find out how Perion’s Dynamic Creative Optimization or DCO solutions drive performance through real-time adaptation and reach.

Dynamic Creative DOOH Ad Campaign Examples

Dynamic creative ads are more popular today thanks to their ability to deliver highly targeted and contextual messaging. Here are two examples of excellent DOOH campaigns from Perion: 

OVO Energy – The Greener Grid Campaign

Source: Perion

OVO Energy ran a programmatic DOOH campaign that was activated only when the national grid was powered by a higher percentage of renewable energy. Paired with Hivestack, Perion’s programmatic DOOH technology company, OVO Energy launched the campaign “ The Greener Grid”. This campaign activated ads only when the national grid was powered by a higher percentage of renewable energy. 

The campaign encouraged users to sign up for OVO’s “Power Move” program, rewarding environmentally conscious energy usage. Dynamic creative appeared on over 2600 screens nationwide, including roadsides and shopping centers, displaying the message “If you’re seeing this, it’s a greener time to use energy,” timed to coincide with real-time renewable energy data, updated every 30 minutes. 

The campaign was a success, with over 16000 sign-ups, a 3x increase in website traffic, and significant energy-saving results. Additional results included: 

• A 2% increase in OVO’s spontaneous brand awareness.
• 82% of the campaign was delivered during greener moments.

Samsung Galaxy A: Dayparting Activation

Source: Perion

Samsung Malaysia sought to promote their new A-Series phones using the power of programmatic DOOH (Digital-Out-of-Home), focusing on dynamic dayparting capabilities. The goal was to showcase key phone features, such as Nightography, Samsung Wallet, and Quick Share, with the ability to target key audience segments at optimal times based on real-time traffic insights. 

The campaign ran across 50 premium DOOH locations in Malaysia. The campaign used large-format roadside billboards from Laguna and Big Tree media owners. 

Samsung leveraged Perion’s Hivestack SSP to leverage dayparting, allowing them to display 105 custom creative variations tailored for the day (6 am-6 pm) and night (6 pm – 6 am). These dynamic ads highlighted different features depending on the time of day, ensuring relevance and audience engagement. Insights on peak traffic times and days helped optimize ad delivery and validate consumer behavior patterns. 

The results were impressive, with 3 million impressions generated. Additional results included: 

• 2.1 million users were reached between 28 April – 30 June. 
• The multiple rounds of creative updates were accommodated quickly due to the flexibility of programmatic DOOH.
• This campaign not only enhanced brand visibility but also demonstrated the power of real-time, data-driven advertising through programmatic DOOH

Maximize relevance with dynamic creatives by using Perion’s programmatic DOOH solutions. 

How to Get Started with DCO for DOOH

Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) works by adapting a single core creative (in this case, an ad for GMC Sierra) into tailored versions across multiple channels and formats, including Display/Native, Social, CTV/OTT/Video, YouTube, and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH).

Original creative asset: Everything starts with a master creative, a high-quality video or image asset that conveys the core brand message.

Channel-specific adaptation: Using DCO technology, this single asset is automatically transformed into multiple versions optimized for:

• Display/Native ads on websites with relevant messaging and sizing. 
• Social media ads, personalized to user interests, device, or location. 
• CTV/OTT/Video, where video ads are served in long-form environments like streaming platforms.
• YouTube ads, tailored for in-stream placement with variations by viewer segment or behavior.
• DOOH (Digital Out-of-Home) screens, like digital billboards or transit displays, are customized by time, place, and environmental factors.

DCO enables personalization by dynamically pulling in real-time data feeds. This system ensures the brand message remains consistent, while the creative content feels personalized and timely on every screen. Whether a consumer sees the ad on their mobile phone, smart TV, or a street-level DOOH display, the messaging is tailored to context, maximizing impact and relevance. 

How Dynamic Creative Optimization has Changed DOOH Advertising

The goal of dynamic ads in DOOH is to enhance static ads by incorporating real-time messaging and content, powered by data.

Of course, there still remains a time and place for static ads, but in the event where an advertiser is looking to personalize the message or delivery of a DOOH(DOOH) ad, DCO has elevated how audiences are reached beyond the home. With the rise of innovation across advertising technology and evolving consumer behaviors, like other channels, DOOH has incorporated dynamic creative capabilities into its suite of targeting solutions. This evolution allows advertisers to deliver real-time, relevant, and engaging ads that respond to changing conditions and environments. 

We often see DOOH as a static medium. The goal of dynamic creatives in DOOH is to improve the impact of otherwise static ads by incorporating real-time data and testing, using live analytics and optimization.

How Do Dynamic Creatives Add Value to DOOH?

Dynamic creative in DOOH can be utilized across full funnel strategies, boosting brand awareness and consideration, or pushing audiences instore or online to purchase. It ensures the right creative assets are displayed at the best time and location to catch the attention of the user. By increasing the relevance and connecting with the user directly, dynamic creatives add value and personalization to the campaign. 

Dynamic creative ads resonate on a personal level, which results in better engagement rates. Dynamic creative boosts the ad impact compared with other types of advertising. Research shows that using dynamic creatives results in 38% more ad impact. 

Dynamic Creative in programmatic DOOH

Dynamic creative optimization (DCO) in programmatic DOOH enhances ad effectiveness by using real-time data to tailor messaging and visuals. The flexibility of dynamic creatives also enables ads to display across multiple screen sizes, locations, and placements, which ensures relevance. 

With programmatic DOOH, dynamic creatives leverage machine learning, AI, and automation to activate, manage, and optimize campaigns. Programmatic techniques such as real-time bidding streamline the process and automate campaign management, which helps marketers optimize delivery at scale and boosts ad performance. 

Dynamic creative ads resonate on a personal level, which results in better engagement rates.

Benefits of Using Dynamic Creatives for DOOH

Dynamic creatives, when used in Digital-Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising, make campaigns more effective. Here are other reasons why dynamic creatives can elevate a campaign: 

It gives powerful insights into ad performance. One of the advantages of dynamic creative is that it enables real-time insights into how the different ad versions perform. Dynamic creative allows marketers to adjust and optimize the strongest performing assets to ensure they align with the target audience. 

It leverages valuable first and third-party data – With dynamic creative, advertisers can leverage the use of first and third-party data, such as footfall, audience concentration, or traffic data. Then they can adapt ads based on audience commute and traffic patterns. For example, ads can change in real time to target commuters at different times of the day. Footfall data allows them to serve the ads when they detect commuters of the target audience and optimize during peak hours. 

Precision at scale – DCO allows for customized versions to be created with ease, driving efficiency for both the creative production and delivery processes. Once live, automated workflows serve the right messaging and creativity, in real time, to the right audience on the desired buying platform.

Integrates with omnichannel platforms strategy – Dynamic creatives integrate seamlessly with an omnichannel strategy. Because of their adaptability, advertisers can align their DOOH campaigns with other digital channels, ensuring cohesive messaging and branding across all touchpoints. DCO allows advertisers to connect the user’s offline and online worlds. For example, adding QR codes to a digital billboard so the viewers can find more information or participate in a promotion online. 

Delivers real-time data-driven targeting – Dynamic creative optimization (DCO) uses real-time data such as weather, traffic, or time of the day to adjust ads on the fly. Marketers set criteria for targeting/messaging, and the system uses them to optimize according to real-time data. This continuous optimization allows for fine-tuning the targeting, showing viewers the most relevant ads for the moment. 

How Perion Boosts Programmatic DOOH with Dynamic Creatives

Perion enhances programmatic DOOH campaigns by leveraging Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO). Our platform uses data inputs such as audience behavior, environmental triggers, and location to personalize ads in real time. For example, a retail brand can display promotions based on the nearest store location or update ads according to the weather conditions. 

Perion’s dynamic approach ensures that each impression is optimized for maximum relevance and impact, improving engagement rates and ad performance. This dynamic adaptability, combined with programmatic buying, allows advertisers to deliver more targeted and effective campaigns. 

Enhance personalization in your campaign with Perion’s dynamic creative optimization. 

FAQs

What is an example of a dynamic DOOH?

An example of a dynamic DOOH creative would be a digital billboard that changes the ad content based on real-time data, such as weather. For example, a coffee shop billboard might show hot chocolate ads on a cold day and iced drinks on a hot day. 

How does DCO work in programmatic DOOH?

DCO is one of the many innovative targeting solutions available in Programmatic DOOH. DOOH ad placements are bought in RTB auctions or through Private Marketplaces, and the creatives are delivered and displayed according to the advertiser’s criteria set in the campaign setup. Dynamic creative or DCO has the advantage of adjusting in real time based on data such as location, time of the day, audience demographics, or environmental factors. 

When to use dynamic ads in DOOH?

These types of creatives are ideal for use cases when real-time adjustment matters. For example, changing product promotions according to the time of the day or the day of the week. Another example could be when travel ads are customized to show different destinations depending on the current weather conditions. 

How do you use dynamic creative optimization?

Dynamic creative optimization (DCO) involves using data-driven insights to update ad elements in real time. These elements, called modular components, can be combined to create numerous ad versions. In DCO, marketers use data from multiple sources to inform the DSP which elements the ad should display. The platform can optimize ad creatives by automatically adjusting visuals, copy, or calls-to-action based on variables like customer behavior, location, or other environmental triggers.