Ad spend tied to the Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) market in Canada continues to grow rapidly. And no wonder. It’s quickly become one of the last remaining mass media channels. While many other channels now deliver highly customized and targeted content on the most personal of devices (i.e. your phone), DOOH provides that rare opportunity to reach your audience in a public space at scale.
It’s a channel which continues to evolve into a more connected, measurable, and creatively dynamic opportunity for marketers.
The Canadian DOOH market is forecast to grow at a double-digit pace through the rest of the decade. And that’s no surprise. With more than half of the country’s 31,000 DOOH screens now programmatically enabled, the format is evolving into a connected, responsive channel that bridges physical and digital environments, bringing together audience data, creative flexibility, and cross-channel measurement.
But why is this becoming so powerful - and how should media strategists be taking advantage?
Programmatic is 'reshaping the buy'
Programmatic buying now represents a significant share of DOOH activity, bringing automation and flexibility to what was once a fixed medium. The shift is clear: brands are no longer just buying screens, they’re buying audiences. This aligns with broader industry trends, where data-driven targeting and real-time optimization allow campaigns to adapt based on location, timing, and behavior. For brands, the opportunity lies in balancing efficiency with execution. It’s about centralizing planning while ensuring campaigns remain agile and contextually relevant.
Creativity that works in the real world
The most effective DOOH campaigns today don’t just occupy space, they create moments. Standout OOH work blends bold visuals with simplicity and speed of understanding. Ads need to land in seconds, often with minimal copy and strong visual contrast.
Take our collaboration with Sid Lee and Humane Canada.
The strategy was bold. Brand-jack the launch of Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album, to draw attention to the thousands of dogs abandoned in Canada every year. The creative mimicked Carpenter’s controversial album cover, while we delivered a media strategy which ensured dynamic digital units would appear next to billboards featuring the actual ads for Carpenter’s album. The combination and juxtaposition was eye-catching. On top of the public awareness (which led to an increase in adoption rates) it also generated a host of earned media for taking such a unique approach.
“The digitization of out-of-home is what made the Sabrina Carpenter campaign possible,” said Bianca Di Loreto, Panoply Strategist. “By tapping into the cultural buzz around her album Man’s Best Friend, we were able to reimagine the creative in a way that aligned with Humane Canada’s mission -replacing the artist with actual ‘man’s best friend’: dogs. The immediacy of this format allowed us to place our message directly alongside her placements in Yonge-Dundas Square, turning a cultural moment into a storytelling opportunity. When Sabrina herself reposted the campaign, it extended far beyond the physical space - showing how OOH, when it intersects with culture, doesn’t just reach people, it resonates.”
Measurement: The next unlock
Measurement continues to also define DOOH’s next chapter. While brand lift and foot traffic are well established, the real opportunity is linking DOOH exposure to digital-style performance metrics. The industry is moving toward more standardized frameworks and tools that connect awareness with action, helping DOOH prove its value deeper in the funnel.
A channel coming into focus
DOOH’s strength has always been visibility. Today, it’s about much more than that. With programmatic infrastructure, stronger measurement, and more integrated creative, DOOH is evolving into a true performance channel. One that combines scale, context, and measurable impact.
For advertisers, the takeaway is simple: the future of DOOH belongs to brands that treat it not as an add-on, but as a core part of their omnichannel strategy.
Want to take your DOOH strategy to the next level? Let’s talk.
