What do impending cookie changes mean for DOOH?

Google may have announced a further delay to the deprecation of third-party cookies on Chrome, but the shift is already underway and it’s crucial that the industry is embracing alternative ways to reach and engage audiences. In that context, what does digital-out-of-home (DOOH) have to offer? We asked members of the IAB UK DOOH group what opportunities outdoor presents for marketers and agencies.

Lee Cutter, VP - Sales - UK, Nordics & MENA at Hivestack by Perion

Third-party cookies are going away, causing significant changes in the digital advertising space. However, digital out-of-home has never relied on cookies by the very nature of it being a one-to-many channel. DOOH offers ever-increasing sophisticated ways of targeting audiences through custom and pre-defined segments. It's best placed to reduce wastage and hit the right people, at the right time, with the right message and context. Brands turn to DOOH for its ability to reach and engage with their target audiences via contextually relevant messages in key environments and locations.

As one-to-one targeting methods evolve, contextual relevance will become an indispensable aspect of any advertising campaign. The importance of first-party data will be heightened, enabling ethical data gathering and collaboration with vendors and brands. Advertisers can utilise DOOH to activate dynamic content strategies, leverage real-time analytics and data integrations to adjust campaigns, optimise performance and deliver personalised and contextually relevant content without third-party cookies.

The shift also provides opportunities for interactive and immersive experiences through QR codes, augmented reality and memorable brand interactions. Strengthening partnerships with ad tech companies, retailers, and data providers can enhance targeting capabilities and facilitate a cohesive, personalised DOOH advertising approach, while respecting the privacy of consumers.

Layla Soufi, Regional Partnerships Director DSPs EMEA at VIOOH

The depreciation of cookies was initially perceived to have a negative impact but as time has passed, more positives have materialised. It’s expanded mindsets to find better and more creative ways to target audiences, and there’s a demand for better brand safety and privacy in a world where these have become important to consumers - especially among younger audiences.

Contextual is front and centre. Advertising is about finding the right audience, at the right time and in the right place. Contextual can really drive this strategy in the most non-intrusive and relevant way, targeting users based on their likes and interests.

In prDOOH location is context. Buyers can pinpoint their audiences using multiple data sources & serve them an ad in a physical environment that triggers a more engaging interaction based on that strategy. The flexibility of prDOOH supports a seamless omnichannel activation too.

The demise of the cookie opens up opportunities for brands to advertise to their key audiences in a relevant and more meaningful way, and for prDOOH - which has never had to rely on cookies in the first place -  the channel has already laid the groundwork for these sophisticated forms of targeting where others are playing catch-up.

Oliver Goodge, Head of Programmatic at i-media

A recent DoubleVerify survey found around 60% of global marketers are concerned about the impact cookie depreciation will have on their businesses. However, there's a compelling alternative: Digital out-of-home.

Unlike more traditional targeting methods, DOOH thrives in a cookieless environment, offering a unique opportunity to reach target audiences in a precise and measurable way. These include contextual targeting, dynamic creative optimisation, interactive experiences such as QR codes, augmented reality (AR), and even Anamorphic elements. Enhanced collaboration and first-party Data integration, such as i-media’s ANPR & EPOS data, which provides deeper audience insights and provides brands and agencies with a highly targeted and personalised messaging framework, can also be used.

The demise of third-party cookies necessitates a shift towards contextual relevance and collaboration. DOOH advertising stands out as a powerful alternative, offering the potential for impactful and privacy-conscious campaigns in the evolving advertising landscape.

Alexei Moltchan, Director of Product Management at Verve Group

At first glance, third-party cookie deprecation in Chrome doesn’t impact DOOH at all. Ad tech is hyper-focused on finding a cookie replacement to maintain targeting and addressability on the web - this is a misconception, however, as the media planning process involves reallocating budgets between channels based on perceived value and ROI.

DOOH is privacy-first by design as there’s no tracking, and many solutions allow tailoring DOOH campaigns to the relevant audience. These include using contextual and situational triggers like location, weather, day/time, events, and proximity to point-of-interest. DOOH campaigns can also add geo-social graphs (area household income, population distribution, spending habits, etc.) and even forms of hyperlocal retargeting (using opted-in consumers’ devices). The increase in DOOH screens with capabilities to run different media types, along with the penetration of programmatic activation, means advertisers can buy a wealth of brand safe, quality inventory as easily as web display/video.

All these factors mean that now is a brilliant opportunity for DOOH to fill in the cookieless gap for marketers needing to reach target audiences at scale.