AUCKLAND, Today: Programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) has come a long way in New Zealand. In just five years it’s gone from a new idea to a proven, powerful channel in digital marketing.
The IAB New Zealand Market Barometer shows programmatic DOOH has entered real maturity. Infrastructure has scaled, adoption has soared, and advertisers are embracing it in ways that point to a sustainable future.
Back in 2020, there were just 226 programmatic DOOH screens nationwide. Today there are more than 3,700. Monthly impressions jumped from 79 million to 1.5 billion, showing just how huge the audience growth has been.
Advertiser interest has exploded too. Five years ago only a few brands tested the waters. Now over 50 brands run monthly campaigns across retail, auto, travel and government. Programmatic DOOH has truly gone mainstream.
Buying behaviours are changing with it. Old-school share-of-voice deals are giving way to data-led buying based on audiences and impressions, reflecting demand for greater precision, accountability and flexibility in campaign delivery.
“Programmatic DOOH has moved from experiment to essential. With scale, data and creativity all coming together, it’s become one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s kit..”
More advertisers are plugging in their own first-party data. Instead of just chasing consumer actions, brands are using deep audience insights to design proactive campaigns that hit harder and resonate more deeply.
Creative innovation is starting to accelerate. Static ads still dominate, but the IAB survey shows a third of buyers plan to invest in dynamic creative optimisation, video and HTML formats for real-time, context-rich messaging.
The road ahead is clear: programmatic DOOH is expected to become the dominant way of buying in the next five years. Its mix of digital precision and outdoor impact makes it uniquely powerful.
With ongoing investment in data, measurement and creative formats, the channel is set to become one of the most agile and results-driven in the media landscape.
The programmatic DOOH story is one of rapid growth and big potential. Brands that lean in now won’t just be seen — they’ll be remembered.
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