Leading Lights: Women Redefining the Programmatic DOOH Landscape

Pioneering the full potential of DOOH advertising

I have had the privilege of working with two global companies, which provided me with the unique opportunity to collaborate with partners and clients across diverse regions, including the United States, Europe, India, China, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Navigating these regions required a tailored approach for each local market (and even specific cities), as they are incredibly diverse in terms of local cultures, regulations, working styles and business practices. Adaptability has been crucial to driving success in such varied environments – this also explains why I now use more than 10 messaging apps (and counting!), to connect with partners and clients on the platforms they are most active on.

Similarly, the current DOOH landscape today, much like my ever-expanding messaging app folder, is also highly fragmented and faces challenges due to the lack of unified standards, which could complicate buying and selling of DOOH media and makes it difficult to scale effectively on a global level.

The good news is that technology platforms, like The Trade Desk, are transforming programmatic buying for DOOH from a static, location-based medium into a dynamic, data-driven channel. Advertisers now have the ability to connect with platforms like ours to automate and streamline buying across multiple DOOH screens, optimising investments and driving measurable results.

This approach enables real-time bidding and allows brands to scale campaigns across different locations and media owners, creating a more unified and strategic global presence. As these integrations become more seamless, we’re unlocking the full potential of DOOH advertising.

Measurement, Automation & Generative AI are our future

From a media buyer’s and brand manager’s perspective, they seek solutions that are efficient, impactful and deliver measurable outcomes.

The latest trends in advertising reflect these priorities, with a strong focus on 3 key areas: (1) Measurement (2) Automation (3) Generative AI

1. Measurement: The era of non-personalised mass billboard advertising is over. Advertisers now demand precise metrics that demonstrate return on investment; They want to know how many new customers their campaigns are driving to retail stores and which advertising investments are producing the best sales outcomes. Platforms like The Trade Desk are helping advertisers measure and attribute performance is critical to making informed and data-driven marketing decisions.

2. Automation: As machines take over manual, repetitive tasks, more time and resources can be dedicated towards driving value, fostering innovation and focusing on strategic business expansions. This shift towards automation is creating efficiencies at scale, enabling companies to streamline operations and enhance creativity.

3. Generative AI: AI is transforming the way creative assets are created and campaigns are optimized, empowering advertisers to produce personalized, dynamic content at scale. Selling mosquito repellent? Use location-based targeting enriched with real-time data on dengue outbreaks, allowing relevant ads to be delivered to areas exposed to higher risks – This makes campaigns both timely and effective.

Staying future ready

Companies who are willing to innovate and embrace these emerging technologies will not only gain a competitive advantage but also set the stage for the rest of the industry to follow.

Programmatic buying models bring automation and AI into the fold, optimising cross-channel campaigns. Advertisers can unify their DOOH, mobile, and CTV campaigns, creating a seamless experience for consumers across channels. By tapping into programmatic DOOH, brands are no longer just buying a location; they’re buying impressions and impact, making advertising both dynamic and measurable.

Looking ahead, DOOH is set to transform into a highly efficient, data-rich marketplace that delivers immersive, real-time experiences with personalized content powered by AI. Achieving this vision will require the adoption of unified standards and collaboration between technology partners industry bodies, advertisers and programmatic platforms.

To stay future-ready, it’s essential to remain agile, adaptable, and open-minded, with a willingness to test, learn and improvise as the landscape evolves.

As user consumption behaviours become increasingly fragmented, it becomes important to leverage omnichannel capabilities to the right people at the right time—without oversaturating any one platform. The result? Higher ad recall, increased brand trust, and ultimately, stronger campaign outcomes.

More about Yian

Yian Koh is part of The Trade Desk’s Inventory Partnerships team, where she focuses on developing programmatic opportunities and driving business growth with partners across Southeast Asia, championing innovative strategies to scale and expand their advertising business. Yian also has a strong background in audience data, having worked with data partners, aggregators and technology platforms across the region to deliver cutting-edge audience solutions to advertisers.