The news: StackAdapt has rolled out a major upgrade to its programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) platform, aiming to give advertisers more control and visibility into where their ads appear. The new workflow lets buyers view maps of available inventory, preview screens, and target specific locations rather than broad regions.

Gregory Joseph, StackAdapt’s VP of inventory development, said the update was driven by client feedback: “Buyers don’t just want to see logos for OOH—they want to understand where the screens are.” He added that planners can now see what a display looks like before purchasing it, a change meant to make OOH buying more intuitive and tactile.

The update also addresses a longstanding challenge: The inability to confirm how and where DOOH placements appear. By incorporating features like real-world screen previews and venue-level pricing, StackAdapt is positioning digital OOH as a more transparent and data-rich channel on par with connected TV (CTV) and digital display.

Why it matters: DOOH is the engine driving spending growth in OOH, per our forecast, due to its superior targeting, measurement, and flexibility—but opacity and fragmented buying processes are still obstacles.

Joseph said many advertisers were hesitant to scale spending because they couldn’t verify placements or outcomes: “Every agency wants to go back with concrete information to the advertiser,” he noted. Giving buyers proof of purchase—photos, screen IDs, and map-based confirmation—removes friction and helps OOH compete for omnichannel budgets.

The timing aligns with a broader movement toward automation and unified media planning. As agencies consolidate reporting across channels, the ability to buy and measure OOH alongside digital video and mobile placements makes the format far easier to justify.

What advertisers should do:

• Reevaluate OOH within digital plans. With enhanced visibility, advertisers can now integrate OOH into performance-focused campaigns rather than treating it as a standalone awareness buy.
• Leverage contextual relevance. The ability to select individual screens—like a Times Square billboard or a transit hub display—lets brands align messaging with audience movement and local context.
• Request unified reporting. StackAdapt’s move hints at where the market is headed: A single platform where planners can view OOH performance next to CTV and display. Marketers should push partners for comparable metrics across channels.

As Joseph put it, the goal is to make buying DOOH “seamless for buyers to activate demand.” With visibility and verification now built in, programmatic DOOH is likely to grow faster than many other digital formats.