How much do DOOH media planning services cost and how long do they take?

Short answer

DOOH media planning fees typically run 10-20% of media spend or flat project fees ranging from $2,000 for a local campaign to $25,000 or more for national work. Timelines range from under 2 weeks for a straightforward buy to 8 or more weeks for multi-market campaigns with dynamic creative and advanced measurement.

How long campaigns actually run

Digital billboards (bulletins) flights ran a median 5 weeks, with a typical range of 4 to 13 weeks (868 line items).

Source: AdQuick marketplace transactions, July 2025 to June 2026. Figures are transacted prices, not rate cards; percentiles are shown as typical range (25th to 75th) around the median.

Pricing models for DOOH media planning

Four main structures cover most agency and platform engagements.

Commission on media spend. The most common model: agencies charge 10-20% of gross DOOH media spend. On a $100,000 buy, that translates to $10,000-$20,000 in planning and buying fees.

Fixed project fees. Flat fees tied to campaign scope. A single-city, short-duration buy typically runs $2,000-$7,500. Regional or national campaigns with multiple markets generally fall in the $7,500-$25,000 range, and complex engagements can exceed that.

Monthly retainers. For ongoing work, retainers commonly run $5,000 to more than $50,000 per month, scaling with media volume, number of active campaigns, and services such as reporting or creative versioning.

Platform and self-serve fees. Programmatic DOOH platforms charge technology fees as a CPM uplift or percentage of spend, often bundled into the cost per impression. Advertisers who use self-serve platforms can reduce or eliminate agency fees entirely.

What DOOH inventory actually costs

Planning fees sit on top of media costs, so understanding inventory CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) puts the overall budget in context.

• Digital billboards on highways or urban arterials: $2-$15 CPM; marquee locations can exceed $25 CPM.
• Street-level panels such as transit shelters and sidewalk displays: $4-$12 CPM.
• Transit screens in subways, airports, and rail stations: $5-$18 CPM.
• Place-based screens in gyms, office lobbies, bars, or stadiums: $6-$30 CPM.

Programmatic DOOH CPMs broadly range from $5 to more than $50, with premium inventory and competitive demand pushing rates higher.

What drives planning costs up or down

Several factors determine where a specific engagement lands within those ranges.

Campaign size and geographic scope. Larger budgets and multi-market campaigns require more complex analysis and coordination, so fees scale accordingly. A single-city test is materially simpler than a national rollout.

Targeting complexity. Basic demographic and location targeting is less resource-intensive than advanced audience segmentation using mobility data, contextual triggers such as weather or events, or dynamic creative optimization.

Data and measurement requirements. Standard reporting covering impressions, reach, and playback logs is typically included. Attribution studies, footfall or sales lift measurement, and cross-channel data integration are commonly billed separately.

Creative diversity. Managing multiple formats or context-sensitive dynamic ads requires closer technical coordination and raises planning costs.

Urgency. Rush timelines frequently carry premium fees for expedited deliverables.

How long DOOH media planning takes

From initial briefing to campaign launch, most engagements run 2 to 8 weeks. A typical workflow breaks into five phases.

1. Discovery and briefing (1-5 business days): define objectives, audiences, budgets, timing, and measurement criteria.
2. Initial strategy and inventory exploration (5-10 business days): audience and location analysis, inventory identification, high-level budget modeling.
3. Detailed plan development and negotiation (5-10 business days): finalize placements, negotiate prices and availability, build the media plan with reach and cost estimates.
4. Client review and revisions (3-7 business days): present the plan, incorporate feedback, confirm final details.
5. Finalization and setup (3-7 business days): issue insertion orders or platform bookings, coordinate creative delivery, and run quality checks.

In practice, timelines compress or expand depending on complexity:

• Rush scenario: 1.5 to 3 weeks for straightforward markets, standard formats, and readily available inventory.
• Standard scenario: 3 to 5 weeks for typical campaigns with moderate complexity.
• Complex scenario: 6 to 8 or more weeks for multi-market, multi-partner campaigns involving dynamic creative and advanced measurement.

A clear upfront brief, limited creative formats, and existing assets that already meet DOOH specifications are the fastest levers for compressing timelines and reducing planning fees.

Summary of typical costs and timelines by campaign type

How AdQuick handles DOOH media planning

AdQuick simplifies the planning process by combining inventory access, audience targeting, and measurement tools in one place, reducing the coordination overhead that typically extends timelines and raises agency fees. Advertisers can model reach and cost across formats and markets before committing budget, and standard reporting is built into the workflow rather than billed separately. For brands evaluating how to structure a buy, DOOH advertising on AdQuick covers planning, buying, and measurement in a single platform suited to campaigns of varying scale and complexity.