What should be included in a DOOH media plan?

Short answer

A DOOH media plan should define measurable goals, identify target audiences using mobility and contextual data, select appropriate screen inventory, prepare spec-compliant creative, model budget using CPM or per-play pricing, and establish KPIs for reach, brand lift, and foot traffic before launch.

What campaigns actually cost on AdQuick

Campaigns built on multi-format ran a median $39,300 in total campaign spend, with a typical range of $14,200 to $68,450 (80 campaigns). Campaign composition varies widely, so treat the midpoint as indicative rather than a quote.

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.

Goals and strategy

Translate broad marketing ambitions into specific, measurable objectives before choosing a single screen. DOOH excels at upper-funnel goals such as brand awareness, product launches, and reach amplification, but it can also support lower-funnel outcomes like store visits and app installs when attribution is set up correctly.

Common objectives include increasing brand awareness, driving foot traffic, boosting app installs, supporting product launches, and reinforcing consideration near points of purchase. Campaign flights typically run two to four weeks, though the right duration depends on the goal, market dynamics, and available budget.

Audience targeting and inventory selection

DOOH targeting replaces cookie-based signals with physical and contextual data. The core inputs are mobility data, traffic counts, demographic overlays, and venue type. Airports index well for affluent business travelers, malls for families, and transit networks for commuters. Programmatic buying adds dayparting, weather-triggered messaging, and behavioral signals on top of that foundation.

Inventory spans a wide range of environments: roadside digital billboards, urban panels and street furniture, transit displays, malls, airports, office buildings, healthcare venues, and residential complexes. Format choice should match both the audience profile and the dwell time available at each location.

Buying mechanics fall into two categories. Direct buys offer guaranteed placements and fixed packages, typically with four-week minimum commitments and less mid-flight flexibility. Programmatic buying through DSPs uses real-time bidding, accommodates smaller budgets and shorter flights, and allows dynamic optimization. With programmatic, control operates through selection parameters rather than individual screen picks; proof-of-play logs confirm where ads actually ran. Creative moderation and approval typically takes one to three business days, with longer lead times for high-profile or direct-buy placements.

Creative specs and best practices

Creative must meet technical requirements and communicate quickly. Recommended resolutions are 1920x1080 for landscape and 1080x1920 for portrait; covering both maximizes inventory access. Accepted file types include JPG and PNG for static images, MP4 for video, and HTML5 for dynamic creative. Color profiles should be RGB to prevent playback failures, and file sizes must stay within platform limits. Video length typically runs 8 to 30 seconds, with 15 seconds as the commonly accepted default.

Best practices prioritize simplicity: bold, high-contrast visuals, concise copy, and a clear call to action. Running multiple creative variations and rotating them reduces audience fatigue and generates performance signals for optimization. Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) allows messaging to adapt in real time to context such as weather, time of day, or local events. If QR codes are included, screen exposure of 10 to 15 seconds with clear positioning and instructions improves scan rates.

Budget modeling and measurement

Pricing models include CPM-based buying, flat-rate packages, and auction-based programmatic. Urban panels run approximately $0.23 per play; highway digital billboards range from approximately $0.50 to $6 per play, with iconic locations at the high end. Budget inputs are straightforward: screens selected, plays per day, campaign duration, and rate per play or CPM. Allocating budget across markets, screens, and dayparts and retaining flexibility to shift spend mid-campaign toward higher-performing placements is a standard optimization strategy.

Measurement has matured from proof-of-delivery to outcome evaluation. Key KPIs include impressions, reach and frequency, brand lift from surveys, foot-traffic increases, website visits, app installs, and sales lift. Attribution relies on mobility-based exposure data, foot-traffic studies comparing exposed and control groups, and measurement of lift in digital behaviors linked to DOOH exposure. Measurement protocols should be established before launch so KPIs are tracked from day one, not reconstructed afterward. Proof-of-play logs and screen-level reporting provide transparency and support brand safety verification.

How AdQuick handles DOOH media planning

Planning a DOOH campaign involves coordinating goals, audience data, inventory choices, creative specs, and measurement in a single workflow, which is where a purpose-built platform adds the most value. DOOH advertising through AdQuick gives buyers access to inventory across screen types and environments, tools for audience and daypart targeting, and reporting that ties delivery to outcome KPIs such as foot traffic and brand lift. The platform supports both direct and programmatic buying, so planners can match the purchase method to the campaign objective without managing separate vendor relationships for each format.