Indoor DOOH is often overlooked, even though it reaches people at the exact moment they make buying decisions. It delivers strong recall, lower CPMs, and real actions that many traditional channels miss. Even a small budget shift toward high-dwell locations with strong creative can boost impact and drive better results across a campaign.
Where Ad Budgets Fail, Indoor DOOH Delivers
In today’s media environment, brands are investing heavily in TV and OTT in the hope of capturing a few seconds of consumer attention. But while these channels remain crowded and competitive, there’s a powerful opportunity many advertisers still overlook: indoor digital out-of-home (DOOH) .This is where real decisions are made. Inside supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, gyms, and other busy venues, consumers are already in a buying mindset. They’re comparing products, choosing brands, and finalizing purchases. Yet despite this high-intent environment, less than 5 percent of advertising budgets are allocated to indoor DOOH screens.
The result is a major gap between where brands spend their money and where consumers are actually most receptive. Indoor DOOH offers consistent visibility, context-driven engagement, and measurable influence at the moment it matters most
That mismatch matters when you dig into the numbers.
Quiet Power: The Case for Indoor DOOH Here are some facts worth your attention:
- A recent study found that a four-contact campaign combining TV and DOOH (2 TV + 2 DOOH exposures) achieved 90% assisted recall—higher than any mono-channel mix tested.
- In one UK review, digital OOH recall ranged from 46% up to 86%, whereas online desktop advertising peaked around 48%
- Another source shows 62% of consumers noticed a digital billboard in the past month, and aided ad recall for DOOH hits around 82%.
- In a measurement study of commuter station DOOH screens in Jakarta, visual engagement rates (people who actually paid attention) were below 10% for passersby—even when exposure was high.
- In the UK OOH market, static and digital combined saw that: 46% of consumers searched a brand after seeing an OOH ad, and 26% visited its website.
When you connect the dots: strong recall, measurable action and context-relevant environments = a very promising media opportunity.
Why Indoor (“Where Purchase Happens”) Makes the Difference Most media spend goes to mass channels (TV, OTT) where viewers may or may not be in buying mode. Indoor DOOH flips the script:
- It delivers messages in situ—when the consumer is browsing, waiting or about to decide.
- CPMs can be much lower compared to mass broadcast channels (some networks report CPMs as low as $2–$15).
- When placed in environments with dwell time (waiting lines, checkout areas, lounges), the attention window opens up.
- Given the higher visibility + context, the return on investment can be particularly strong.
So, What Should Brands Do?
To leverage indoor DOOH effectively:
- Allocate budget shift: If less than 5% of your ad spend is going indoor DOOH, consider bumping it. The opportunity is under-invested.
- Choose placements smartly: Focus on high-dwell environments where people naturally pause or engage.
- Use strong creative: High recall depends on clarity, bold visuals and relevance. Weak creative dilutes potential.
- Measure what matters: Look beyond impressions — track recall, brand lift, foot-traffic and eventual conversions. Platforms now offer dashboards that attribute real-world behaviour..
- Blend with other channels: Indoor DOOH doesn’t work in isolation. It shines when combined with other media—especially if you’re aiming for both awareness and activation.
A Quick Look at the Math Here’s a simplified example:
- Suppose you run a week-long indoor DOOH campaign in a high-traffic area and the CPM is $10.
- If your message achieves recall at the higher end (say 70-80%) and prompts action (such as a store visit or purchase) at even a modest rate, the cost per meaningful response can outperform many traditional channels.
By contrast, chasing reach on TV or OTT may cost far more per meaningful interaction, and often with weaker recall or purchase-mode context.
Conclusion Most brands are still fighting for attention—online, on TV, on streaming. But the real, ready-to-decide audience is often indoors, waiting or browsing. Indoor DOOH offers a unique bridge between “thinking about a brand” and “about to buy a brand”. With low CPMs, high recall, and placement in decision-ready moments, it deserves a larger slice of your media plan.
Your ad doesn’t just need to be seen—it needs to be remembered, felt, and acted on. Indoor DOOH is one of the strongest ways to make that happen.
Sources
- Kooijman A. “From 250,000 OTS to a few thousand memories” Brandpulse Analytics. 2025.
- “DOOH proves effective video mix partner …” PPC Land. Sept 2025.
- “DOOH Advertising in 2025: A Practical Guide with Real …” InBeat Agency. Sept 2025.
- “5 Stats About Out Of Home Advertising” OneDay Agency. Mar 2025.
- “Measuring the effectiveness of digital out-of-home (DOOH)” Perion Marketing Blog. Apr 2025.
