For too long, the digital out-of-home (DOOH) industry has been defined by its containers — kiosks, EV chargers, windows, bus shelters, and walls — instead of its true value: the audiences we reach and the outcomes we create. After nearly three decades in this business, I’ve seen that the power of digital outdoor has never been about the screen itself, but about the human connection it enables.
When the same display technology is deployed across multiple environments, whether inside a kiosk, embedded in an EV charger, or built into a storefront window, the enclosure becomes irrelevant. What matters is not where the screen sits, but who it reaches and how effectively it connects with them.
When radios were first introduced, people weren’t captivated by the wooden box itself, they were interested in what came out of it. The radio was the first true “communication box,” but its power was in the content, the stories, and the connections it created across communities.
Television followed the same path. Families didn’t gather around the television set; they gathered for the stories and shared experiences it brought into their living rooms. And today, no one buys a smartphone for its casing or its glass, we buy it for access to people, to information, and to the world around us.
Digital outdoor is on that same trajectory. The value lies in what it delivers: the message, the audience connection, and the measurable impact it creates in the real world.
Same Street, Same Audience
Consider an intersection where four different screens coexist: a kiosk, a wall panel, an EV charging station, and a digital storefront window. Each serves a unique contextual purpose, yet they all face the same audience of pedestrians, commuters, and shoppers moving through that shared space.
To the advertiser, these displays don’t represent four separate media channels. They represent one unified opportunity to engage a dynamic audience, with the added advantage of context, frequency, and dwell-time variety. The delivery system is simply a conduit. The enclosure does not define the medium, the moment of connection does.
From Proof of Play to Proof of Performance
As an industry, we’ve spent years perfecting “proof of play” to validate that an ad was displayed, on time, in the right location. But advertisers are demanding something more meaningful: proof of performance.
They don’t just want to know that an ad ran; they want to know what it achieved. Did it reach the intended audience segment? Did it drive foot traffic or digital engagement? Did it influence behavior in measurable ways?
Our evolution as an industry depends on shifting our focus from hardware verification to audience-level outcomes. DOOH must be measured by its ability to influence, not merely to display.
Hardware Is Not the Product — Audiences Are
Too often, the conversation around DOOH still starts with hardware: screen type, enclosure design, brightness levels, mounting options. But in reality, we’re not selling screens, we’re selling audience intelligence.
Advertisers are investing in our ability to define, target, and influence a well-understood audience in real-world environments. Our medium has the unique advantage of proximity, visibility, and trust. Now, with data-driven attribution, we can tie those physical impressions to real outcomes across the marketing funnel.
That’s not a hardware story. That’s a human story — powered by technology, but measured in behavior.
The New DOOH Taxonomy: Delivery, Audience, Impact
If we’re going to modernize the DOOH taxonomy, it’s time to organize the ecosystem not only by form factor but by function as well. I see three defining pillars:
When we shift our lens to this audience-first taxonomy, we create a framework that resonates with advertisers, integrates seamlessly into omnichannel strategies, and aligns with the data-driven accountability of digital marketing.
Our industry’s strength lies in its ability to connect the digital and physical worlds and to make moments matter in real life. But to unlock its full potential, we must think beyond the display enclosure and embrace our role as curators of audience experience and performance insight.
The DOOH ecosystem doesn’t need more boxes. It needs more bridges — connecting data, creativity, and real-world influence.
This article first appeared in Digital Signage Pulse.