Guides & articles
DOOH glossary: 18 advertising terms explained simply
A plain-language glossary of the 18 terms you meet when you plan a digital out-of-home campaign: how audiences are counted (audience, impressions, reach, frequency, viewability), how screen time is bought (direct, programmatic, DSP, SSP, RTB, share of voice) and how creative adapts (DCO, SocialDOOH). Each term links to its own page with an example.
Digital out-of-home (DOOH: screens in streets, malls, stations) has its own vocabulary, and half of it is borrowed from online advertising with a twist. Here are the terms you will meet when you plan a campaign, in plain language. Each one links to its full page in the glooh DOOH glossary, with an example.
The DOOH glossary
Audience
The number and type of people exposed to a screen with an opportunity to see the ad. Audience can be described with demographic, socioeconomic or behavioral data. → What is audience in DOOH?
💡 Dimitri’s insight (CEO): “DOOH audience is fascinating because it combines digital accuracy with physical impact. Unlike traditional media, we can really understand who sees our ads and in what context.”
Audience impressions
A measurement unit that counts the people who had an opportunity to see a message, notice it and dwell on it, calibrated to the ad’s duration. One play can generate several impressions at once. → What is an impression? · What is the impression multiplier?
Digital billboard
A display that rotates several ad creatives every few seconds using digital technology. Content is usually static images shown in short cycles. → What is a digital billboard?
CPM (cost per mille)
The cost of reaching 1,000 impressions, the standard way to compare how efficiently media spend reaches people. → What is CPM?
💡 Max’s insight (CPO): “CPM in DOOH should be viewed differently than in traditional digital media. One impression may reach several people at once, making it more cost-efficient than expected.”
DOOH (digital out-of-home)
Digital advertising designed to reach people outside their home: screens in streets, malls, transit, gyms and shops. → What is DOOH?
DCO (dynamic creative optimization)
Technology that adapts the creative automatically to its context: weather, time of day, location. → What is DCO?
DSP (demand-side platform)
A platform advertisers and agencies use to buy ad space programmatically, DOOH inventory included. → What is a DSP?
Frequency
The average number of times one person is exposed to an ad over a given period. → What is frequency?
Inventory
All the ad space available across a network of digital screens. → What is inventory?
DOOH buying methods
There are two main ways to buy DOOH ad space:
- Direct buying. Pros: direct contact with the seller, negotiable terms, guaranteed slots. Cons: less flexible, longer process. → What is direct buying?
- Programmatic buying. Pros: flexibility, automation, precise targeting. Cons: can cost more, needs technical know-how. → What is programmatic DOOH?
💡 Our team’s take: “Choosing between direct and programmatic buying often depends on your goals. For tactical, local campaigns, direct buying is more relevant. For national reach and flexibility, go programmatic.”
Programmatic
Automated buying and selling of ad space in real time, with finer targeting and continuous campaign optimization.
Reach
The number of unique people exposed to a campaign over a given period. → What is reach?
RTB (real-time bidding)
A real-time auction system for buying DOOH placements programmatically. → What is RTB?
SSP (supply-side platform)
A platform screen owners use to sell their DOOH inventory to buyers, often through DSPs. → What is an SSP?
SocialDOOH
A strategy that combines DOOH and social media: the content you already publish on social networks, shown on street screens, and street campaigns that live on in Instagram or TikTok shares. → What is SocialDOOH?
Share of voice (SOV)
The percentage of a screen’s airtime bought by one brand compared with the other advertisers on it. → What is share of voice?
Viewability rate
The share of an audience that actually saw the ad, not just passed near it. In DOOH it depends on screen size, position and how people move past. → What is viewability? · What is VAC?
Environments
Thematic screen categories based on audience interests: sport, shopping, B2B, students.
Where is the DOOH market heading?
Three trends shape the market:
- Screens replace paper. Every digital face can be booked by the hour and changed remotely, which opens outdoor advertising to shorter, more local campaigns.
- Programmatic grows alongside direct buying. More DOOH is bought through DSPs, while guaranteed direct buying stays the way to secure specific screens and airtime.
- Digital and physical converge. DOOH campaigns are planned as part of digital strategies, not as a separate channel.
💡 “DOOH is no longer a standalone channel. It’s part of a wider ecosystem where digital and physical boundaries are blurring - and that’s what makes it so powerful.” - Dimitri, CEO
For market figures, see DOOH in France: key statistics and trends.
Ready to explore the DOOH universe?
With glooh, you can:
- Simulate your campaign for free with the glooh simulator
- Choose between guaranteed or programmatic buying
- Track your performance in real time
Frequently asked questions
- What does DOOH stand for?
- Digital out-of-home: advertising on digital screens people see outside their home, in streets, malls, stations, gyms or shops. Unlike a paper poster, a DOOH screen rotates several ads, can change the message by time of day, and can be booked for a few hours instead of a few weeks.
- What is the difference between OOH and DOOH?
- OOH (out-of-home) covers all advertising outside the home, including printed posters and billboards. DOOH is its digital part: screens that play ads in rotation, can be scheduled by the hour and are updated remotely without reprinting anything.
- What is the difference between a DSP and an SSP?
- A DSP (demand-side platform) is the tool advertisers and agencies use to buy ad space automatically. An SSP (supply-side platform) is the tool screen owners use to sell it. In programmatic DOOH, the two meet through real-time bidding (RTB).
- Should you buy DOOH directly or programmatically?
- It depends on the goal. Direct buying guarantees your slots and airtime on the screens you choose, which suits local, tactical campaigns. Programmatic buying is more flexible for broad reach and quick changes, but placements are not guaranteed and it needs more technical set-up.
