Immerse, interact, and impress - dynamic billboards are redefining the outdoor advertising landscape. From real-time updates that match our fast-paced lives to interactive experiences that invite us to participate, dynamic billboards are redefining the rules of outdoor advertising. But these flashy displays come with premium price tags — the high-cost, high-rewards world of dynamic billboards is a daunting one for many brands. With price tags running into lakhs, the pressure to deliver real returns on investments is higher than ever. The ROI roadblock has long plagued the outdoor advertising industry, but dynamic billboards may hold the key to cracking the code.
If you’ve driven through any major Indian city lately, you’ve probably noticed a change in the outdoor advertising landscape. Gone are the days of static billboards. Today, brands are embracing dynamic digital displays that can be updated in real-time. Take, for instance, Pizza Hut’s 3D billboard in India. It wasn’t just an advertisement; it was an experience. The illusion of their new Momo Mia pizza — a giant slice emerging from the billboard — was not only eye-catching but also irresistibly appetising! There was also Hyundai’s anamorphic 4D activation for Hyundai Creta, which created a buzz in Gurugram’s busy Cyberhub. It wasn’t just a car; it was a cinematic experience on the streets, captivating passersby who stopped to snap selfies with the installation. Other notable examples include Vaseline’s show-stopping billboard, where a bottle appears to pour cream, defying the laws of physics and capturing the attention of onlookers. Or Vredestein’s jaw-dropping tyre transition across billboards, with tyres rotating seamlessly, hypnotising viewers.
“The Momo Mia Pizza is a bold, innovative product, and to reflect its unique appeal, we moved beyond conventional advertising, leading to the use of 3D anamorphic billboards - a relatively new and exciting medium in India. The industry is experiencing a broader shift towards immersive, high-impact marketing, with Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising gaining momentum. Brands across sectors are increasingly adopting tools that create memorable, shareable moments, seamlessly blending offline and online experiences. As consumer attention becomes harder to capture, these larger-than-life displays offer a powerful tool to cut through the noise and drive deeper engagement—both on the streets and across social media,” says Aanandita Datta, Chief Marketing Officer, Pizza Hut India.
“With evolving content consumption patterns, programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising has emerged as a game-changer, offering real-time updates, precise targeting, and dynamic engagement. At Hyundai Motor India Limited, we’ve harnessed the power of DOOH to create unforgettable experiences, such as India’s first-ever award-winning 4D billboard for the Creta. Airports, as early adopters, continue to be pivotal hubs for our DOOH campaigns, allowing us to deliver contextual, impactful, and sustainable messaging that connects with today’s audiences,” says Virat Khullar, Group Head - Marketing, Hyundai Motor India Limited.
Even local brands are getting in on the action. ‘Bangalore Thindies’, a South-Indian restaurant chain in Bengaluru, installed a 3D billboard that showcases a nearly life-like man pouring filter coffee. The impressive three-dimensional effect makes it appear as though the waiter is standing just meters above the ground, offering hot coffee to commuters as they pass by and it soon became a viral sensation on social media. It was a stroke of genius, turning a simple advertisement into an internet phenomenon.
The brand LunchBox also made a mark with their innovative Navratri-themed billboard, featuring a captivating display of culinary delight. With the clever use of screen sync technology, the adjacent billboards seamlessly came together to create an immersive experience, as if a steaming hot meal was being served right before the viewer’s eyes. Other brands, such as Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance, Amazon Fashion, Sketchers, and many more, are also experimenting with dynamic billboards to create immersive experiences. These are just a few examples of how brands are leveraging dynamic billboards to captivate audiences. The possibilities are endless. From real-time content updates to interactive experiences, dynamic billboards are redefining the way we interact with outdoor advertising.
So, what’s driving this shift? For one, technological advancements have made dynamic billboards more versatile and efficient. LED displays, real-time content updates, and programmatic advertising are just a few key examples.
“The future for DOOH advertising is promising, with many leading advertisers increasing the allocated budgets for DOOH to the range of 20-24%. We are observing discussions regarding anamorphic and 3D-led creatives, with many others eager to experiment with CGI and API-integrated ideas as well. Meanwhile, the growth of smart cities, with their large urban populations and expanding digital infrastructure, presents immense potential, with the industry poised for a 12.5% CAGR in the DOOH market from 2024 to 2032. Together, all of this is complimenting the prevalent thought process and advanced thinking among marketers. In Mumbai, media owners have evolved by offering the best screens with best-in-class pixel resolution, adhering to global standards. These screens present motion artwork and feature the most adaptable frame rates, which bodes well for the shift from traditional to dynamic billboards,” says Junaid Shaikh, Managing Director, RoshanSpace Brandcom Pvt Ltd.
Challenges: High Stakes & Hurdles Ahead
Many brands are allocating a significant portion of their advertising budgets to DOOH. And it’s easy to see why - DOOH offers greater flexibility, engagement, and measurability compared to traditional outdoor advertising. However, they come with challenges, including high initial setup and ongoing operational costs, as well as the need to adhere to strict regulations.
“Dynamic and 3D billboards are significantly costlier than traditional options due to initial setup – high-quality LED screens, advanced 3D projection equipment, and installation costs make these options expensive upfront. Additionally, electricity consumption, maintenance, and software updates add to ongoing costs. Traditional billboards, by contrast, involve lower setup costs (print and installation) and minimal maintenance, making them more affordable but also less impactful,” highlights Dr. Yogesh Lakhani, Chairman & Managing Director, Bright Outdoor Media Limited.
However, Yogesh added that municipalities like the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Delhi Municipal Corporation have been revising policies to include sustainable practices and better management of outdoor advertising. While digital billboards represent innovation, compliance with these regulations remains essential to avoid penalties and ensure safety.
According to BMC’s new guidelines, flickering advertisements, which can be distracting and potentially hazardous, are explicitly prohibited in Mumbai. Additionally, Digital/LED/LCD/Electronic hoardings are required to be switched off by 11 pm to reduce light pollution and energy consumption.
PrDOOH & Impression-Based Ads: The Next Big Thing
What’s really exciting is also the rise of programmatic DOOH. With robust internet connectivity, extensive digital screen networks, and data analytics capabilities, programmatic DOOH is set to change the game. Internationally, brands are used to reallocating budgets from other digital channels to prDOOH, with 37% of marketers globally now moving ad spends to programmatic DOOH. One of the standout benefits of prDOOH is Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO), which allows brands to adapt their messaging in real-time based on factors like weather, location, or the time of day. For example, an ad promoting hot beverages can be dynamically triggered on a rainy day, in fact in markets like the UK, 95% of marketers are already exploring or using DCO to maximise campaign relevance.
According to the VIOOH State of the Nation 2024 report, 92% of respondents recognise programmatic DOOH as one of the most innovative advertising channels and core markets drive this recognition. However, in India, while digital billboards are becoming more common, the integration of real-time customisation into campaigns is still in its early stages. The infrastructure to change digital ads based on live data is not yet fully established, limiting the flexibility and engagement that prDOOH can offer. There’s a need to build more awareness about how prDOOH can provide greater flexibility, better targeting, and more efficient use of ad budgets through automation.
“Programmatic OOH is the next step in evolution; however, we are some ways away from it in India because it requires a certain critical mass in terms of the number of signages and billboards to be effective. Currently, the digital billboard proliferation is only in Delhi and Mumbai and that too in a haphazard, unplanned manner, thus making Programmatic that much more challenging. However, we do expect that in the next 2-3 years we will graduate to selling impressions rather than time on digital billboards,” comments Praveen. K. Vadhera, Chief Executive Officer, Indian Outdoor Advertising Association (IOAA).
Digital advancements have also enabled advertisers to integrate sensors, providing real-time data on audience engagement and campaign reach. The trend of impression-based advertising is also playing out globally and is already popular in the US and European markets, while it is gaining traction in Asia-Pacific and other regions as well. Impression-based OOH advertising allows brands to pay for actual views or impressions. India is still experimenting on this.
Junaid further highlights that his company is already into impression-based OOH advertising. “As media owners, we are constantly thinking of ways and means of upgrading our existing traditional billboards to programmatic-ready digital screens that allow for real-time, dynamic campaigns. Currently, all our digital assets are equipped with ‘live’ impression data that is being used judiciously by certain evolved marketers. There should be incentives for campaigns that take advantage of buying through impressions. We need to understand that impressions-led buys help advertisers to adapt real-time, based on audience demographics or even time of the day. This can help marketers bring in a whole host of customisation and effectiveness,” he adds.
