• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 21, 2019

Data and technology are fueling demand for digital out-of-home media, making it more efficient, easier to plan and buy and post results for, according to a survey of media planners released this week by trade group Digital Place-Based Advertising Association (DPAA).

The study, which is based on responses from 219 planners surveyed in the fourth quarter of 2018, indicates that increased awareness and availability of programmatic media-buying systems, as well as various attribution systems, has boosted demand for digital out-of-home media by creating ease-of-use and greater accountability.

Planners also cited the increased availability of mobile tie-ins for digital out-of-home campaigns as boosting the medium’s value.

"As with our past planner surveys, these latest results will prove invaluable in helping our industry deliver more value to the ad community, sell more effectively and increase budget shares,” DPAA President-CEO Barry Frey said in a statement referring to the association’s ongoing efforts to benchmark the industry’s growth and media planners’ sentiment.

The DPAA last survey was conducted in 2016, and the most recent one shows a pronounced increase in awareness of programmatic media-buying options, jumping to 63% of respondents in this wave from 39% in the last one.

The study also suggests that digital out-of-home has tremendous upside potential to grow programmatically. While the share of the medium bought programmatically has tripled since the past survey, it's still just 9% of what planners say their agencies spend on the medium. That compares with nearly half of spending on digital online and mobile media.