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Coverage Rate describes the share of the defined target audience that is actually reached by a campaign. In OOH and DOOH, it reflects how well the selected sites, together with the campaign’s weight and duration, match the audience’s real‑world movement patterns in everyday life. In other words, it measures what proportion of the target audience has the opportunity to be exposed to the message at least once during the campaign period.

In relation to Outdoor Impact, Coverage Rate becomes an important planning and evaluation metric, because Outdoor Impact is built on standardised principles for describing and comparing reach, contacts and campaign delivery in out‑of‑home media. In this context, Coverage Rate helps advertisers understand how effectively a campaign actually covers the audience they want to reach – not just in theory, but based on how people truly move through urban environments, transport hubs, retail areas and other public spaces.

A high Coverage Rate means that a large share of the target audience is reached at least once, which is critical in reach‑driven and brand‑building campaigns. With Outdoor Impact as the reference framework, this becomes particularly valuable because it makes it easier to compare campaigns, markets and formats using a common language. It creates greater transparency in planning and provides a clearer basis for assessing how well an OOH or DOOH campaign is delivering against the intended audience.

For advertisers, this means Coverage Rate is not only an internal planning metric, but also part of a broader, more harmonised way of evaluating out‑of‑home advertising. When campaigns are assessed according to standards aligned with Outdoor Impact, it becomes easier to demonstrate how much of the target audience is actually being reached, to compare different campaign setups, and to give out‑of‑home a clearer role within the total media mix.

Cost Per View (CPV) is the metric that shows the cost of an actual ad view, most commonly in video format. In a DOOH context, CPV becomes relevant when you want to translate investment in digital screens into a clear cost per view, rather than relying on metrics such as CPM, which is based on a thousand contacts, or CPA, which is based on an action further down the customer journey. This makes CPV particularly useful for advertisers who think in moving image and want to understand what each exposed video actually costs.

For brands that work extensively with video, this is a natural way to evaluate DOOH. The objective may be to secure a certain number of video views on large screens in public environments, where each viewing not only adds campaign weight but also builds the brand through the visual power of the format. A film on a large screen in a physical setting works differently from video in a mobile feed: it occupies space, appears within a real‑world context and can create a more tangible impression. CPV therefore becomes a way of putting a price on that specific type of exposure.

At the same time, CPV makes it easier to compare DOOH with other video formats in the media mix. When the investment can be expressed as a price per view, it becomes easier to place out‑of‑home in the same “video universe” as online video, social video formats or connected TV. That does not mean the views are identical, a DOOH view takes place in a public physical environment, whereas an online view is often individual and clickable – but the metric makes it possible to create a shared economic logic for moving‑image communication.

For advertisers, CPV therefore becomes a simple and comparable KPI for how cost‑efficiently DOOH video is being delivered. It helps assess whether the investment provides sufficient volume, visibility and quality relative to other video activity, and makes it easier to integrate DOOH into a broader moving‑image strategy where reach, attention and brand impact all matter.

Audience segmentation is about breaking down the target audience into clear segments, for example by demographics, lifestyle, behaviour or geography – to communicate more precisely. In out‑of‑home, this translates very directly into location and format choices. Commuters are reached via sites close to public transport and stations, where the flow is heavy and the daily rhythm is predictable. Families with children are reached via retail destinations, shopping centres and convenience stores, where everyday shopping and weekend activities take place. High‑income audiences can be reached via premium city locations, exclusive shopping streets or airports, where both the environment and context signal a certain lifestyle.

It is precisely in this translation – from segments on paper to physical locations in the real world, that OOH and DOOH become particularly powerful. When you know where different groups move, how they commute, where they shop and where they travel, you can plan out‑of‑home campaigns that literally meet people where they are. The segments turn into living movement patterns in the city, rather than just bars in a report.

With programmatic DOOH, you can also segment over time, not only in space. The same screen can be used in different ways throughout the day: one message aimed at the morning commuter flow, another targeting the lunchtime crowd in the area, and a third tailored to the evening traffic heading home or out. In this way, you can speak to several segments through the same inventory, but with different messages, tone of voice and offers depending on when they pass by.

Audience segmentation thus becomes the map that helps you avoid “one size fits all”. Instead of relying on a generic, broad message meant to suit everyone, you can match the right OOH weight and the right DOOH creative to the right audience: the right places, the right times, the right formats and the right creative content for each part of the target group. This makes out‑of‑home both more relevant and more effective – and creates a clear bridge between the segmentation you use in digital channels and how you show up in the physical environment.

Cost Per Click (CPC) is a core bidding and evaluation metric in click‑based digital channels such as search and social media. It describes what each click on an ad actually costs. For OOH and DOOH, the logic works differently, as out‑of‑home advertising does not generate clicks in the same direct way. However, out‑of‑home can influence CPC indirectly – and sometimes quite significantly by building brand awareness and recognition before the audience encounters you in a digital environment.

When more people already know the brand and recognise the message, they are more likely to choose your ad in search results or social feeds. This typically leads to higher click‑through rates, or CTR, which in turn often lowers the effective CPC over time. In this way, (D)OOH acts as a support channel for click‑driven media: out‑of‑home makes the audience more receptive before the digital interaction even takes place. The result is that search and social do not have to work as hard to win attention and trust in the moment.

At the same time, DOOH partly blurs the line between physical exposure and digital response. When digital screens use QR codes, short URLs or other clear “scan and act” solutions, they create behaviour that resembles a click directly from the screen. The path from out‑of‑home impression to digital action becomes shorter and more measurable: someone sees the message in the city environment, scans the code and lands directly in an app, on a product page or within an offer. In these cases, DOOH becomes not only a channel that builds awareness, but also an active part of the click‑driven chain.

This means that CPC, while not a classic OOH metric, still becomes relevant in discussions about the business value of out‑of‑home. (D)OOH can both reduce effective CPC in other channels by mentally priming the audience and, in some activations, create a direct path to digital response itself. That makes out‑of‑home not only a reach medium, but also a tool that can strengthen the efficiency of the entire digital conversion journey.

Backlit means that the OOH surface has integrated lighting behind the poster or print, delivering even brightness, stronger colours and high legibility at any time of day. Instead of relying on surrounding streetlights or daylight, the message is illuminated from within, ensuring it stands out clearly even in darkness, rain or snow.

This has a major impact on out‑of‑home effectiveness, particularly in the Nordics. With a backlit surface, the message remains visible and consistent day, evening and night – no campaign “disappears” after sunset, which is otherwise a real risk for much of the year. The uniform lighting provides higher visual quality and better contrast, making it easier for the eye to notice, read and remember the message. This strengthens both long‑term brand building and immediate campaign response.

Backlit sites are also typically perceived as more premium – a position JCDecaux actively aims to occupy. The visual impression is cleaner, more controlled and more polished than a dark or unevenly lit surface. This can support higher value perception, stronger price acceptance and a more compelling overall brand impression, especially in business‑critical campaigns where image, quality and trust are central. For the brand, backlit OOH sites ensure that the message maintains the same visual standard around the clock, which is particularly important in the Nordics, where extended dark periods mean lighting effectively determines whether the campaign is seen or not.

Why the choice of format matters in Out-of-Home advertising

Choosing an advertising format is never just a technical detail. In out-of-home (OOH) advertising, the location and positioning of the displays are just as critical as the message itself. Street furniture, bus shelters, and standalone units create different types of encounters with consumers, directly impacting how OOH and DOOH perform against campaign objectives.

Street furniture encompasses surfaces embedded in everyday life: bus shelters, city information panels, and standalone units in pedestrian thoroughfares and town squares. Because they are located exactly where people move, wait, or navigate, they offer both proximity and time with the message. Multiple studies show that formats like bus shelters often generate high ad recall because they combine eye-level positioning with longer exposure times than large roadside formats. Eurosize panels at transit stops build recognition among commuters who see them day after day, while standalone units in squares and along pedestrian paths serve as clear, easily grasped signals in places where people naturally focus their attention.

Source: AdQuick, Bus Shelter Advertising – Plan, Buy & Measure; Alight Media, Is bus shelter advertising right for your business?; VCO Outdoor, Street Furniture in Chicago.

Larger formats, such as Supersize, perform a different role. They capture the attention of motorists and transit traffic along major arteries and entry roads, where contact time is shorter and the message must be extremely concise. Street furniture complements these by facilitating slower, more intimate contacts—where people walk, wait, or change transport modes. Together, these formats build both broad reach and everyday presence. For marketers, this means the choice of format must align with both the target audience’s movement patterns and the campaign’s role in the media mix: a network of bus shelters and standalone units can provide base reach, while “select” panels can reinforce presence around stores, events, or key areas in both OOH and DOOH.

Source: AdQuick; Alight Media.

A simple way to approach this is to work in layers. First, establish a broad street-level network to ensure visibility in everyday life. Next, supplement this with “select” panels where the target audience is particularly concentrated. Finally, if necessary, add larger screens, billboards, or “Innovate” solutions to generate extra attention. The goal is to move beyond merely counting impressions and GRP (Reach (%) × Frequency) to understanding the specific role each format plays in how people actually move through the city.

Conversion rate describes the share of people who complete a desired action, such as a purchase, registration or booking. In a (D)OOH context, the logic looks a bit different from clickable digital channels, because out‑of‑home rarely leads to a direct click from the screen itself. Instead, it is about how out‑of‑home influences people’s behaviour later in the customer journey – when they encounter the brand in‑store, in the app, in e‑commerce or on the website.

This is precisely where (D)OOH often makes a big difference. By building familiarity, clarifying the offer and reducing decision uncertainty, out‑of‑home can lift conversion rates at the point where the transaction actually happens. When people have already seen the brand in a relevant physical context, the next step becomes easier. The message feels familiar, the offer more credible and the choice less uncertain. As a result, more people complete the action once they reach the buying moment, even though the initial influence occurred earlier out in the city environment.

A clear example is a DOOH campaign near a store that highlights a sharp, time‑limited offer. It may not generate clicks in the moment, but it can influence people precisely when they are close to a purchase decision. Someone already planning to shop chooses your store over alternatives because the message is fresh, relevant and easy to act on. The effect shows up as a higher conversion rate in‑store or online, rather than as immediate response from the screen itself.

In this way, (D)OOH serves as the context‑ and trust‑building part of the customer journey. The medium helps create mental advantage before the purchase takes place, increasing the likelihood that people follow through on their intentions when they finally face the choice. For advertisers, this means conversion rate should not be understood only as something measured at the “last click”, but as the outcome of multiple touchpoints where out‑of‑home can play a crucial role in moving people all the way through to action.

Cross Media Measurement is a global initiative led by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), and in Sweden driven by Brand Marketing Sweden (formerly Sveriges Annonsörer). The aim is to establish common standards and definitions for how reach, frequency and impact are measured across multiple media channels  so that everyone works with the same language when planning and evaluating campaigns.

For OOH and DOOH, Cross Media Measurement means that out‑of‑home advertising can gradually be brought into the same comparable framework as other media, such as TV, online video and social platforms. When out‑of‑home is measured according to the same fundamental principles, it becomes easier to see how (D)OOH contributes to total reach, how the channel builds frequency together with other media, and what role it plays in driving overall campaign effectiveness.

Over time, Cross Media Measurement will make it significantly easier for marketers to make well‑informed decisions about channel selection, budget allocation and optimisation across the entire media mix, with OOH and DOOH evaluated in a fair and transparent way alongside other channels.