By Ben Baker, APAC Managing Director, Vistar Media
The countdown to Christmas is well and truly on, and Australians are already deep into their holiday shopping plans.
According to the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and Roy Morgan, nearly a third of shoppers are starting earlier than they did last year, with 15.9 million people saying they are planning to buy gifts this year.
The festive spirit is strong, and where shoppers go, marketers follow.
For marketers, this is one of the most critical moments of the year. It’s a final chance to connect with audiences and end the year on a high, but it’s also one of the toughest times to capture attention.
Coming off the back of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, consumers are still feeling the effects of digital fatigue. Inboxes are overflowing, phones are pinging, and attention spans are shrinking fast.
It’s a tricky time to get it right. But marketers need to remember that audiences don’t just live behind screens, they are also out in the world, moving through shopping centres, transit hubs and entertainment precincts.
That’s where digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising steps in, offering a refreshing way to move beyond overcrowded digital spaces and connect with people in high-intent, real-world moments that drive action.
Turn every screen merry with conversion
Today’s consumer moves fluidly between physical spaces and digital channels, using multiple touchpoints to browse, compare and buy products. DOOH bridges that journey by placing context-aware, timely messages directly along the path to purchase. It turns casual browsers into active buyers, often without them even realising it.
From dynamic, localised messaging to data-driven targeting and footfall tracking, DOOH can turn screens into a powerful conversion tool. Retail media screens are especially powerful. Positioned right at the point of purchase to prompt shoppers when intent is highest, guiding them seamlessly from consideration to conversion.
Programmatic DOOH takes this even further. It gives marketers the agility to activate and tweak creative in real time, based on time of day, location or even the weather, ensuring that every impression is relevant and responsive.
This level of agility is critical during a season defined by last-minute decisions and constantly shifting consumer patterns.
Be more creative this holiday season
Christmas is one of the noisiest times in the ad calendar. Between streaming ads, paid social, email marketing and ecommerce retargeting, it’s easy for even the strongest creative to get lost in the noise. Simply putting a festive message out into the world isn’t enough.
What truly cuts through is storytelling that resonates, with messaging that is timely, relevant, and emotionally in tune with how people feel during the festive season. Programmatic DOOH empowers brands to deliver that kind of creative impact, blending data, technology and storytelling into one powerful medium.
Whether it’s attention-grabbing 3D visuals, location-aware messaging, or creative that changes based on real-time inputs like time or weather, DOOH helps make campaigns feel truly alive.
Even something as simple as adding a QR code leading to gift guides or festive offers can extend engagement beyond the screen, creating a continuous journey from the physical world directly to your e-commerce site.
Start now. Tweak as you go
The beauty of programmatic DOOH lies in its flexibility. The festive season may be hectic, but that’s exactly why dynamic, adaptable campaigns are essential.
Shoppers are starting earlier, and marketers should too. And with pDOOH, launching early doesn’t mean being locked in. Marketers have the flexibility to test, learn and refine their messaging in real time.
Creative can be rotated, budgets reallocated, locations added, or campaigns paused altogether, in a moment’s notice.
This isn’t just about delivering ads. It’s about staying relevant and connecting with audiences throughout the most competitive and emotional season of the year.