DOOH’s Growth Is Real, but Measurement Still Holds It Back
DOOH adoption is accelerating, with 68% of planners increasing usage and 61% planning higher investment, yet 58% still cite measurement as the biggest barrier to scaling spend.
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Digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is no longer an emerging channel. It is firmly embedded in omnichannel strategies and enjoying strong momentum.
Yet, despite this growth, a critical bottleneck persists. Measurement uncertainty, more than any structural limitation, is shaping how far and how fast the channel can scale.
According to the latest findings from Azerion’s report ‘The State of UK DOOH: Momentum, Measurement and the Road to Maturity’, DOOH is experiencing widespread adoption among planners and buyers, with 68% increasing their usage over the past year and 61% planning to invest more in the next 12 months.
An overwhelming 93% of respondents confirm its importance within their broader media mix. The trajectory is clear: DOOH is growing. But growth alone is not enough to unlock its next phase.
Growth is Strong—But Not Frictionless
The study was carried out in February and March 2026, surveying 128 respondents, including planners, buyers, strategists, and media owners working across agency and brand environments in the UK.
The objective was to take a snapshot of this high-growth sector and, by identifying its friction points, better understand what may unlock the next phase of investment. The report reveals a channel that is both widely embraced and cautiously approached.
While adoption continues to rise, deeper investment is being tempered by persistent concerns around measurement and attribution. For 58% of respondents, this remains the single biggest barrier to increasing spend.
This hesitation is not driven by a lack of belief in DOOH’s effectiveness, but rather by the difficulty in comparing it with more established digital channels like social, CTV, and programmatic display.
- Nearly half of respondents (47%) cite challenges in cross-channel comparison, while 39% point to budget constraints—often a downstream effect of unclear performance validation.
What emerges is a paradox: marketers are confident enough to include DOOH in their strategies, but not confident enough to fully scale it. The channel sits in a transitional phase—no longer experimental, but not yet fully accountable in the way digital-first channels are expected to be.
The Limits of Familiar Metrics
A key insight from the research is that DOOH is still being evaluated through a narrow lens.
Traditional upper-funnel metrics dominate, with brand uplift (74%) and footfall (60%) leading the way in campaign evaluation. While these indicators are valuable, they only tell part of the story.
Lower-funnel metrics such as online conversions (16%) and incrementality (14%) are significantly underutilised. This imbalance reflects an industry tendency to rely on what is familiar rather than what is possible. In effect, DOOH is being constrained not by its capabilities but by the metrics used to assess it.
The consequence is a self-reinforcing cycle.
Limited measurement leads to limited insight, which in turn limits investment. As the report suggests, broader adoption of performance-based indicators would not only deepen understanding but also strengthen the case for increased budgets.
A Perception Problem, Not Just a Technical One
Perhaps the most revealing finding is the disconnect between perceived and actual satisfaction with DOOH measurement. While measurement uncertainty is widely cited as a barrier, only 18% of respondents report being actively dissatisfied.
In contrast, 41% say they are satisfied or very satisfied, and 42% remain neutral.
This points to a deeper issue: ambivalence rather than frustration. The challenge is not simply that measurement tools are inadequate. It is that their value is not fully understood or consistently applied.
As Ruth Reynolds, Insight and Strategy Director at Azerion UK, said, “Measurement in digital out-of-home is clearly a core concern. However, some solutions already exist but are underused, so this is partially down to perception.”
She adds that while continued investment in measurement infrastructure is important, the greater need lies in “a concerted effort to communicate and demonstrate what is already available.” In other words, the industry does not just need better tools. It needs better storytelling around those tools.
Closing the Confidence Gap
The path forward is not about reinventing measurement, but about aligning DOOH more closely with the expectations of modern media planning.
Respondents highlight three key areas for improvement:
- Better cross-media measurement (53%),
- More case studies demonstrating business outcomes (46%)
- Stronger data partnerships (42%)
These priorities reflect a desire to see DOOH operate on the same terms as digital channels—integrated, measurable, and accountable. Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) plays a crucial role here, offering the potential to bridge the gap between brand and performance objectives.
Rebecca Callaghan, head of out-of-home at Azerion, frames the issue clearly: “Measurement isn’t just a technical challenge for DOOH—it’s a confidence gap.” She notes that while robust solutions exist across a wide range of KPIs, they are “not yet fully understood or consistently applied.”
The solution, she argues, lies in shifting the narrative—demonstrating how pDOOH can deliver against both brand and performance goals, while aligning with cross-channel measurement standards.
Closing this perception gap is not a minor adjustment; it is the key to unlocking the next wave of growth. As Callaghan puts it, doing so will “unlock a significant new wave of growth for the channel.”
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