Aaron Poole, marketing executive, PML Group with this week’s Out \ Look on Out of Home
In a recent episode of Smartify’s podcast Let’s DOOH This, the conversation centred on how Digital Out of Home fits within today’s complex omnichannel strategies. One observation in particular stood out: in a media world built for touch, click, and swipe, OOH still commands attention without asking for it. That simple truth is one of the medium’s great strengths and it’s especially relevant in Ireland, where advertisers are rethinking how best to meet audiences across every stage of the journey.
In a landscape of infinite content and fragmented screens, Digital Out of Home offers a rare constant: presence. Unlike online, mobile, or print channels, which users can switch off, scroll past, or unsubscribe from, OOH lives in the real world. It operates in context, not clutter. As Smartify’s Joe Kunigonis puts it, OOH is “always on.” And that’s precisely what makes it so effective in an omnichannel mix. It’s not about targeting someone instead of their phone but about complementing their digital behaviours in the physical spaces they already move through. It’s where the journey moves from IRL to URL, and back again.
At PML Group, we see this play out in countless campaigns that use our Liveposter platform to make messages more dynamic by design, responsive to audience context in real time. The podcast cited an example of pinpointed planning – “urban mothers who recently bought milk in Brooklyn.” In the Irish context, that’s less about behavioural retargeting and more about audience relevance. Think commuters on the N11 on a rainy Wednesday, or lunch-seekers near Grand Canal Dock at 1pm. It’s that logic, paired with precision planning, that powers our contextual creative.
This is also where our PLAN pillar comes into play. Using proprietary tools like MIND and MAPS, we help brands identify the right moments, mindsets and locations. MIND layers audience mobility and exposure data, while MAPS provides geodemographic segmentation powered by platforms like Locomizer and ECOS. It’s planning that reflects how people Live, Work, Play and what they Think, Feel, Do along the way. These aren’t broad strokes; they’re insights that bring precision to the omnichannel canvas.
That precision continues through to measurement. Our Verify platform allows us to monitor creative delivery in real time across digital panels. This ensures not just accountability but credibility. As planning becomes more data-led, knowing what was scheduled versus what was actually delivered isn’t a luxury but an essential. Especially for Dynamic campaigns, which can now be verified based on total plays delivered per creative asset.
This shift also speaks to a deeper trend: the growing importance of content curation over content creation. As Jesse Wroblewski points out in the episode, the challenge for marketers isn’t just producing more content, it’s helping audiences make sense of it. That’s where DOOH shines. With its limited inventory and need for brevity, OOH forces creative discipline. And when used intelligently, it delivers curated, contextual messages that audiences actually welcome, especially when compared to the barrage of retargeted mobile ads and repetitive pre-roll videos.
Retail OOH, in particular, plays a critical role in this. At PML Group, we plan campaigns across every layer of the shopper journey: Before the Aisle, Near the Store, and Inside the Store. Whether it’s brand-building broadcast near major supermarkets, point-of-purchase influence at the store entrance, or in-store formats reinforcing key messages at the shelf, OOH acts as a real-world nudge. It’s where mindset meets moment. It shapes decisions in the places that matter, closing the gap between consideration and conversion.
Findings from our iQ research back this up. In Cycle 3 of 2025, more than 70% of respondents agreed that contextually relevant OOH makes an ad easier to remember. A further 68% said it makes the message feel more relevant to them. In other words, matching the message to the moment isn’t just smart media planning, it’s better communication.
In a media environment grappling with fatigue including screen fatigue, content fatigue, data fatigue, OOH and DOOH stand out by leaning into the real world. It’s media you don’t have to opt into, but that can still feel personal. And with smart planning, smart tools, and smart creative, it can do more than fill a gap in the omnichannel mix. It can bridge it.
The future of omnichannel isn’t just unfolding online. It’s being shaped on footpaths, forecourts, and train platforms where audiences are real, present, and open to what’s around them. That’s the power of Out of Home. It’s not just omnichannel. It’s omnipresent. And it’s how we help brands Be More Now.
OOH counts down to Polling Day with the Electoral Commission
Outdoor formats nationwide are carrying messages from the Electoral Commission ahead of next Friday’s Presidential Election, reminding citizens to be ready to vote and make their voices heard on October 24. The campaign combines large roadside classic and digital, retail and commuter screens, and transit environments across DART, Luas and bus networks to deliver participation messages at scale.
Dynamic digital panels, powered by Liveposter, add a live countdown to Polling Day, automatically updating each day to reflect the national timeline. The creative refreshes in real time, a practical use of dynamic DOOH that keeps public messaging current and visible throughout the cycle.
Planned by dentsu and PML, the campaign reaches audiences in daily motion, from morning commutes to weekend travel, connecting civic awareness with the everyday patterns of public life.
Dynamic OOH has proven to heighten both visibility and engagement, with findings from PML Group’s IMPACT Attention research showing that content which updates in real time captures stronger attention and recall. For public information, that relevance translates directly into effectiveness via clear, current and credible communication in shared spaces.
The live countdown continues on screens nationwide as Ireland prepares to head to the polls.
OOH drives Freenow by Lyft launch
Freenow by Lyft makes its debut on Outdoor this cycle, introducing Irish audiences to its refreshed identity following the brand’s acquisition by global mobility platform Lyft earlier this year.
The campaign revives he ancient Irish tradition of stone lifting and brings the new Freenow by Lyft look to life across Dublin’s main travel arteries, with large roadside classic and digital formats along Rathmines Road, Pembroke Road, the Navan Road and Ringsend Bridge, supported by bus T-Sides moving through the city’s key commuter and social routes. The combination ensures broad coverage and repeated exposure across the capital’s busiest corridors, reaching audiences at the moments they’re most likely to engage with the service. Additional placements in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford extend the message nationwide.
Planned PHD and Source out of home, creative lines including “A stone’s throw away”, “Rock solid journeys” and “Set plans in stone” reinforce reliability and ease of use. The messaging feels designed to reassure as much as announce, positioning the new identity as an evolution of a trusted service rather than a departure from it. By keeping the familiar red palette and conversational tone, the work preserves the equity built under the Freenow name while signalling a step forward under Lyft’s ownership.
For a digital-first platform, OOH remains a key channel for building brand trust and visibility. Its ability to deliver trusted, real-world presence connects naturally with a service built on movement, strengthening awareness at the very points of potential use. IMPACT research conducted with Ipsos B&A shows that two in three consumers discover new brands through OOH, reflecting the medium’s continuing power to influence modern, mobile audiences.
Tony Fletcher, Global Marketing Director at Freenow by Lyft, commented: “We’ve been deeply connected to Ireland and to the Irish Taxi community for a long time and this campaign is connecting us to our Irish roots. The lifting stone taxi adventure is a fun way to remind people that when you need to get somewhere, a Freenow by Lyft taxi is only a “stone’s throw away and our service is “rock solid”. With an average pickup time of under 4 minutes, you can trust us to move you comfortably around Ireland.”
