At DSS Europe 2025, DooH experts explored how today’s momentum can shape a successful tomorrow. The answers: a fresh industry mindset and future-proof AI adoption.
Talking openly about success and clearly identifying obstacles – that is the strength of the Digital Signage Summit Europe, which took place at the Hilton Munich Airport at the end of May. Challenges and opportunities in retail media and DooH were a key focus in several panels. While parts of the population are growing more skeptical towards screens in public spaces in the DACH region, new possibilities for data integration are emerging – offering DooH a chance to strengthen its position against other media channels.
This mix of challenges and future potential was addressed openly, in true DSS Europe fashion. For example, Kai-Marcus Thäsler, Managing Director of the German Out-of-Home assocation FAW, spoke about the strong development of DooH – 19 percent growth in Germany in 2024 – but at the same time dared to look beyond the usual success figures and raised the question of how DooH must define itself in order to remain fit for the future.
“We sell target groups”
The focus on physical networks and screen counts comes from the analog roots of outdoor advertising. While these factors still matter, they no longer impress the next generation of media planners. “Young media planners don’t think in terms of the real world,” emphasized the FAW Managing Director. For them, technology is the medium, not the poster or the screen.
Thäsler emphasized that the industry’s mindset must evolve accordingly: “We sell target groups, not screen space.” Going forward, a deeper understanding and clearer presentation of target audiences will be essential. This shift is also reflected in the new German IDOOH study, P&PS 3.0.
The power of data
The foundation for this shift is data — lots of it, intelligently connected. Without data, precise and effective target group analysis isn’t possible. But data isn’t just for analysis and segmentation. It can also guide practical decisions, such as where to place displays by calculating the potential ROI in advance.
However, DooH experts cautioned against collecting data just for the sake of it. A campaign’s idea and objective must remain at the heart of planning and execution. “You shouldn’t hand over responsibility to the data,” warned Christian-Georg Siebke from TV-Wartezimmer.
“We don’t need just to place the screens. We need to make the screens relevant”, said Jonas Glad from Doohclick in terms of using data the right way.
Programmatic leads the way
Data also plays a key role in the rise of programmatic advertising, which is transforming the DooH market. New players are entering the space — including major brands launching their own playout channels. The demand for data is also attracting more specialized agencies, all eager to get a slice of the pie.
Despite this growing competition, there was agreement among panelists: it’s better to grow the overall market so that everyone benefits. The priority is to expand the DooH category itself to strengthen its position in the media mix – especially against the dominant power of social media platforms. As one panelist put it, “The real competitors are Google, Meta & Co.”
Transformation through AI
AI was one of the most talked-about topics at DSS Europe – including on the DooH stage. Large out-of-home advertisers like Ströer currently see AI’s biggest potential behind the scenes: for example, using AI-driven chatbots or streamlining sales processes.
Lauritz Elmshäuser from Hygh highlighted another important shift. He pointed out that LLMs are causing a sharp decline in online search activity. If this trend impacts media budgets, channels like DooH need to be ready to attract that spending.
Dimitri Gärtner from Framen illustrated just how deeply AI can transform the industry. In his presentation, he explained how AI has fundamentally changed Framen’s internal workflows – from massively increasing programming output to enabling AI-driven ad creation. Using collected data, AI can optimize or even generate DooH campaigns from scratch. At the center of this is the Framen AI Assistant, a chatbot capable of handling entire planning and creation processes. “Theoretically, we have reached the point where we can replace the Framen Ad Manager with the chatbot,” Gärtner said.
The Framen CEO also showed how ChatGPT and similar programs can open up new business opportunities: A ChatGPT conversation about creative DooH installations led to the concept of a LED cube above shopping cart collection areas. German retailer Edeka is now interested in the concept and wants to implement it at four locations.
DooH is ready
The DooH industry is facing a range of opportunities – from technological transformation to growing interest among the next generation of media planners. With the right tools already in place, it’s now time for the industry to take the next step forward.
