Retail Media Expanding, DSE 2025, and more!

October is over, and it brought us tech discoveries and innovations, firstly through the Digital Signage Experience (DSE 2025). Furthermore, there’s new research on moving and stationary Out-of-Home advertising. Using both reportedly may boost impact by up to 100%. Overall, retail media is expanding its boundaries, so the future for digital signage as a big ingredient in commerce is going to be interesting! 

Combining moving and stationary OOH boosts impact by 50-100%!

According to a recent white paper by Firefly and Reveal, combining moving Out-of-Home media, such as digital screens on vehicles, with stationary displays delivers a much bigger impact on engagement than using either alone. The free white paper is called “The Amplifying Effect: How Moving Out-of-Home Media Inclusion Enhances Campaign Performance.”

By tracking data from stationary and displays in motion, research found that audiences who saw both formats were significantly more likely to visit a website or a store. In certain cases, this engagement was nearly doubled compared to those who only saw one format. The study calls this the amplifying effect.

“Earlier studies show that the use of multiple advertising formats synergistically enhances ad recall by leveraging both the creation of unique memory traces and the deep cognitive processing required for memory reconstruction.”

Is political advertising a part of the future of OOH?

Based on quarterly reports, especially during election years and other major political events, Out-of-Home has certainly been a player in the world of political advertising, albeit not a major one. Still, the outlook is bright given the growth of Digital Out-of-Home. Especially given the speed and ease of its deployment, messages can be targeted based on location and broadcast to an audience very quickly. Given data profiles of voters across states and cities, it makes sense.

Out-of-Home has had its fair share of experience in this environment. Over the years, we’ve seen instances of pushing political opinions quite aggressively this way, bringing up questions of what is and isn’t appropriate to put on a billboard when it comes to political views. While a sensitive topic for many in this space, it’s important to understand that it truly is inevitable for digital billboards to become a platform for political advertising in time. Especially with the growth of programmatic OOH! Billboard Insider posted an interesting article on the topic earlier this month, covering more angles of Out-of-Home in political advertising and its future. Check it out!

DSE 2025 wraps up!

October was marked by the annual Digital Signage Experience, with plenty of new changes! In case you’re unfamiliar or didn't attend DSE 2025, it is a content-rich and networking-focused experience for pros across the digital signage industry. If you’re looking for opportunities to connect and discover new partners and businesses, and also to predict upcoming trends in the world of tech, be sure to note down DSE 2026 in your calendar. 

The next event is expected, as usual, in October of 2026. Typically, there are early-bird discounts as the date approaches, so keep an eye on those!

As it is each year, DSE 2025 also brought the much anticipated DIZZIE Awards which put the spotlight on the most successful and innovative work done in the industry! Take a look at the full list of winners across all categories if you’re interested in a specific field.

Retail media expands its boundaries

A recent post on AdExchanger, “How Retail Media Takes Over Everything” talked about the fast expansion of boundaries of retail media. Quite an interesting read, it noted how big brands are changing their approach and how ad spending is shifting into more than just paying for extra shelf space or digital product listings. Big names like PayPal, for example, are making big changes for the future such as building retail-media networks. 

The drive behind this growth is not just the ad format but access to data and reach. As we move forward, brands will not only view digital signage as just a component of outdoor advertising but as a part of a broader commerce ecosystem.

Additionally, on the topic of big brands making big moves, this month we saw news of OpenAI and several Samsung affiliates showing intent on working together to build a global AI infrastructure.

More digital signage examples & tips!

This month on the OnSign blog, we pointed out key ways to identify when interactivity is and isn’t acceptable in your digital signage. For example, in fast-paced environments, interaction will limit the reach to a broader audience, in most cases. On the other hand, on-demand interactivity is a great way to balance the potential for engagement and reach.

We also covered new digital signage use case examples. With apps offering a variety of uses and visuals, we explored how they’re best used in waiting rooms. And don’t forget last month’s post on apps in the storefront! Lastly, we discussed the uses for e-paper alongside your digital signage campaigns. Given its mobility and low-power requirements, there’s quite the potential!