In the ever-evolving retail landscape, the strategic use of programmatic digital-out-of-home (pDOOH) advertising has become a game changer for brands looking to drive awareness, traffic, and purchase intent. While some retailers may be paring back physical locations, consumers are still seeking in-person shopping experiences. In fact, according to an IBM study, 65 per cent of consumers noted a preference to shop in-store.1
Recognizing the golden opportunity in these developments, upscale Canadian fashion and lifestyle retailer Holt Renfrew (Holts) teamed up with global communication group Havas and out-of-home (OOH) ad tech developer Broadsign to execute a 10-week, large-scale ad campaign which ran from May to July 2023. The brand was further motivated by news their competitor was abandoning its Canadian brick-and-mortar presence earlier that year.
The campaign comprised a series of tailored ads designed to help Holts grow market share, boost purchase consideration, and drive foot traffic to its stores in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver, and Montreal. The ads promoted the brand’s spring and summer savings events for fashion and beauty lines across its various retail channels.
Along with Havas, Holts leveraged geographic targeting via Broadsign’s demand side platform (DSP), strategically activating digital out-of-home (DOOH) ads on screens geofenced around its competitor’s closing stores. Relevant placement types included billboards, bus shelters, and urban office buildings, ensuring the pDOOH ads seamlessly blended into physical environments that caught the attention of passersby and created a lasting impression.
Recognizing the importance of a diversified approach to ad placement, the multi-brand retailer simultaneously activated “Holts <3 Sale” messaging in proximity to its seven locations, adding residential apartment buildings mapped back to their target consumer base. Screens were selected based on their ability to reach designer, fashion, and retail shoppers with a household income greater than $100,000, as well as audiences who enjoyed arts, culture, and entertainment, and food and restaurants. This proximity messaging was not just about broadcasting sales; it was also about creating a connection with potential customers in the immediate vicinity and turning that connection into foot traffic.
Holt Renfrew (Holts) teamed up with global communication group Havas and out-of-home (OOH) ad tech developer Broadsign to execute a 10-week, large-scale campaign.
Ads ran on screens from OOH publishers such as Pattison, Astral, Outfront Canada, and All Vision, resulting in more than 50 million targeted impressions and highlighting the success of the programmatic campaign in reaching the brand’s core audience.
With the help of Broadsign and measurement partners Spotzi and Happydemics, Havas and Holts conducted a foot traffic and brand lift study to measure the impact of the campaign on driving in-store visits, brand recall, awareness, and purchase intent. More than 200 screens were selected near seven of the competitor’s stores and used to run a cross-section of conquesting and promotional ads. Broadsign also partnered with media company Connected Interactive, applying an exposure radius to collect a sample of mobile devices exposed to the DOOH ads that subsequently appeared in a Holt Renfrew retail location. Further, the campaign helped drive e-commerce traffic by retargeting opted-in users.
In the end, the campaign over-indexed against fashion and designer shopper audiences, successfully driving potential customers to Holt Renfrew stores, averaging a seven per cent weekly rate of consumers who visited the retailer post-ad-exposure, and yielding nearly 400,000 total store visits.
However, the success of the campaign went beyond foot traffic and store visits. It drove a remarkable 600 per cent uplift in brand preference, with 21 per cent of ad recallers preferring Holt Renfrew over competitors. Additionally, it achieved a staggering 725 per cent uplift in positive brand image, where 34 per cent of recallers expressed the ads gave them a positive impression of the brand, compared to only four per cent among non-ad-recallers.
Not only did the targeted venues deliver impressions, but they also yielded high exposure. Sixty per cent of ad recallers saw the ads at least once, underscoring the campaign’s widespread impact. These audiences were more than passive observers. They were converted into enthusiastic advocates and customers. Nearly 50 per cent of ad recallers intended to visit the retailer’s website, search for more information, or make a purchase post-ad exposure, marking a substantial
586 per cent lift in overall intent.Commenting on the success of the campaign, Howard Shaw, media director for Holt Renfrew, shared, “At a pivotal time for our business and in working closely with our partners at Havas Media and Broadsign, we were able to deliver strategically on the objective while proving the instrumental value that OOH media contributes to our business through a measurement-first approach.” |
