AFA Decaux expands DOOH network in Denmark with VIOOH

AFA Decaux, Denmark's leading outdoor advertising company with over 40% market share, announced today a significant expansion of its partnership with VIOOH, marking a substantial development in the country's digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising capabilities.

The collaboration, announced today, integrates AFA Decaux's network of 238 premium digital screens across Denmark's major urban centers with VIOOH's supply-side platform (SSP). According to Michael Barfoed, Commercial Director at AFA Decaux, this integration responds to increasing demand for programmatic DOOH from both local and international advertisers seeking more efficient, data-driven campaign execution.

Central to this development is AFA Decaux's implementation of their Viewed Impressions currency, launched in August 2024. This measurement system utilizes real-time audience data collected through sensors embedded in digital screens. According to Sylvain Le Borgne, Group Chief Data Officer at JCDecaux, the system captures mobility measurements every second at each screen location, enabling precise modeling of viewed impressions on hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly bases.

The technical infrastructure supporting this initiative connects advertisers to AFA Decaux's inventory through VIOOH's Trading Manager platform. This system interfaces with major Demand Side Platforms (DSPs), facilitating real-time bidding and campaign management. Advertisers can access the entire premium digital inventory, ranging from national networks reaching approximately 36% of the Danish population to individual screen locations.

AFA Decaux's digital network encompasses strategic positions across Denmark's urban landscape. In Copenhagen, the company maintains exclusive locations in the city center, while their broader network extends to other major cities including Aarhus, Odense, and Aalborg. The company currently employs 115 people across these locations.

The technical specifications of the digital screens maintain consistent standards across the network. All screens share a 9:16 aspect ratio, compatible with mobile video creative formats. This standardization enables advertisers to maintain creative consistency across campaigns. The system supports various creative formats, including static images, animations, motion video, and HTML dynamic creatives with data feed integration.

For campaign measurement and verification, AFA Decaux employs multiple third-party partners. AllUnite provides viewed impression measurement, while Ipsos calculates viewability metrics. Nielsen conducts additional validation of the measurement methodology. According to Andrew Whitney, Director of Data Science at Nielsen, the calibration and validation of AllUnite sensor data "follows good statistical principles."

The partnership occurs as programmatic DOOH gains momentum globally, with approximately 9% of global DOOH ad spend now traded programmatically. AFA Decaux's network integrates with various municipalities and transport authorities, including partnerships with 27 Danish municipalities, Coop, DSB, Banedanmark, Letbanen, and Steen & Stroem.

Beyond basic advertising capabilities, the system enables advanced targeting options including dayparts, local geography, temperature, weather, pollen, and UV-index data. These targeting capabilities can be further enhanced through integration with third-party data sources or advertisers' first-party data, depending on the chosen DSP.

The deployment represents a significant expansion of programmatic DOOH capabilities in Denmark, introducing new technological infrastructure for digital advertising while maintaining standardized measurement and verification protocols across the network.