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		<title>How Many Ads Do You Need to Sell to Keep a DOOH Network Afloat?</title>
		<description>Discuss How Many Ads Do You Need to Sell to Keep a DOOH Network Afloat?</description>
		<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat</link>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 23:43:24 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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			<title>Brandon says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2940</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Great Article. I'm curious about the viability of placing DOOH screens on a bus network. The bus network gives around 17 million rides a year. In order to fully cover the bus network a total of 154 screens would need to be installed. Now the average time spent on a bus ride will be 10 minutes. So assuming 15 second slots that would give a total of 680 million possible impressions. But i'm not sure if i'm doing the math wrong. In your article your only accounting for one impression per person that is walking into the store, correct? So in my case would I not need to be as concerned about how many people are actually getting onto the bus network since they will be on the bus ride for atleast 10 minutes?]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Brandon</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Thu, 16 Nov 2017 03:31:50 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2940</guid>
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			<title>Bill says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2721</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Currently outdoor DOOH is almost always priced using a CPM model or some variant thereof (so, the starting figure is almost always the raw number of people on the street that might possibly see it). A discount factor may be applied based on things like likelihood to see, traffic speed/duration/longevity and the like. You can probably start with local OOH rates and work from there.]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Bill</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Thu, 30 Mar 2017 14:26:45 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2721</guid>
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			<title>Brian says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2712</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Bill, how would you approach selling and pricing a network that is mounted on public street light poles, since the potential customer views are not as niche or captured as in some of the venue-based examples?]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Brian</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Tue, 28 Mar 2017 11:03:11 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2712</guid>
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			<title>Bill says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2711</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Hi Evi, First off, this article is several years old, so things have certainly changed for the better. But even at the time of writing, most of the overhead was tied up in content creation and sales -- administering the network takes little physical effort. But making sure it's stocked with content (especially if it's revenue-generating content) still takes work.]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Bill</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Mon, 27 Mar 2017 13:02:09 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2711</guid>
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			<title>Evi Vanoost says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2700</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Hi Joe, I fail to see how your average 100 screen networks require 9 people to run. Do they manually go by each screen to update them? If you have a well designed system with integrated software and hardware, a 200 screen network should require no more than 5 people including sales and administrative support. Additionally, the hardware costs quoted are out of this world. If digital signage companies truly spend that amount of money (or is that what they charge the end customer?) then they will all be out of business when smaller, much nimbler competitors come along.]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Evi Vanoost</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Tue, 21 Mar 2017 05:45:56 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2700</guid>
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			<title>Bill says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2649</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Hi Joe, I find it helpful to set some lower and upper bounds when making a pricing model. For example, the average CPM (cost per thousand views) for a billboard is about $5. So, at 4,000 viewers a month, a lower bound would be $20 per month per ad -- pretty low. Setting an upper limit is harder, but it may be helpful to think about your advertisers and the amount of money they stand to make if you convert a viewer into a customer for them. For example, the profit on a wedding day limo ride might be $200, so perhaps that would be your upper limit. From there you'd have to experiment and pick a flat-rate pricing scheme that works. Anecdotally, I've seen networks similar to yours offering monthly 15- or 30-second spots in a 5-7 minute rotation for between $100 and $150 per month, usually with a decent discount (30% is not uncommon) for an annual buy.]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Bill</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Sat, 31 Dec 2016 03:24:47 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2649</guid>
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			<title>Jordan M says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2647</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Joe, I might be able to assist you on this. My company has run digital signage advertising in the past, and what we learned is it's all about repeat / longterm customers just like the real billboard industry. Stick with low rates and sign up companies for quarterly or annual contracts. It's more important to keep the display full of ads instead of chasing potential advertisers every month which costs time and money. 4,000 visitors a month is a very small audience, but, you also happen to have a niche audience which is fantastic. This should help sell those long term contracts. I do have some specific rates in mind as well as ways to make your signage more effective. You can email me at jmeher@vuemax.co.]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Jordan M</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Dec 2016 05:19:38 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2647</guid>
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			<title>Joe says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2646</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Hello Bill, I have a question– I am an employee at a small prom and bridal shop, and we are looking to utilize digital signage by selling advertising time (targeting limo companies, florists, and other complementary industries) on a TV in our waiting room. We have about 4,000 visitors/ month who typically wait anywhere from 10 minutes – an hour in our waiting room (where our TV is hung). We have a software that we can use to create ads/upload provided ads (costing $30/month) and are thinking about running a continuous loop of advertisements (15 – 30 seconds each) about 50-70 times/day. I am struggling with drafting up a price model for advertising time. We are leaning towards a flat-rate model, but have been unable to find substantial data indicating what a fair market price would be for the service. Could you recommend a price or model we can use?]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Joe</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Dec 2016 03:21:17 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2646</guid>
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			<title>Holmes says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2591</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Hey Bill, Thanks for the very informative reply. The flat-fee pricing is working great for now. Our business is expanding rapidly, but even with the expansion we want to build our pricing model solely around the flat-fee system.]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Holmes</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Thu, 22 Sep 2016 13:12:55 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2591</guid>
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			<title>Bill says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2532</link>
			<description><![CDATA[That's a hard question to answer. If your ballrooms primarily attract out-of-town visitors who are likely staying in hotels, etc., then tourism-focused ads would seem the best bet (local attractions, restaurants and the like). If the sites cater to locals, then local businesses would also be appropriate. If the venues are near to each other, I would suggest offering pricing across the whole network as a flat-fee. Your network is too small to use CPM pricing (and that will be over the heads of most of your potential advertisers anyway), so I'd stay away from that. Good luck!]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Bill</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 2016 20:58:32 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2532</guid>
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			<title>Holmes says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2530</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Hey Bill, great article. We have digital screens in ballrooms and event centers which are usually occupied only weekends with a capacity of Atleast 1000/venue. How can we attract advertisers and what rate can we charge giving the fact we have 10 venues now? Thanks]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Holmes</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Thu, 07 Jul 2016 05:37:25 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2530</guid>
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			<title>Bill says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2520</link>
			<description><![CDATA[If money were no object, you would of course want to cover your entire market area, since that is what advertisers are most interested in. That is not usually possible, though, so you need to strategically pick and choose where you will spend your money and place your initial screens. As I noted, though, for small indoor signage networks (less than 1,000 venues at least) it is uncommon to sell on a CPM basis. Most advertisers and network owners alike agree that a monthly/quarterly per-screen fee is more appropriate.]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Bill</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2016 17:47:27 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2520</guid>
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			<title>silas says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2494</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Bill....fine..on average 350-500 daily traffic is okay ? what can be the best ad rate daily ...is it best to first install it in 1 or 2 location and then scale up...if possible...]]></description>
			<dc:creator>silas</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Thu, 26 May 2016 05:53:17 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2494</guid>
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			<title>Bill says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2493</link>
			<description><![CDATA[The formula breaks down at very small viewer numbers, which makes sense -- nobody would try to sell ads on a CPM basis with only a few thousand viewers. Instead, networks with these audience characteristics tend to sell based on a fixed price per screen, which usually makes more economic sense for the network owner and is easier to understand for the inevitably smaller advertisers that tend to appreciate these types of networks.]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Bill</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Thu, 26 May 2016 04:09:52 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2493</guid>
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			<title>silas says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2491</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Bill..thanks...i do understand 1000 per month footfall will be less. I mean to ask just for reference...how do you calculate .. for 1,000 visitors/venue/month, you need 77 units ? the formula ....:)]]></description>
			<dc:creator>silas</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Thu, 26 May 2016 02:41:34 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2491</guid>
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			<title>Bill says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2483</link>
			<description><![CDATA[If your venues are only getting 1,000 visitors per month (or potential viewers, if you're doing street-facing or store window signage), they're probably not good candidates for digital signage. The exception might be if they're *exceptionally* well-targeted viewers, e.g. 1,000 one-percenters each month in some ultra-luxe retail establishment (though in that case digital signage might not be effective for other reasons)]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Bill</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Wed, 25 May 2016 18:12:24 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2483</guid>
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			<title>Silas says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2479</link>
			<description><![CDATA[sorry.. but how do you calculate ? - for 1,000 visitors/venue/month, you'd need to sell a whopping 77 units ...]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Silas</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Wed, 25 May 2016 06:01:19 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2479</guid>
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			<title>Jordan says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2415</link>
			<description><![CDATA[I own a digital signage billboard in a very popular bar and grill in Concord, NH. I receive $300 per spot on my screen -but, I only accept a maximum of 8 spots per month. The bar gets 20K-30K visitors a month.]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Jordan</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Sat, 30 Jan 2016 07:22:51 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-2415</guid>
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			<title>Mary Kokoszka says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-1431</link>
			<description><![CDATA[How about a subsidy partner model. A venue that offers an intimate distance of arms length for the digital signage. A respectable chain of venues with strong brand equity. A network of venues designed to increase freq by creating a network of locations in close proximity to one another - for this example, we will refer to them as casual dining clusters.
Now couple all of that with functional dual USB ports to provide device charging stations on the digital signage device. Let's make it even more attractive by ensuring the digital signage product serves a true purpose - it's a functional caddy for bars or table tops.
With a dwell time of just under and hour per visit, it is essential to display content which is complimentary to the target market, endemic to the environment and unobtrusive for the viewer.
With cpm's in urinals just under $2 (captive/dwell time varies based on individual, if you get my point. Greater frequency only serves to support poor bladder control, excessive drinking or a combination of both!) and cpm's associated with gas pump ads around $15 (4-7 min dwell time/not captive), it makes sense a DOOH casual dining bar caddy would demand and secure cpm's respectable of the more seasoned DOOH network's like cinema advertising.
More to come..]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Mary Kokoszka</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Wed, 11 Dec 2013 03:57:46 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-1431</guid>
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			<title>Bill Gerba says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-1430</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Stephen: WRT factoring in more than one screen for large venues and/or venues with high traffic: I think that's a fair point, it just made the math horribly ugly. Instead, I assumed that regardless of square footage or dwell time each viewer would have exactly one opportunity to see each spot per trip. This helps to even out scenarios where a large shop might need 10 screens to ensure that all shoppers see the content, whereas smaller stores only need 1, for example.
WRT "\\a 100 screen network is a difficult beast to turn profitable\\", I think that is true to some extent, but really depends on the business model and, more importantly, the venue type. I live down in South Florida near some extremely wealthy areas. Access to high income shoppers is very desirable, and consequently a few small hyperlocalnetworks that I know about can charge very high fees per spot just because the eyeballs are so valuable. They'll never be able to scale their networks to something huge and national, but I'd be surprised if they weren't turning profits right now as they are.
Bill D: Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate them!]]></description>
			<dc:creator>Bill Gerba</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:54:06 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-1430</guid>
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			<title>bill dulaney says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-1429</link>
			<description><![CDATA[As Always- relevant and informational, William. News we can use!]]></description>
			<dc:creator>bill dulaney</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:14:27 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-1429</guid>
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			<title>stephen randall says:</title>
			<link>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-1428</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Bill - as always, you've written a very insightful piece.
As you mentioned, it's baffling why so many DOOH networks fail when there is so much data on what not to do.
From our experience working across many of the largest DOOH networks in US and Europe, your pricing model assumptions are reasonable, however, I think your assumptions about larger foot traffic venues such as supermarkets need to factor in more than one screen - so the economics for those venues will be less attractive than indicated in my opinion.
As a rule, we think the economies of scale for a DOOH ad network (with all the caveats you mention above) are hard to leverage until you get over 500 venues. In addition, those venues need to be the best possible in the best markets. Apart from the obvious, a major reason for failures in our market is that networks don't reach enough critical mass to attract enough advertising. A mix of local and national advertising is a hard act - local can take a lot of feet on the ground and national takes scale. So a 100 screen network is a difficult beast to turn profitable - focus it on a key market (say NYC) and you might break even, but you probably won't retire on it.
Keep up the good work sir!
Cheers,
Stephen Randall]]></description>
			<dc:creator>stephen randall</dc:creator>
			<pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:02:43 +0000</pubDate>
			<guid>https://www.wirespring.com/30-legacy-blog-digital-signage-insider/806-how-many-ads-do-you-need-to-sell-to-keep-a-dooh-network-afloat#comment-1428</guid>
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