Big prediction for the future of the digital out-of-home industry

Summary

MarTech Podcast ™ – "Big Prediction for the Future of the Digital Out-of-Home Industry"

Date: April 7, 2026
Host: Benjamin Shapiro
Guest: Alex Weinberger (General Manager of Digital Out of Home, AdRoll)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, host Benjamin Shapiro speaks with Alex Weinberger, GM of Digital Out of Home at AdRoll, about the dramatic shifts taking place in the digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising industry. Focused on the rise of programmatic buying and the evolving role of physical signage, the discussion delivers a bold prediction for how in-store and place-based screens will transform the advertising landscape in the near future—especially in an era increasingly saturated by digital and AI-driven channels.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Current State of Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH)

• Alex Weinberger describes the rapid innovations and investments across the digital out-of-home and retail media spaces.
• Retail media is seeing explosive growth, drawing substantial advertising investment.

The Rise and Arms Race of In-Store Signage

• Major retailers are embracing advanced in-store digital signage:
  • Walmart: Acquisition of Vizio, resulting in widespread in-store TVs for targeted messaging.
  • Kroger: Partnership with Barrows.
  • Albertsons: Working with Strata Cash.
  • Aho Delhaize: Rolling out their Edge platform, bringing advanced digital signage to endcaps and shelves.
• These developments are setting up a competitive "arms race" among retailers to dominate the in-store digital experience.
  (02:01–03:45)

The Big Prediction: The Shifting Value of Place-Based Screens

• Alex forecasts a significant rebalancing in how advertisers value different out-of-home digital screens.
• Traditional high-visibility billboards and bus shelters will remain important but will no longer dominate.
• "Place-based screens" (such as those found in gyms, malls, bars, restaurants, etc.) are poised to gain "outsized value" in the future.
  • This shift is driven by synergy with in-store signage and the ability to influence point-of-purchase decisions.
• The equilibrium in DOOH will even out: advertisers will see greater value in contextual, proximity placements rather than focusing just on mass visibility.
  (02:01–03:45)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

1. Major Retailers as DOOH Innovators

Alex Weinberger [02:12]:
"We know a couple years ago Walmart bought Vizio for a couple billion dollars and they've got the TVs hanging all over the walls and they're able to put messaging out there in their four walls of their store."

2. The Evolving Role of In-Store Advertising

Alex Weinberger [02:29]:
"Kroger... just announced they're going with Barrows. Albertsons are going with Strata Cash. Aho Delhaize has just announced their Edge platform... implementing here with signs physically in the store at the shelf, in the end caps."

3. The Core Prediction

Alex Weinberger [03:12]:
"The extension [and] expansion of the in store signage today being considered digital out of home... the place based screens in the gyms, in the malls, in the bars and restaurants... are going to carry outsized value in the future compared to today where everyone wants billboards and digital bus shelters."

4. Clarifying the Trend

Benjamin Shapiro [03:45]:
"What I'm hearing from you is there's going to be a proliferation of smaller screens in more places with arrows pointing towards where you can buy specific products."

Alex Weinberger [03:55]:
"Exactly."

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Important Timestamps

• 02:01 – Alex's background in retail/CPG, set up for the big prediction
• 02:12 – Details on retailer in-store digital signage investments
• 03:12 – Prediction: The rising value of smaller, place-based digital screens
• 03:45 – Clarification of the shift towards more targeted, contextual digital screens

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Episode Takeaways

• Place-based screens (inside environments like gyms, malls, bars, restaurants) will become much more valuable for DOOH campaigns, rivaling traditional billboards.
• The "arms race" in retail for in-store digital signage is accelerating, impacting how brands think about omnichannel digital advertising.
• Integration between out-of-home screens and in-store experiences will better guide customer journeys, especially at points of sale.
• As AI and digital saturation increase, leveraging the physical world in marketing strategies presents a major competitive advantage.

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For more details on Alex Weinberger or AdRoll, visit the episode show notes or adroll.com.

Transcript

[A]

The Martech Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com.

[B]

From advertising to software as a service to data across all of our programs and clients, we've seen a 55 to 65% open rate. Getting brands authentically integrated into content performs better than TV advertising. Typical lifespan of an article is about 24 to 36 hours. We're reaching out to the right person with the right message and a clear call to action. Then it's just a matter of timing.

[A]

Welcome to the Martech Podcast, a member of the I Hear Everything Podcast network. In this podcast, you'll hear the stories of world class marketers that used technology to drive business results and achieve career success. Here's the host of the Martech Podcast, Benjamin Shapiro.

[B]

I'm Benjamin Shapiro and joining me today is Alex Weinberger, the General manager of Digital out of home at AdRoll, the growth marketing platform helping brands unify channels and drive performance across the entire funnel. They're also a sponsor of the Martech Podcast and today Alex is going to explain why Digital out of Home is having its moment right now, how programmatic buying has changed the game and why the physical world may be one of the smartest ways to spend your money in an AI saturated market. All right, Alex, I want to move on to our lightning round where I'm going to ask you a couple of questions related to your experience and Digital out of Home Full funnel media as well. Are you ready? Ready to go. Give me your one big prediction for the future of the digital out of home industry.

[C]

Love this one. So as I just previously mentioned, a lot of my background comes from the retail and CPG space with a heavy focus on retail media which we know is just absolutely exploding right now. That is where all of the investment's going. That's where not all, but a lot of us coming to digital out of phone as well. But the, the advancement and the rapid growth of retail media, but also the in store signage kind of arms race that's happening at the major retailers. Right? So we know a coup years ago Walmart bought Vizio for a couple billion dollars and they've got the TVs hanging all over the walls and they're able to put messaging out there in their four walls of their store. We know that Kroger I think just announced they're going with Barrows Albertsons are going with Strata Cash. Aho Delhi has just announced their edge platform which they brought over from Europe and are now implementing here with signs physically in the store at the shelf in the end caps. So what that's going to do is the extension expansion of the in store signage today being considered digital out of home. The prediction or the hot take is that the place based screens in the gyms, in the malls, in the bars and restaurants are not going to replace but they're going to carry outsized value in the future compared to today where everyone wants billboards and digital bus shelters and these big high visibility roadside signage screens. Those aren't going away. But I think the equilibrium and the value proposition is going to start evening out to where these place based screens are going to take on an outsized importance because of the pull through into the in store signage that we're seeing in the digital media space.

[B]

What I'm hearing from you is there's going to be a proliferation of smaller screens in more places with arrows pointing towards where you can buy specific products.

[C]

Exactly.

[B]

All right, that wraps up this episode of the Martech podcast. Thanks to Alex Weinberger, the General Manager of Digital out of Home at Adroll. If you'd like to get in touch with Alex, you could find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on martechpod.com or you can visit his company's website, which is adroll.com and if you haven't subscribed yet and you want a daily stream of marketing and technology knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or Visit us on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed next week. All right, that's it for today, but until next time, my advice is to just focus on keeping your customers happy. Foreign

[A]

thanks for listening to the Martech podcast and I hear everything. Production Looking to launch or scale a podcast like this one for your brand? Then visit iheareverything.com.