International pDOOH campaigns surge as Chinese advertisers go global

Chinese advertisers who have traditionally focused solely on the large domestic market, are shifting their approach to international markets in increasing numbers. The data from our latest State of the Nation China 2025 report reveals a compelling story of expansion, sophistication and strategic evolution that's reshaping the global programmatic digital out of home (pDOOH) advertising ecosystem. 

A quarter (25%) of Chinese advertisers have booked pDOOH campaigns outside of China in the last 12 months, indicating a significant increase in cross-border activity. pDOOH’s ease of transacting internationally has enabled newer Chinese brands to actively promote their brands in global markets where their target audiences congregate.  

The sophisticated Chinese approach  

As a first-time Chinese advertiser running a campaign in the US, smart home cleaning brand Dreame, targeted tech-savvy consumers at LAX airport travelling to the CES conference in Las Vegas. 

Dreame understood the importance of contextual targeting and precision. Rather than attempting broad-reach campaigns, it focused on a specific, high-value audience – tech-savvy travellers heading to one of the world's most significant technology conferences.  

The results were impressive: an 18% shift in purchase intent, a 12-point increase in Net Promoter Score, and the brand overtaking its two nearest competitors in the smart home cleaning appliance category, proving that tangible results can be achieved with the right programmatic strategy.  

The State of the Nation China 2025 research shows that 30% of Chinese companies have already deployed pDOOH domestically, with 32% planning to deploy it in the coming year. This domestic experience is creating a foundation of knowledge that Chinese brands are now leveraging internationally. 

It’s interesting to see how Chinese advertisers prioritise performance metrics. In our study, 67% of Chinese respondents use ‘sales increase’ as their primary measurement method for pDOOH campaigns – nearly 20 percentage points higher than the global average of 47%. This performance-driven mindset is something Chinese brands are bringing to their international campaigns, demanding measurable results rather than just exposure. 

The technology edge 

Chinese advertisers are also showing enthusiasm for Dynamic Creative Optimisation (DCO) technology. With 42% of respondents considering DCO integration in future campaigns to achieve a greater timeliness, adaptability, and relevance of their creative contents, Chinese brands are pushing the technological envelope in ways that could influence global pDOOH practices.  

This technological sophistication isn't accidental. Chinese advertisers have developed these capabilities in response to domestic market challenges – online traffic’s peak can make it difficult to cut-through the noise, customer acquisition costs have increased and there's growing demand for more efficient advertising channels. These pressures have created a generation of advertisers who are technologically savvy and performance focused. 

Those surveyed in China typically deploy pDOOH alongside social media ads, digital audio, mobile ads and CTV. In performance-driven campaigns, pDOOH often pairs with in-app ads (29%) and search ads (29%) to enhance conversion impact, while in brand-building campaigns, pDOOH is used in synergy with traditional OOH (27%) and display advertising (26%) to amplify brand presence.

This omnichannel thinking is being exported to international markets, where Chinese brands are creating comprehensive campaigns that leverage pDOOH's strengths while complementing other digital channels. 

For example, ByteSIM, an eSIM brand founded in Hong Kong, utilised a cross-border eSIM pDOOH strategy alongside multiple channels for a call-to-action campaign  travellers departing from Singapore Changi Airport to Japan and South Korea. The brand adopted a multi-channel campaign (mobile display, digital audio, pDOOH, CTV) – generating 310k impressions and 5x higher scan rate. 

Budget allocation patterns are equally telling. Almost half (42%) of Chinese advertisers now allocate dedicated budgets for pDOOH – a significant increase from 33% two years ago. This trend indicates that marketers are increasingly recognising the ROI and overall value of pDOOH through their recent practices and are continuing to invest more in the programmatic buying and activating of DOOH. 

At the same time, Chinese marketers are accustomed to transferring budgets from other digital channels (58%) or other traditional channels (59%) to pDOOH. This dedicated funding approach suggests that pDOOH campaigns are becoming strategic priorities rather than experimental additions. 

To some extent, this trend signifies that in the Chinese market, pDOOH is beginning to compete head-to-head with core media channels within a unified budget pool, securing its place in the omni-channel advertising ecosystem. 

The growing presence of Chinese advertisers in international pDOOH markets is creating several important dynamics. First, it's driving innovation in targeting and measurement capabilities, as Chinese brands demand the same level of precision and accountability they've grown accustomed to domestically.  

Second, it's contributing to the global growth of cross-border bookings. Our global State of the Nation 2024 data shows that regional campaigns have grown to 25% (from 24% in 2023), while global campaigns have increased to 17% (from 10% in 2023). Chinese advertisers are also influencing this trend. 

In fact, targeting global travellers is one of the main benefits brands are tapping into through pDOOH, and not only from Chinese advertisers. Qatar Airways, for example, co-ordinated a pDOOH driven multi-market campaign utilised VIOOH’s access to multiple media owner’s inventory, reaching global travellers across key airports and spectacular screens to promote Qatar Airways winning Skytrax ‘Airline of the Year 2024’. The campaign was booked from the Middle East across high-traffic, iconic locations in Australia, UK, Germany, France and North America.  

As Chinese advertisers continue expanding internationally, we expect the emphasis on performance measurement to influence global pDOOH practices, pushing the industry toward more sophisticated attribution models. The adoption of DCO technology will also accelerate, driven by Chinese brands’ willingness to invest in dynamic creative solutions. 

Most importantly, the success of campaigns will encourage more Chinese brands to view international pDOOH not as an experiment, but as a strategic necessity. With 64% of Chinese advertisers now purchasing pDOOH through digital and programmatic teams, we're increasingly seeing the integration of international pDOOH into broader omnichannel strategies. 

Chinese advertisers are bringing sophisticated, performance-driven approaches to international pDOOH markets, which is reshaping how global brands think about cross-border programmatic advertising. The implications for the advertising industry are profound and far-reaching. 

This article was written by Helen Miall, chief marketing officer at VIOOH.