Philippine DOOH finds new momentum in the country's outdoor fitness boom

On weekend mornings in Bonifacio Global City, streets give way to the rhythm of running shoes and the hum of bicycle chains - a scene emblematic of a post-pandemic shift in Philippine urban life, where people reclaim public spaces for movement, wellness, and community. For advertisers, this has redrawn the rules of out-of-home (OOH) media, with the “captive audience” now including runners pausing at branded hydration stations and cyclists passing pop-up LED screens on car-free avenues.

A recent Trade Desk report, “The Untapped Opportunity of Connected Omnichannel,” highlighted that in the Philippines, a love for outdoor exercise - especially in metro areas - is a key driver for digital out-of-home (DOOH) effectiveness. The country’s post-pandemic embrace of outdoor fitness has created new advertising environments far from the traditional billboard-and-mall model.

From the perspective of EON Group’s chief innovation officer Carlos Mori Rodriguez, this shift is cultural as much as it is commercial. “Filipinos are reclaiming streets, parks, and their own wellbeing,” he said. Run clubs now dominate social media feeds, selling out events in hours and doubling race slots to meet demand. Corporate runs have extended to marathon distances, with bibs and hydration stations becoming sought-after ad space.

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To explore how this active lifestyle movement is shaping DOOH strategies, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke with DOOH providers, creatives, and media strategists in the Philippines about the opportunities, challenges, and innovations defining this new era.

A new type of captive audience

Norman Davadilla, CEO at Moving Walls Philippines, points to a tactical change in how brands engage this audience. While creative concepts may not have shifted radically, “the content delivery has shifted to dayparting,” he said, citing adidas’ weekend-targeted messaging for running communities.

In BGC, brands such as adidas and Nike have tapped into the popularity of these groups through DOOH campaigns promoting new shoe models and colourways, while Unilab and Century’s unMEAT have targeted health-conscious audiences with messages encouraging healthier choices.

Davadilla also notes steady panel growth beyond Manila, with Cebu, Davao, Pampanga, and Cagayan de Oro emerging as viable secondary markets. Programmatic DOOH (pDOOH) spending, he added, continues to rise year-on-year, drawing budgets from both traditional OOH and digital allocations. “More and more digital planners are including pDOOH not just for improved impressions-KPI, but in the end, accountability of spend,” he said.

Beyond running, cycling has evolved from a weekend pastime into organised advocacy, with women-led mass rides drawing hundreds and contributing to the expansion of Metro Manila’s cycling network. “With millions of households now owning bicycles - far outnumbering car ownership - advertisers have new opportunities in slower, more engaged street-level environments that appeal to riders and pedestrians, not just motorists,” Rodriguez noted.

Car-free Sundays and revitalised parks are becoming weekly rituals in major cities. Rodriguez sees these as natural DOOH canvases - billboard trucks at entry points, pop-up LED screens inside community spaces, and branded street furniture that blends with public amenities. “The ‘captive audience’ is no longer confined to traffic jams. It now includes early-morning runners, weekend cyclists, and families reclaiming streets,” he said.

Platform providers are recognising this shift as well. Globaltronics, which supplies end-to-end LED display systems to major Philippine establishments such as San Miguel Corporation, Ayala Malls, and SM Malls, notes that outdoor fitness has been on the rise as people become more health-conscious.

However, Globaltronics believes DOOH advertising has yet to reach its full potential, with media director Jose “Joepet” Cuento Jr. saying, “Our vision is to help digitalise our nation, by helping property owners achieve this either through outright purchase or partnership.”

Bridging the attention gap

Angeli Jane Blanco, director of public relations at ODV Creative Media, sees an emerging opportunity for more contextually placed DOOH, noting that it has traditionally been positioned for motorists along highways and major thoroughfares. She also said the real potential lies in bridging physical and digital engagement.

“As demonstrated by the AI-powered photo and motion-activated walls at the Philippine Pavilion, DOOH that is interactive, immersive, or tied to an experience not only draws attention but also encourages people to capture, share, and engage online,” she explained, referring to the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines’ installations at the World Expo 2025 Osaka.

It means a DOOH activation can trigger both an on-the-spot brand experience and online buzz, turning it into the launchpad for ongoing engagement across multiple channels. Agencies are also testing interactivity, with GIGIL Manila noting that programmatic buying and interactive DOOH turn passive viewing into active engagement, driving stronger results.

“People often veer away from ads, whether physical or digital. DOOH as a platform bridges that gap by offering entertaining, dynamic content that draws people in,” GIGIL Manila senior art director Jasper Cajilig said.

Meanwhile, Cuento Jr. noted that content is becoming more engaging as 3D-capable and interactive screens slowly expand across retail outlets, banks, QSRs, and government institutions. Rodriguez added that such innovations could extend into parks and greenways, where solar-powered billboards, QR-coded benches, and functional installations can capture dwell time while promoting sustainability, health, and community.

Dynamic content optimisation (DCO) is further shaping Philippine DOOH. Davadilla highlights trigger-based campaigns - activated by weather, time, or traffic conditions - that have earned industry recognition. “It is dynamic content delivery and API integration that gives success to our attempts at personalising campaigns,” he said.

Advertisers can extend their mobile banners and other digital displays to DOOH screens, connecting the digital world to the physical one, he added. By detecting device IDs from people who were near the DOOH ads, brands can then retarget those same people online - closing the loop between offline exposure and online engagement.

Sustainability still emerging, but inevitable

In the Philippines, sustainability in OOH advertising remains a developing concern - present in industry discussions but not yet a decisive driver of consumer or advertiser behaviour. As Davadilla observed, “While consumer attention has yet to shift decisively in this area, we believe it’s only a matter of time before sustainability becomes a key expectation for the industry.”

Regional data suggests DOOH formats may offer measurable environmental advantages: reduced material waste from printing, extended infrastructure lifecycles, and the ability to schedule content dynamically to optimise energy usage. “The future of OOH will be shaped not just by creative impact, but by operational responsibility - and as an industry, we have an opportunity to lead that change before the market demands it,” Davadilla added.

Cuento Jr. also underscored the tangible benefits of replacing traditional static billboards with digital screens. “Static billboards or tarpaulins use plastic and other harmful content that would affect our environment in the long run,” he said. “Few people are conscious of this, in my observation.”

Yet the market’s current perception remains more focused on novelty than environmental impact. Blanco noted that the Philippines still lacks the density of DOOH seen in cities such as New York, Tokyo, or Shanghai. “For now, the prevailing sentiment is one of curiosity and excitement rather than concern, as audiences are still getting used to seeing more dynamic digital formats in public spaces,” she said.

At the same time, creative effectiveness remains the ultimate arbiter of audience attention. As Cajilig pointed out, “People are more eco-conscious and supportive of sustainability, but that alone doesn’t make them stop for an ad. Whether static or digital, if it’s bland, it won’t capture attention or spark interest.”

The road ahead

For now, much DOOH inventory is still positioned along highways, optimised for motorists rather than runners or cyclists. Blanco notes that “it’s not yet a primary channel for reaching this segment”, but with local governments investing in active public spaces, the infrastructure for lifestyle-oriented DOOH is starting to take shape.

If Rodriguez’s assessment is right, brands that move early stand to gain more than impressions. “The opportunity is to design OOH experiences that respect this movement,” he said. That means contributing to infrastructure, timing content to community rhythms, and avoiding tokenism.

In the Philippines, DOOH’s next leap may not come from bigger screens or flashier tech - but from meeting people where they run, ride, and reclaim their streets.

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