In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Scott Mitchell, Managing Director for Canada at Vistar Media, shares how digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is evolving beyond static billboards into dynamic, data-driven experiences. With major live events like FIFA, Osheaga, and the Calgary Stampede capturing massive audiences, Scott explains how brands are rethinking outdoor strategies to deliver contextually relevant, memorable campaigns that connect with consumers in real time.
Interview By SK Uddin
Scott Mitchell is managing director for Canada at Vistar Media, a provider of programmatic and software solutions for digital out-of-home. Since joining Vistar in 2017, Mitchell has launched the Canadian office and grown operations to a fully staffed team with strategic partnerships across the entire programmatic landscape. Prior to joining Vistar, he held positions at TubeMogul (now Adobe) opening Canadian operations and working with agencies, as well as in the Enterprise (SaaS) business working with brands directly. Mitchell also worked at Yahoo! Canada, leading the consumer packaged goods vertical.
You’ve watched the Canadian DOOH landscape evolve from static billboards to dynamic, data‑driven screens. As major live events like FIFA, Osheaga, and the Calgary Stampede ramp up, how are brands rethinking their outdoor strategies in these increasingly crowded, attention‑fragmented environments?
The biggest shift we’re seeing is that brands are moving beyond simply showing up at major events and focusing on how they can be most relevant to audiences throughout the event experience. Large-scale moments like FIFA, Osheaga and the Calgary Stampede attract massive audiences, but they also create more competition for attention.
As a result, marketers are becoming much more strategic about audience movement and context. They’re looking at where people gather before, during and after events and identifying opportunities to create meaningful touchpoints throughout that journey.
Today’s DOOH environment gives brands the flexibility to tailor messaging based on location, timing and audience behaviour while still benefiting from the scale that outdoor advertising has always delivered. That combination of reach and relevance is becoming increasingly important.
In a fragmented media landscape, major live events remain one of the few opportunities to connect with large audiences in the physical world. The brands that stand out are the ones that understand the moment, understand the audience, and deliver creative that feels connected to both.
Recent research you’ve been involved with shows motion‑based and 3D creative significantly outperform static outdoor ads. From a consumer‑psychology perspective, what makes dynamic DOOH creative more likely to be noticed, remembered, and emotionally engaging—and what does a 60‑plus percent lift in brand awareness really mean in practice?
Consumers navigate thousands of messages every day, so creative that captures attention quickly and feels relevant to the moment has a clear advantage. In busy environments filled with competing messages, motion helps brands break through visual clutter and capture attention more effectively than static creative.
But attention is only part of the story. Dynamic creative is also more memorable because it creates a richer, more engaging experience. When consumers encounter motion or 3D elements that surprise, entertain, or immerse them, they’re more likely to remember both the message and the brand behind it.
Our recent research found that motion-based creative delivered a 33% uplift in ad recall and a 50% increase in brand awareness compared to static executions, while 3D creative was 67% more effective at driving brand awareness than creative without motion.
For marketers, that translates into real business value. Higher awareness increases the likelihood that consumers remember the brand when they’re ready to make a purchase, helping drive consideration and business results. It’s a powerful reminder that creative quality remains one of the strongest drivers of campaign effectiveness, regardless of channel.
Walking through downtown Toronto during big event weekends, it can feel like every wall, screen, and corner is “taken.” In that context, which types of brands or campaign objectives are seeing the strongest results from motion or 3D DOOH, and how should marketers balance creative investment with media spend to stand out without just spending more?
We’re seeing particularly strong results from brands focused on launches, awareness-building and creating cultural relevance. Categories like retail, entertainment, automotive, travel and consumer technology have all embraced motion and 3D creative because these formats help turn a media placement into a memorable brand experience.
One of the biggest misconceptions in advertising is that attention is purely a function of media spend. In reality, strong creative can often generate a greater impact than simply buying additional placements or impressions.
What’s encouraging for marketers is that creating impact doesn’t always require a massive production budget. Often, subtle movement, strong visual storytelling and a clear brand message are enough to capture attention and improve recall.
The brands seeing the strongest results today aren’t necessarily the biggest spenders. They’re the ones that understand how to pair thoughtful creative with the right environment, creating experiences that people notice, remember and talk about long after they’ve passed the screen.
The industry is clearly moving toward more immersive, context‑aware campaigns that respond to time of day, location, or even real‑time events. How is technology changing what’s possible in DOOH right now, and what should advertisers be thinking about as outdoor media evolves beyond traditional static formats into something more fluid and experiential?
Technology is transforming DOOH from a static channel into a highly responsive medium that can adapt to what’s happening in the real world. Advertisers can now activate campaigns based on factors like time of day, weather conditions, traffic patterns, audience movement, or local events, creating messaging that reflects these conditions in order to feel more relevant and timely. For example, Voilà Canada leveraged programmatic DOOH to dynamically promote grocery delivery services based on weather conditions, adjusting creative messaging in real time to align with changing consumer needs. By activating contextually relevant ads when weather made grocery shopping less convenient, the campaign was able to reach audiences at moments when the service offered the greatest value. It’s a strong example of using data-driven triggers to deliver the right message at the right time and place.
Programmatic technology is a major driver of that evolution. It gives marketers the flexibility to optimize campaigns in real time, adjust creative dynamically and activate across large networks of screens through a single platform.
These capabilities allow brands to think beyond individual placements and focus on the broader consumer journey. Instead of delivering the same message everywhere, marketers can create experiences based on context and audience behaviour.
As outdoor media continues to evolve, the opportunity is no longer just about visibility—it’s about delivering meaningful brand experiences that feel connected to the moment and environment.
For marketers planning campaigns around upcoming tentpole moments—whether FIFA activity, summer festivals, or other major events—what practical advice would you give on using DOOH effectively? Where should they start, and what are the one or two creative principles that most reliably help brands “earn” attention in busy public spaces?
My first piece of advice is to start with the audience. Think about where people will be, how they’ll move throughout the day, and what mindset they’ll be in at different moments. The most effective campaigns are built around those real-world behaviours.
From a creative perspective, two principles consistently stand out.
First, keep it simple. Outdoor advertising often has only a few seconds to make an impression, so the strongest campaigns communicate a single idea clearly and confidently.
Second, design for the environment. Creative should take advantage of the unique strengths of the format, whether that’s scale, motion, or contextual relevance, rather than trying to replicate what works in other channels.
One mistake marketers make is assuming that bigger or more complex always means better. In outdoor environments, clarity often wins. When strong creative, audience insight and contextual relevance come together, brands can earn attention rather than compete for it and that’s what drives lasting impact during major cultural moments.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Our platform is dedicated to fostering dialogue and sharing insights that inspire and empower small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.
