Outdoor advertising is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in its history. Once static formats are increasingly becoming technological infrastructure that connects space, data and creative ideas, while the boundary between traditional advertising and digital experience is gradually disappearing. In such an environment, visibility is no longer the only goal, it is increasingly important how, when and in what context audiences encounter a message, as well as what kind of experience they gain in the process.
Automation, artificial intelligence and advanced analytics are increasingly shaping how campaigns are planned, digital surface networks are managed and interactive formats are developed. According to an IAB Europe report on the impact of artificial intelligence on digital advertising, AI is increasingly entering media planning, optimisation and creative processes, shifting the industry’s focus from operational management towards strategic use of data and technology, a trend clearly reflected in the development of the DOOH market as well.
It is precisely about this intersection of technology, media infrastructure, the growth of digital outdoor advertising and new client expectations that we spoke with the Go2Digital team: Viktor Pucar – Sales Director, Dean Udatny – Director of Special Projects and Programmatic Operations, and Amela Pašalić – Marketing & PR Director, who actively follow and shape changes in the regional market through the development of digital outdoor networks, interactive projects and a data-driven approach.
1. If you had to describe 2025 as a year when media budgets behave like air conditioners – sometimes “cooling,” sometimes “heating” – what was your biggest win in stabilising the temperature?
Our greatest strength is continuity of growth and a clear market position. According to HURA Media AdEx media spending data, total OOH industry revenue in Croatia in 2025 amounted to €50 million. Our estimate is that a historic shift will occur for the first time: digital outdoor will surpass traditional OOH and account for more than 50 percent of the total market.
In line with this trend, we continue to grow year after year. This year we added more than 60 new digital surfaces across Croatia, and as the leading DOOH media company in Croatia we now manage a network of nearly 500 active surfaces, reaching almost 3 million impressions daily.
2. What new type of client panic emerged this year? How did you turn it into a calm, rational plan for 2026?
Clients were asking for more flexibility, more interactivity and greater campaign efficiency, but alongside rational budget planning. We translated this into a clear plan for 2026 through several concrete directions.
We are continuing to expand the number of digital surfaces, while simultaneously investing strongly in innovative formats – from our 3D screens to portable digital citylights, which offer interactive and three-dimensional possibilities. Strong demand for such solutions confirms that the market is looking for experience, not just visibility.
Additionally, we launched the project Croatia Goes Wild in collaboration with Bauhaus, a platform bringing authentic stories about nature, wilderness and Croatia’s national identity, combining content, technology and emotion. We will continue developing the project in the coming period.
For 2026 we are also continuing to develop interactive and contextual content as well as proprietary projects, because we believe the future of DOOH lies not only in the number of screens but in the quality of the idea, the experience and the story each screen communicates.
3. Which piece of data in 2025 surprised you the most – not because it was unusual, but because it challenged a belief the media industry held as sacred?
What 2025 further confirmed is the fact that DOOH is in continuous and stable growth. The data point that most “challenged established beliefs” was precisely that digital outdoor has become an integral part of the media mix. The idea that DOOH is merely an add-on or luxury format proved incorrect – today it is a medium advertisers rely on long term.
For the industry, this meant an additional shift in thinking: how to use it even more intelligently and interactively. That simply confirmed to us that the direction we are heading in is the right one.
4. What was the smartest “small optimisation” you made this year that delivered a bigger effect than three large plans combined?
We implemented AI across all our systems, from network management, interactive campaign creation and creative solutions to planning and measurement. In addition, we will soon launch a redesigned website where the overview of our nearly 500 screens will be even clearer and simpler, making it easier for clients to select locations for their campaigns.
5. If you had to choose one channel that will be the region’s “quiet winner” in 2026, which would it be, and what are others still not seeing?
In this case we will give our vote to our own channel, which we can support with numbers. Globally, DOOH has reached around $17.6 billion in investment, with estimated growth of 15.0% in 2024 and 14.9% in 2025, almost twice as fast as overall advertising market growth.
Particularly important is the fact that DOOH now accounts for about 40 percent of the total OOH market, and in large urban areas and premium locations it exceeds 50 percent. A similar trend is visible in Croatia and the region, where digital formats represent roughly one-third to nearly half of OOH infrastructure but generate disproportionately greater advertiser interest and budget growth, especially in Zagreb and other major urban centres.
Compared with other channels, DOOH positions itself as the only mass channel that is simultaneously unavoidable, measurable and brand-safe, without ad blockers and without dependence on cookies. What many still fail to see is that DOOH is no longer just a medium, it is infrastructure: a fusion of space, data and technology.
This year we definitely expect further programmatic growth. Programmatic DOOH in the region is only entering a more serious phase, but it already shows potential for smarter planning and greater efficiency. In an environment of increasing regulation and privacy focus, DOOH’s contextual strength becomes its key advantage, and its greatest value lies in not replacing other channels but amplifying the impact of the entire media mix.
6. Which negotiation sentence in 2025 brought the most value to clients, and why will you never stop using it?
In 2025, the approach that brought the most value to clients was based on understanding their real needs and goals. We stand out with the largest number of digital advertising surfaces on the market, enabling strong reach and continuity of presence.
However, our advantage is not only in network size but in how we use it. For each client we create tailored, dedicated content designed according to the specifics of their industry, target audience and communication objectives, ensuring campaign relevance and effectiveness. We work closely with creative agencies to develop these special campaigns. With such campaigns we have been winning numerous awards at international and domestic festivals for many years.
Additional value comes from our premium offering of portable digital formats such as Cube and modular digital solutions, which enable flexible activations, exclusive positions and additional visibility at key moments. The combination of an extensive digital network, creative adaptation and innovative formats is why clients choose us as a long-term partner rather than merely a media supplier.
7. What is the strangest but true signal about audience behaviour you observed in a campaign – something nobody outside the buying team would even notice?
We would highlight two interesting campaign results from our network. One relates to the “Straighten Up” campaign by Croatia Poliklinika, implemented together with Go2Digital, agencies Bruketa&Žinić&Grey and Millenium promocija, which has already won a series of awards. The campaign mechanic was very simple: passers-by stood in front of a citylight equipped with computer vision and software scanning their posture. By analysing the curvature of the neck, mid-back and lower spine through eight key points, the system detected potential issues and immediately provided feedback. What is noteworthy is that almost everyone who participated (as many as 97% of participants) instinctively corrected their posture during measurement.
Another data point we are very proud of concerns our project Croatia Goes Wild, launched in cooperation with Bauhaus with the aim of preserving biodiversity and involving citizens in nature conservation projects. After just a few months of promotion of the protected endemic plant Samobor gromotulja, previously virtually unknown, academic theses and doctoral dissertations began to be written about it. It is fascinating to see the impact such campaigns can have when displayed on digital screen networks.
