Market first: NESCAFÉ and WPP Media launch weather-triggered PDOOH campaign

NESCAFÉ, in partnership with media agency WPP Media and IK Outdoor, has launched the first programmatic digital out-of-home (PDOOH) campaign in the Hungarian market to use real-time meteorological data. Running from May to July, the campaign aimed to increase awareness of NESCAFÉ Cold 3in1 by reaching consumers at the most relevant moments.

The campaign’s technological innovation lies in the close integration of environmental context and automated media buying. Rather than running continuously, the advertising creatives were activated on digital out-of-home screens only when predefined real-time weather parameters were met.

During the campaign period, the agency adjusted the triggers to seasonal conditions. In May, the ads appeared when the weather was clear and sunny and the temperature exceeded 15°C. During the two summer months, the system activated the ads only when temperatures were above 25°C and conditions were dry. The displays stopped automatically in the event of rain, storms or thunderstorms.

The aim of this dynamic activation was to maximise media spend efficiency. Instead of a traditionally static outdoor presence, the technology enables the brand message to appear only when environmental factors—warm, summery weather—make consumers more receptive to refreshing product innovations.

“In today’s media environment, communication clutter is constantly increasing, making it ever more challenging for brands to reach the right audiences. Weather data-based activation enabled the NESCAFÉ Cold 3in1 message to appear in the situations most relevant to consumers, thereby increasing communication effectiveness,” said Gabriella Pánczél, Media Manager at Nestlé.

“This project is a strong example of the flexibility of programmatic buying, where real-time, data-driven decision-making directly supports relevance and cost efficiency—now in the Hungarian OOH market as well. The PDOOH segment holds great promise, although for now we are still in the experimentation phase, whether in terms of creative, technology or measurement. In this situation, it is extremely important to test and learn together with strong and bold brands such as NESCAFÉ,” added Luca Steff, Head of Programmatic at WPP Media.