Digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising is taking an innovative step forward: car-sharing vehicles are now doubling as mobile ad displays. O2 Telefónica, together with innovation hub Wayra Germany and startup Screenery, has introduced digital screens on 500 car-sharing vehicles from Free2Move, turning windscreens into dynamic advertising platforms.
(Image Source: O2 Telefónica)
While rooftop ads on taxis have long been part of urban landscapes, this approach gives car-sharing a secondary function. The vehicles, already on the streets thanks to paying users, now also display targeted advertising for passersby. These digital screens allow for flexible, location-based messaging that adapts to where the cars are moving or parked, ensuring high visibility in busy zones.
According to new-business.de, for its first campaign, O2 Telefónica is showcasing “O2 Online Protection,” with a projected reach of 1.1 million impressions. The campaign will run across Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, and Frankfurt, where Free2Move vehicles are highly concentrated and target audiences are most accessible.
Technology and strategic vision
The DOOH technology is the result of collaboration between O2’s innovation hub Wayra Germany and Screenery, a tech startup specializing in programmatic digital out-of-home solutions. By embedding content directly into the cityscape, the partners aim to create ads that feel less intrusive and more contextually relevant.
Markus von Böhlen, Director Devices, Trading & Digital Life at O2 Telefónica, explains:
“With this campaign, we are bringing our messages to where our customers are – right in the heart of urban life. Through innovative technology and targeted content, we make services like O2 Online Protection tangible exactly where they matter most.”
Sammy Schumacher, CFO & Founder of Screenery, adds:
“Our mission at Screenery is to rethink communication in public spaces. This campaign proves how programmatic DOOH can be seamlessly embedded in real environments, visible only when it truly makes sense.”
Opportunities and controversies in urban advertising
O2 Telefónica’s initiative illustrates how car-sharing DOOH campaigns could become a new frontier for urban advertising. However, it also comes at a time when resistance to outdoor advertising is growing. Cities like Geneva, Switzerland, have seen successful pushes for ad-free environments, arguing that certain displays damage city aesthetics, fuel consumer envy, and even disrupt social harmony.
This dual perspective shows both the opportunity and the challenge of new DOOH formats: while advertisers gain fresh, flexible touchpoints, public opinion and city regulations will ultimately shape how widely these innovations can scale.
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