The $25k test
One market, 4 weeks, two lines, every number traceable. Mid-market single-DMA focus: enough density to be seen, rates inside the published band rather than the premium tier. The mix: 70% guaranteed bulletins for presence, 30% per-play for learning.
| Line | Spend | Output range (arithmetic shown) |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 digital bulletins, 4-week flights | $17,500 | At $5-$18 CPM: 17,500 / 18 x 1,000 = 972,222 to 17,500 / 5 x 1,000 = 3,500,000 impressions. Deck claim: 0.97M-3.5M. |
| Per-play self-serve, daily budgets | $7,500 | 7,500 / 0.52 = 14,423 plays at the global median; up to 7,500 / 0.01 = 750,000 plays at the published floor on quiet inventory. |
Band: AdQuick 2026. Floor: Blip. Median: Blindspot. All in the register.
Why this mix maximizes learning per dollar
- The bulletin line buys guaranteed presence at the published band AdQuick 2026: the thing DOOH is for.
- The per-play line buys experiments: dayparts, creative variants, screen locations, repriced daily from a published floor Blip Billboards 2026 with the $0.52 median as the busy-screen reference Blindspot 2026.
- In a small market the same structure costs less: flights under $1,000 per board are published AdQuick 2026, so $25k can cover two DMAs (small-market economics).
The measurement attachment
Decide the judgment metric before launch: branded-search lift and direct traffic in the flight DMA vs a control DMA is the cheapest honest design. Pull the unit-level Geopath impressions Geopath Ongoing so delivered exposure is auditable, and write the expected range (0.97M-3.5M impressions) into the success memo. What impressions mean, and do not mean, is in measurement.
Scale up: $50k two-market. Floors: minimum spend. Deck: the slide. Rerun the math in the planner.