How to Take a Photo of Your Ad on a Billboard

Taking a photo of your ad live on a billboard can be a great way to showcase your campaign. Because CAASie purchases ad plays in real time, there are a few steps you can take to improve your chances of seeing and capturing your ad on screen.

Step 1: Confirm Your Campaign Is Live

Before heading to the billboard, make sure your campaign is active and currently delivering ads.

• Open your campaign in CAASie.

• Check that the campaign status is active.

• Ensure there is sufficient budget available for the campaign to continue delivering.

Step 2: Check Board Availability

Not all screens have inventory available at all times, so it's important to check the board's availability.

• Locate the board you want to photograph.

• Check the Availability indicator.

• Review the Last Heard From time.

As a general rule, boards that have been heard from recently are more likely to have advertising opportunities available. If a board has not been heard from for several hours (or longer), there is a lower chance that you'll see your ad playing when you arrive.

Step 3: Confirm the Campaign Schedule

Make sure your campaign is scheduled to run at the time you plan to visit the screen.

• Open the campaign schedule settings.

• Verify that the day and time you intend to visit are included in the schedule.

• If required, update the schedule and save your changes.

Step 4: Check Recent Delivery

Before travelling to the location, confirm that ads are being delivered to the board.

• Open the Performance tab within your campaign.

• Filter the results to Today.

• Look for recent impressions or ad plays on the board you intend to photograph. If you have multiple boards in the campaign, make sure to look at the board breakdown and not at all plays and impressions - the plays may be happening at other locations.

Recent delivery activity is a good indication that your campaign is currently serving on that screen.

Step 5: Increase Hourly Pacing Before You Arrive

If you're specifically trying to capture a photo of your ad, temporarily increasing your hourly pacing can improve your chances.

• Open your campaign & navigate to spend controls.

• Increase the hourly pacing for the hour you will be at the location.

A higher hourly pacing allows the campaign to compete for more ad opportunities during that period, increasing the likelihood that your ad will appear while you're there.

Tip: Only increase pacing for the period you're planning to be at the location. This helps maximise your chances without unnecessarily changing the campaign's overall delivery.

Step 6: Capture Your Photo

Once you're at the location:

• Watch the screen for a few play cycles.

• Have your camera ready.

• Take multiple photos if possible to ensure you capture a clear image of the ad.

Camera Tip: If your photo/video shows flickering, dark bands, or other visual artefacts, this is usually caused by your camera's frame rate not matching the billboard's refresh rate. The screen will appear perfectly normal in person, even if the photo does not. Taking multiple shots or adjusting your camera settings can often improve the result.

Step 7: Return Pacing to Normal

After you've captured your photo:

• Return the campaign pacing to its previous setting (such as Auto).

• Save your changes.

This allows the campaign to continue pacing normally for the remainder of its run.

Important Note

Because CAASie purchases advertising inventory in real time, seeing an ad on a specific screen at a specific moment can never be guaranteed. Following the steps above will significantly improve your chances, but screen availability, competing advertisers, publisher rules, and auction activity can all affect whether an ad is displayed at any given time.