From a fraction of
bookings to all of them.
How Bauer Media Outdoor replaced photographer-dependent campaign proof with AI-generated visuals, and turned imagery from a post-campaign deliverable into a pre-sales asset.
The problem.
A client who booked a smaller placement received no visual proof that their campaign had ever run. Photography was the only route to campaign imagery, and it was costly, slow and inconsistent between locations.
The problem was reach rather than image quality: photography could not cover every booking.
Many campaigns did not qualify at all, particularly smaller bookings and hard-to-reach sites, so the gap between what large and small clients received kept widening. Scaling the photographer model to cover every booking was economically unviable, while advertiser expectations moved the other way. Clients wanted to see their creative on a real billboard, in context, in the right light.
The prototype.
The first phase set out to prove AI-generated imagery could meet the standard set by real photography.
The team built an asset library linking billboard locations to existing high-quality photographs, then deployed infrastructure for image generation at portfolio scale.
A proprietary multi-step prompt workflow was refined alongside Bauer's team, with both sides evaluating strengths and weaknesses together and models upgraded as better ones arrived. Testing began with static Adshel formats and expanded to video panels, indoor placements and other panel sizes.
Early outputs were mixed. The combination of model progress and deepening prompt expertise now produces realistic, highly customisable mockups, including conditions a photographer cannot capture on demand, a snow blizzard or golden hour on a clear day.
In production.
The system adjusts imagery for authenticity, varies atmosphere by season and time of day, and generates video for premium placements.
A straightforward application lets Bauer's team generate, adjust and deliver visuals in real time.
It is integrated into the proof-of-delivery workflow and into pre-sales, so clients can see their campaign on a specific billboard before booking. An onboarding programme carried the team through adoption. Photographer resources now go to capturing new locations and creative briefs that benefit from a human eye.
Campaign imagery stopped being limited by photographer capacity, which is what closed the gap between large and small clients.
Change how
you operate.
Tell us where you’re stuck. If operational AI can change the outcome we’ll show you how, and if it can’t, we’ll say so.
Talk to us