The dream of cross-screen advertising is one video that runs everywhere — on a sidewalk screen, a living-room TV, and a phone. The good news: you usually don't need to shoot anything new. The trick is understanding how the rules shift by surface so your single video lands on all of them. Here's how.
Start with what you already have
Before producing anything, look at your existing footage. A strong Reel, TikTok, product clip, or testimonial is often 90% of the way there. Most advertisers should repurpose before they produce — it's faster, cheaper, and already feels authentic. (More in repurpose a Reel or TikTok for screens.)
The universal rules
Some principles hold on every screen:
- One message. Pick a single idea — an offer, a launch, a benefit. Crowded ads fail everywhere.
- Front-load it. Make your point in the first 1–2 seconds; you may not get more.
- Design for sound-off. Many screens are silent (DOOH) or glanced at. Use big, legible text so the ad works muted.
- Brand early and clearly. Logo and name should be unmistakable, not saved for the end.
- End with an action. A QR code, short link, or address turns attention into a result.
What changes by surface
Here's where a single video has to flex:
Real-world screens (DOOH) — often silent, seen for a few seconds, sometimes at distance. Favor bold visuals, minimal text, high contrast. Assume no audio. (Deeper dive: what makes a great DOOH ad.)
Connected TV (CTV) — full-screen, sound-on, non-skippable, a captive living-room audience. You can tell a slightly richer story here; this is your most "TV-like" placement.
Mobile — small screen, personal, often vertical, easy to scroll past. Hook instantly and keep it punchy.
Aspect ratios and length
You don't want to edit five versions by hand. The practical approach:
- Aspect ratios: screens want different shapes (landscape 16:9, square 1:1, vertical 9:16). A good platform auto-crops your master video to each — so you upload once.
- Length: 15–30 seconds is the sweet spot across surfaces. Shorter is safer for DOOH; CTV comfortably holds 15s or 30s spots.
- Safe zones: keep logos and text away from the extreme edges so nothing gets cropped off.
The shortcut
This is exactly the friction Glo removes. You upload one video; it's automatically formatted and cropped for each surface — sidewalk screens, in-venue TVs, CTV apps, premium publishers, and geofenced phones — so you don't make a version per screen. Add your end card, set your area, and go live in about 60 seconds, from $29/day.
Ready to apply it? Start with launch a campaign in 60 seconds, and sharpen the creative with what makes a great DOOH ad.