Case: a Kyiv barbershop got +40% clients via nearby screens
When the conversation turns to out-of-home advertising, most entrepreneurs hear vague promises like "we'll boost your awareness" or "thousands of people will see your brand." We decided to show concrete numbers using a real example: how a barbershop in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district grew its flow of new clients by 40% in 2 months using screens in nearby venues.
A quick portrait of the business
Venue: barbershop, 3 chairs, 4 barbers. District: Shevchenkivskyi, next to the "Universytet" metro station. Average check: UAH 650. Client base at the start: ~180 regular clients. Acquisition channels before the campaign: Instagram, Google Maps, word of mouth.
The owner came with a clear problem: Instagram targeting had stopped delivering new clients for less than UAH 400 per lead, word of mouth had run dry, and competition in the district had intensified. A typical situation for a small local business in Kyiv.
Why they chose advertising on screens
The logic was simple: the barbershop's target audience is men aged 20–40 who live or work within a 1–2 km radius of the venue. These people visit the same places every day — fitness clubs, coffee shops, coworking spaces, car washes. Advertising on screens in such locations provides a long contact with the ad (5–30 minutes), unlike a billboard you drive past in 3 seconds.
An additional argument — the cost per contact came out 3–5 times lower than billboards, and the targeting was more precise: you can pick the exact venues where your target audience spends time.
Campaign parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Budget | UAH 11,500/month |
| Period | 2 months (February–March) |
| Screens | 7 (4 fitness clubs, 2 coworking spaces, 1 coffee shop) |
| Radius from the barbershop | up to 1.5 km |
| Rotation | 3 times per hour |
| Creative | 15-second video with a QR code and the promo code "BLADE20" |
The promo code gave -20% off the first haircut. It was both an incentive to call and a measurement tool — every use of the promo code = a new client from the screen ads.
Creative: what worked
We tested 2 video options:
Option A. A dynamic video of a barber at work, music, a close-up of the result, a QR code and the promo code at the end.
Option B. A static image with the large text "-20% off your first haircut" and a QR code.
For the first week we showed both on different screens. Option A drove 2.3 times more QR scans. The conclusion is obvious — in creative for screens in venues, motion works, not static images. After the first week we kept only Option A.
Results over 2 months
Data from the platform analytics and the barbershop's internal CRM:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Ad impressions | 22,400 |
| Unique contacts | 14,800 |
| QR code scans | 487 |
| Promo code uses | 118 |
| New clients | 72 (54 of them returned for a repeat visit) |
| Growth of the client base | +40% |
| CPA (cost of acquiring a new client) | UAH 319 |
| LTV over 2 months (new clients) | UAH 1,120 |
| Return on investment (ROAS) | 3.5× |
An important nuance: 46 scans happened during evening hours (18:00–21:00) in fitness clubs — people scanned the QR code after a workout and booked a haircut for the next day. Another 28 scans came in the morning at coworking spaces (9:00–11:00).
What worked
1. Pinpoint venue selection. They didn't take "all screens in Kyiv," only those with a male audience aged 20–40 within a 1.5 km radius. This is exactly the logic we covered in detail in our piece on Kyiv districts and their conversion.
2. A specific offer. -20% off the first haircut — clear, time-limited, motivates immediate action. Without specifics, advertising doesn't convert.
3. QR code as tracking. Without it there would be no way to know that the screens specifically brought in these clients. It's the foundation for calculating CPA in out-of-home advertising.
4. The right contact time. In a fitness club a person sits in the locker room for 15 minutes and looks at the screen. In a coworking space, they glance at the shared screen dozens of times a day. This isn't "scrolling attention" from Instagram — it's a full-fledged contact.
What didn't work (and why)
For the first 2 weeks we also tested advertising on a screen in one of the "Aroma Kava" chain's coffee shops on Khreshchatyk — 4 km from the barbershop. There were only 8 scans, and none converted into a client. The conclusion: local advertising only works if the venue is genuinely nearby. A person won't travel across half the city for a haircut, even with a discount.
What the barbershop owner would advise others
"I burned UAH 30,000 on Instagram targeting before trying screens. CPA on Instagram — UAH 400+, on screens — UAH 319. Plus clients from screens come back more often — they saw you nearby, so trust is higher. The main thing is not to try to advertise across all of Kyiv. Pick 5–10 venues within your radius, launch a QR code with a promo code, and watch what works."
Conclusion
This case study isn't magic or a one-off situation. The same logic works for dental clinics, coffee shops, schools, and local services. The principle is the same: find the places where your target audience spends time, launch a clear offer there with a QR code, and count the results. UAH 11,500 a month isn't an astronomical budget even for a small business. But the income it generated covered the costs more than threefold.
If you need a similar launch for your business — on HostAd you can choose specific screens on the map, look at each venue's audience, and launch a campaign in 10 minutes.