Large screen outdoor advertising? Study supports assumption they work

THE assumption that outdoor moving adverts – similar to the large TV screen-style advertising panel newly-installed at the St Enoch Centre in Glasgow – will have a positive impact on people’s buying intentions, has been underscored by study findings unveiled yesterday.

A neuroscience study commissioned by one of the country’s main outdoor advertising companies concludes that “large format digital outdoor advertising drives strong emotional responses that are ultimately linked to increased likelihood to buy”.

The findings, by Neuro-Insight and commissioned by Ocean Outdoor, were unveiled yesterday at an industry seminar in London.

Says a media release issued by Ocean Outdoor: “The research for the first time uses neuroscience to quantify the impact of large format outdoor advertising in an urban setting, providing new evidence about how these premium sites elicit key brain responses that are drivers of purchase behaviour.

“Specialist neuro-research company, Neuro-Insight, conducted research looking at brain response to outdoor advertising, focusing in particular on the impact of premium outdoor sites, to discover the impact they have on people and identify what sort of sites elicit the most powerful responses.

“The research measured brain response to 24 outdoor sites around West London, comprising 11 Ocean sites and 13 sites from other outdoor media owners. To measure responses, 115 people were fitted with headsets that captured second by second brain activity as they watched a filmed journey featuring the outdoor sites, which they had seen in real life in an escorted bus journey that preceded the study. Around 1.8 billion data points were collected and analysed during the course of the study.”

The ad space at the St Enoch Centre (pictured) is an Ocean Outdoor one went ‘live’ last week. It is understood that makes three such ‘moving images’ outdoor ad spaces in Scotland.