Impactful out-of-home advertising – How to reach your audience effectively

Out-of-home advertising gives brands the opportunity to be present where people move. Impactful out-of-home is not only visible – it is also memorable and emotionally engaging. So what are the key ingredients of a powerful OOH execution?  

JCDecaux and System 1 explored creative effectiveness in out-of-home and the factors that drive it in the study “The science of being remembered”. Based on the findings, six concrete tips emerged for creating truly impactful out-of-home advertising. 

1. Brand fast

In out-of-home, success is decided in two seconds. Campaigns where the brand is recognised within these critical first two seconds are remembered 54% better than campaigns where recognition does not happen as quickly. To achieve this, every element in the ad should support quick brand recognition rather than compete for the viewer’s attention.

Placement matters too. Positioning the brand at the top of the creative delivers four times better brand recognition than the traditional placement at the bottom.

2. Don’t be dull

Boring can be very expensive in advertising. If the creative execution fails to engage emotionally or create a meaningful connection with the audience, you need more media investment to reach your campaign goals. Add storytelling elements, surprises or a strong visual hook that stops people in their tracks and helps your message stick.

3. Be consistent, be seen

When the same creative idea is repeated across different channels, the brand is recognised and remembered more easily in out-of-home as well. Campaigns that use a unified creative in both TV and OOH are remembered up to 30% better.

4. Attention changes minds

Exposure beyond two seconds doesn’t significantly increase ad recall, but longer viewing moments do have a positive impact on purchase intent. It’s not only about grabbing attention – it’s also about holding interest. Using human characters and emotionally engaging elements in creative work strengthens emotional response and encourages people to look at the ad for longer.

5. Less is definitely more

In out-of-home, simplicity wins: the best-performing creative executions are those with one clear message. Complexity clearly weakens ad effectiveness.

The same rule applies to brand assets. Used well, they can boost recognition threefold – but overloading the creative with them can have the opposite effect and hinder recognition. The key is to understand which brand elements work best in an OOH environment and to use them with precision, not in excess.

6. Make them feel good

In out-of-home, emotion beats reason. The study found that campaigns perceived as strongly positive achieved a 167% stronger positive brand connection compared to less emotional campaigns. Positive emotions in OOH also boost outcomes such as store visits and website traffic. In particular, surprise and happiness stand out as emotions that build lasting memory structures and influence purchase decisions.

Moving together towards more impactful out-of-home

Impactful out-of-home doesn’t happen by chance – it’s built on understanding how audiences see, experience and remember advertising. JCDecaux has deep expertise in OOH effectiveness and best practices, as well as tools that help analyse campaigns and improve their impact. Together with clients, we create powerful out-of-home advertising that resonates with audiences in the right place.