Large-format DOOH garners five times more attention than digital formats, study shows
Premium large-format digital OOH (DOOH) gains five times more attention on average than online digital formats, a new study suggested.
Results from The Attention Dividend by Ocean Outdoor, in partnership with attention measurement company Lumen, was presented at Frameless in London on Wednesday.
Notably, this format holds attention for 8.2 times longer than online display, 5.5 times longer than social media content and 1.6 times longer than online video.
When looking at DOOH only, the research found that premium large formats hold attention for longer than six-sheets.
Highlighting the importance of understanding attention at the event, Mike Follett (pictured, below), managing director of Lumen, said: “No-one advertises to get attention; they advertise to get sales. But you can’t make money without getting noticed.”
When it comes to brand recall, The Attention Dividend found that premium large-format DOOH delivers 2.5 times higher brand recall than online video.
Video creative on this format also drives 2.5 times more brand choice than static content.
Meanwhile, Ocean’s 3D DeepScreen format delivers a 32% uplift in brand desirability.
Previous research by Lumen and Ebiquity has shown a strong correlation between attention gains and long-term profit.
Using the model from that study and Lumen’s attention per mille (APM) metric, Ocean’s research found that APM is at its highest when premium large-format DOOH is combined with standard OOH.
It’s “mutually beneficial” to use both in the media plan, said head of insight Steve Bernard (pictured, below).
The three key “dividends” for advertisers from the research are that premium large-format DOOH drives long-term profitability; boosts brand recall (or mental availability); and increases consumer desire to choose the brand.
Ocean’s study, which was 18 months in the making, concluded that the results suggest new conversations around media strategy are needed.
“We hope these findings will challenge the status quo in how media is planned and bought,” said UK chief commercial officer Nick Shaw.
The research involved 2,500 people and replicated Lumen’s other studies to make them comparable.
Participants were shown first-person pedestrian point-of-view films, capturing various journeys that passed specific OOH sites, with their eye movements tracked.
A follow-up study then measured brand recall, ad recall, choice and desirability.