JCDecaux has released the third wave of its neuroscience research revealing that premium Out-of-Home formats - including LARGE FORMAT and SMARTFRAME - generate stronger subconscious responses that influence future buying behaviour. Conducted in partnership with independent firm Neuro-Insight, the study builds on JCDecaux’s previous research to deepen understanding of how different formats impact audience engagement at a neural level.
Victoria Parsons, Strategy & Insights Director, JCDecaux New Zealand, said: “Our latest research gives brands clear evidence that quality and format matter. Not all Out-of-Home formats perform equally - size, elevation, impact and proximity to the road, all play a key role in cutting through during the brief roadside viewing window. We saw that larger, premium formats created stronger, lasting impressions that influence future decisions. In a cluttered media landscape, that kind of cut through is essential.”
The latest study tested real campaigns from brands including McDonald’s, The Warehouse and Persil. It compared JCDecaux’s formats with alternatives, to understand how format influences the brain’s response to advertising.
Key findings include:
- JCDecaux LARGE FORMAT delivered the highest scores for memory encoding and engagement. It achieved an average peak memory encoding score of 0.81, well above the effectiveness benchmark of 0.70. indicating strong potential to be remembered and influence purchase decisions.
- JCDecaux SMARTFRAME recorded the strongest emotional intensity of any format tested, 12% higher than Large Format and 15% higher than Street Furniture. Emotional intensity is linked to effectiveness.
- SMARTFRAME also delivered the highest visual attention scores, showing high levels of visual processing, a key precursor to memory encoding.
SMARTFRAME is one of JCDecaux’s newest formats and was assessed using neuroscience for the first time in this study. SMARTFRAME triggered a distinct neural response, highlighting its unique role in a campaign, whether used on its own, alongside Large Format, or to amplify smaller formats.
“SMARTFRAME delivered the strongest emotional intensity and visual responses in the study, likely due to its close roadside placement, portrait orientation and elevated positioning. ,” added Brian Hill, General Manager, APAC Neuro-Insight.
“These design features appear to maximise visual processing and emotional resonance, which are critical for brands wanting to drive memorability in Out of Home environments.”
The research also reinforced the effectiveness of combining formats. Campaigns using both large and smaller formats showed stronger outcomes overall, with large formats enhancing the performance of smaller ones.
This research is part of JCDecaux’s ongoing investment in data-led insight to help brands make smarter media choices and achieve stronger results.
Notes:
Unlike traditional research methods, which rely on claimed recall, neuroscience captures second-by-second brain activity to show how advertising is processed. The key effectiveness metric is memory encoding - whether the brain is storing information for future use – hence it’s link to future behaviour. Memory encoding has been shown to correlate with sales at a rate of 86 percent.
The study, conducted using steady-state topography (SST), measured second-by-second brain responses to nine Out-of-Home campaigns across 28 creative executions from leading brands including McDonald’s, The Warehouse and Persil (Unilever). Key metrics included memory encoding, emotional intensity, engagement, and visual attention, all recognised drivers of advertising effectiveness.
Campaigns were viewed on JCDecaux formats alongside competitor formats to enable direct comparison.