Airport posters are the most effective form of outdoor media, and dynamic digital copy heightens the intensity of a brand’s communication, according to a study by international out of home ad company Eye in the UK.

The study, conducted in partnership with brain imaging researcher Neuro Insights, looked into the effects of out of home advertising on people’s brains, by measuring the brain activity of consumers in different out of home environments.

The results, reported in Media Week, show that different environments, formats, weights and creative treatments have an impact on how consumers think and feel about the brands advertised,.

Responses to airport posters proved to be the most favourable, registering 18% more positive brain activity than responses to roadside posters. Dynamic posters and digital copy were found to heighten the intensity of a brand’s communication ‘considerably’, with up to 20% more response registering than for static posters.

Eye claims the study allowed them to look inside consumers’ minds, and measure emotional responses and the influence on future buying behaviour to the ads.

The human brain craves puzzles and stories, the research revealed, highlighting the power of tickling the consumer’s interest, taking them on a journey and asking them to solve a problem for increasing recall.

The research also found that larger posters elicited stronger responses than smaller ones, but that when it comes to conveying detail, smaller formats work better.

Stephanie Sheth, marketing manager at Eye UK, says, “Two years ago we used eye tracking to prove that consumers engage with advertising in airports. Now our Neuro Imaging study confirms that consumers will remember a brand’s message long after they have left the airport and that digital formats have the greatest impact on saliency and brand favourability.”

Image credit: Media Week.