Australia’s 11.4 million smartphone owners sometimes do lift their heads, with research conducted by Roy Morgan showing they are more likely to notice all forms of out-of-home advertising than those without a smartphone.

58% of smartphone owners have seen advertising in shopping centres in the last four weeks, compared with 50% of others. 52% of smartphone owners have noticed ads on the sides of buses, while 42% of people without a smartphone have. And 46% of smartphone owners have noticed a big billboard recently, compared to 35% of non-smartphone owners.

Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan Research, says that the findings suggest the integration of outdoor and digital in marketing campaigns could indeed provide a promising advantage for marketers, such as ‘geo-tagging’ or location-specific targeted campaigns. “It turns out smartphone owners aren’t just walking around with their heads down, peering at screens. Smartphone owners notice more outdoor advertising than others.”

Smartphone Owners and Non-Smartphone Owners who have seen Outdoor Advertising

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), January 2013 – June 2013.  Smartphone Owners n=5151, Non-Smartphone owners n=4861.