At The Future of Media event, Kate Tovey, Director of Customer Engagement at JCDecaux UK, took to the stage to discuss how brands can make their out-of-home (OOH) advertising more impactful. Building on JCDecaux’s partnership with creative testing specialist System1, Tovey revealed ten creative guidelines designed to help advertisers create the perfect poster, one that earns what she calls “a double take”.
Brand building is alive and kicking
Tovey began by addressing a key question: is brand building dead? Despite rising global ad spend, she said that the number of campaigns generating long-term brand effects has actually declined.
“Digital and performance marketing are growing, but emotive and brand-building advertising is shrinking,” she said, referencing data from System1 and the IPA Effectiveness Awards case bank.
Yet, she argued, emotion remains central to effective marketing. Campaigns that evoke strong feelings perform significantly better, driving not just brand metrics but real commercial outcomes.
“Advertising that harnesses emotion delivers better results,” she said. “It’s proven to drive measurable business outcomes, not just awareness or affinity.”
For Tovey, this emotional power is perfectly suited to out-of-home. “Out-of-home is one of the most efficient brand-building channels, reaching 98% of the population,” she said. “But it’s vital that your creative works hard to make the most of that reach.”
Research built on real data
JCDecaux’s creative guidelines are based on rigorous testing. Working with System1 and JCDecaux’s proprietary creative testing tool, Optix, the team has now tested more than 1,000 creatives with 17,000 respondents. “We’ve built a robust, open data set that’s available to everyone,” Tovey said. “It’s all about creating evidence-based principles for great out-of-home creative.”
She then unveiled the ten guidelines that can transform a poster from forgettable to unforgettable.
Guideline one: demand attention
OOH ads have, on average, just two seconds to make an impact. “Think about that, one, two, and it’s gone,” Tovey said. To maximise those precious moments, she advises keeping the design simple, with no more than three main elements such as a headline, product, and call to action.
Guideline two: be brand bold
Where you place your logo matters. Historically, brands were told to position it in the bottom right corner, but new data suggests otherwise. “Placing your logo at the top increases brand recall by 32%,” she said. “It’s about being bold with your branding.”
Guideline three: drive familiarity through colour
Tovey showed the audience a bright yellow screen and asked if they could guess the brand. Most immediately thought of EE. “Simple, consistent use of colour builds brand fluency,” she explained. “This ad achieved 93% fast fluency, meaning people recognised the brand almost instantly.”
Guideline four: use fluent devices
Characters, symbols, or familiar visual devices help audiences connect quickly. “When you see the Andrex puppy, you immediately think of the brand,” she said. “These fluent devices make creative up to a third more effective.”
Guideline five: showcase faces
Faces attract attention, it’s human nature. “Real, relatable characters help your ad connect emotionally,” Tovey said. “Just make sure the face works in balance with the rest of your creative, so it doesn’t distract from your key message.”
Guideline six: make your product big
The product should be impossible to miss. “Ads where the product takes up more than 50% of the creative deliver nearly 40% more attention,” Tovey said.
Guideline seven: shorten your copy
Out-of-home is not the place for long storytelling. “More than 10 words, and people are 30% less likely to remember you,” she cautioned. “Keep it short, sharp, and impactful.”
Guideline eight: shout your call to action
The call to action (CTA) should be clear and bold. “Double the size of your CTA, and you double the dwell time,” Tovey said. “Don’t leave it as an afterthought.”
Guideline nine: sell, sell, sell
While brand building is crucial, commercial impact still matters. “Make sure your creative balances brand and sales messaging,” she added. “They can coexist beautifully when done right.”
Guideline ten: make them smile
The newest and final guideline is perhaps the most human. “Triggering a positive emotion doubles the commercial impact of your ad,” Tovey said. Whether it’s joy, nostalgia, or surprise, making people smile can significantly boost business results. “We call this the double take,” she said. “It’s that moment when someone looks again, because your ad made them feel something.”
Proving the power of creativity
Since launching the original research, JCDecaux has worked with over 80 brands across categories to test and refine these principles.
“From footfall and store visits to website conversions, we’ve seen consistent results,” Tovey said. “When you trigger positive emotion, everything performs better.”
