DOOH: the big world antidote to small world thinking

By Nick Shaw Ocean Outdoor UK CEO. In their latest IPA report, Go Big or Go Home 2026, authors Les Binet and Will Davis warn that brands risk limiting their impact by thinking too small, prioritising the wrong metrics, ignoring valuable customers and optimising for short term ROI only. They also flag that producing inefficient creative means many campaigns will fail to deliver sufficient return.

To restore long term growth, they’re challenging the industry to think beyond short-term metrics by creating consistent work that truly moves people for long term effect.

Effectiveness doesn’t come from playing it safe. It comes from creating emotion, fame and memorable moments at scale. This in turn reinforces authority, confidence and quality.

It’s a theory we’ve tested over the past 10 years via our Neuroscience research. Multiple studies have established that the inclusion of premium large format DOOH in campaigns drives 27% greater emotional intensity and 20% greater engagement.

Last year, our Attention Dividend study reinforced the message, showing that the inclusion of premium large format can significantly boost longer-term profitability due to its 3x greater attention time compared to standard OOH formats.

In other words, in a world of fragmented media, the brands that capture attention at scale are the brands people remember most.

Behaving big is a powerful signaller

In 2024, EssenceMediacom published research showing clear evidence that a brand’s choice of advertising channel affects the way the public perceive its product or service quality (a company’s authority and confidence). This choice also impacts a brand’s likely success, popularity and favourability with other people. They found:

*That a brand’s media channel choice informs how much trust people have in the claims you make – reflecting how signalling matters in conveying unspoken qualities.

*A strong correlation between a medium’s signalling power and longer-term ROI, and a powerful omnichannel effect, i.e. that including said medium would turbocharge the performance of other channels.

Earlier this year, we built on EssenceMediacom’s signalling study using the same methodology. Initial topline findings show that:

*Premium large format DOOH delivers significant uplifts across different ‘fitness’ signals vs standard OOH, specifically:

*33% uplift in signalling confidence

*36% uplift in signalling quality

*40% uplift in signalling financial strength

Iconic OOH, such as BFI IMAX and Landsec’s Piccadilly Lights, goes further with a huge 77% uplift in signalling quality and 79% uplift in signalling confidence.

Piccadilly Lights delivered an average signalling score of 50% across both fitness and social signals – higher than TV at 45%.

The medium is the message

The fact that big, public, shared media is a powerful signaller continues to inform our strategy to develop urban canvases which elevate the cultural and commercial value of DOOH. We seek opportunities in markets where we can deliver value and distinction to advertisers and landlords alike, by first asking the question “will our investment be different and additive?”

This year we’re bringing new examples to market including London’s Olympia which will feature an impressive 800 square metre ceiling screen. Other plans will see the meticulously planned redevelopment of a prime Leicester Square location in the heart of the West End.

Audience-wise, Ocean Labs, our innovation arm, is using emerging technology – from AI to immersive experiences – to further reshape the future of DOOH. Sitting at the intersection of creative design and tech, Ocean Labs helps brands move beyond passive display into worlds that engage – and work that will set social feeds alight.

As the DOOH industry navigates a new era of audience experience, we continue to push the boundaries of what screens and spaces can do. This is a topic our UK Head of Ocean Labs, Melanie Blood will cover at the World Out of Home Annual Congress, meeting in London this week.

Her message is scale, influence, and integrity – showing up in places that are professionally managed, curated by real people, supported by high quality content, using the wizardry of DOOH together with beautiful design.

When we work together in this way to unlock business growth, the entire industry thrives.

Nick Shaw is UK CEO Ocean Outdoor.