Digital outdoor media company QMS has taken on the perceptions of Out of Home (OOH) advertising as a 'glance-only' medium, partnering with audience measurement company Amplified Intelligence to demonstrate how brands can utilise the 'attention flywheel' to maximise their OOH investment.

The new research was presented on stage at this week's SXSW Sydney event by QMS Chief Strategy Officer Christian Zavecz and Amplified Intelligence CEO and Founder Dr Karen Nelson-Field.

The study found that OOH ads captured an average of 12 seconds of total attention, with 90% of the QMS sites tested securing more than 2.5 seconds of active attention. This exceeds the global threshold for something to be committed to long-term memory. In fact, OOH was found to be 5.9 times more likely to deliver above the attention memory threshold than other digital channels.

"This research is at the forefront of global campaign innovation and is a significant step forward in understanding how people engage with OOH and the various dimensions that need to be considered for OOH planning and buying in this new era," said Zavecz.

The study included 11 different advertiser categories on 12 large and small format sites in Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, capturing a sample size of 1.23 million.

"The research confirms that OOH is far more than a fleeting glance – it captures real, measurable attention that translates into meaningful brand impact. This OOH data will serve as a powerful extension of our attention measurement framework, demonstrating how attention-based insights can complement traditional metrics to reveal the true impact of ads across multiple channels. In an era where capturing and holding attention is increasingly difficult, this data is key to driving stronger, more effective brand outcomes," said Dr Nelson-Field.

QMS and Amplified Intelligence plan to continue their attention-based research study, expanding to include more markets, formats and modes. This research is a testament to the power of OOH advertising and its ability to capture and hold attention, providing brands with a new dimension for campaign planning.

"Our market-leading research is proof that OOH should no longer be considered as a glance-only medium, reinforcing the importance of the channel within omnichannel planning – for brands big and small. The future of advertising will increasingly focus on attention as a more sophisticated and accurate way of planning and evaluating client campaigns. This research shows OOH captures and holds attention and importantly provides brands with another dimension for campaign planning," said QMS Strategic Sales Director, Adrian Venditti.