As the global out-of-home (OOH) advertising market achieves record revenues exceeding £31 billion in 2024, marketing effectiveness firm System1 has published its ranking of the top ten UK OOH adverts ever tested on its platform. The growth is attributed to factors including programmatic adoption, enhanced personalization, and increased audience reach.
The list, derived from System1’s ‘Test Your Ad’ predictive platform, identifies creatives with the highest potential for long-term brand building based on their ability to evoke strong, positive emotional responses. Adverts scoring 5.0 Stars or above are deemed “exceptional”.
The Top 10 UK OOH Adverts (System1 Star Rating):
- Andrex: “A Little Love Goes a Long Way” (5.9 Stars)
- Cadbury’s: “Secret Santa” (5.5 Stars)
- Minute Maid: “The Open Billboard” (5.2 Stars)
- Jaffa Cakes: “We’re a Cake You Biscuit” (5.0 Stars)
- WWF: “Prescription for Nature” – Park (5.0 Stars)
- KitKat: “Have a Break” (4.6 Stars)
- Cornetto: “Surf” (4.2 Stars)
- Cadbury’s: “Caramilk” (4.2 Stars)
- Pringles: “Let’s-a-go” (4.2 Stars)
- Walker’s Shortbread: “A Wee Bit of Scotland” (3.8 Stars)
The average rating for OOH adverts on the platform is significantly lower, at 2.2 Stars. Recent research conducted by System1 in collaboration with JCDecaux underscores the commercial impact of higher-scoring creatives. OOH ads achieving over 3.0 Stars are twice as likely to drive consumer action and three times more effective at boosting brand sentiment compared to lower-scoring counterparts. Ads failing to evoke strong emotions are less memorable and have reduced positive commercial impact.
System1’s platform also evaluates ads on short-term sales potential and “Fast Fluency” – the speed at which audiences recognise the brand. Given the average viewer attention span for outdoor commercials is just two seconds, Fast Fluency is critical. Research indicates well-branded OOH ads are over 50% more likely to be recalled, making them potent drivers of long-term brand building and sales growth.
Commenting on the findings and the current OOH landscape, Andrew Tindall, SVP Partnerships at System1, stated: “Outdoor is having a moment. Les Binet recently revealed it’s now outperforming TV for reach, yet many brands still treat it as an afterthought. We partnered with JCDecaux UK to challenge that mindset. Because reach means nothing if people don’t feel something or remember who the ad was for. Our new research, Double Take, led by Beth Marchant at System1 in collaboration with JCDecaux, is packed with evidence on what truly works in outdoor. It’s the kind of insight that will make you completely rethink your creative approach.”
For more information, visit system1group.com
