Research from Vistar Media, Omnicom Media’s Annalect division, and T-Mobile Advertising Solutions reveals that the positioning and styling of store locators in digital out-of-home advertisements significantly alter consumer actions. The findings stem from a forced-exposure experiment involving 7,200 Dutch participants aged 18 to 59, which tracked how locator placement influenced both store visits and purchase intent across three sectors: retail, quick-service restaurants, and consumer packaged goods.
The study contrasted ads featuring no locator with those displaying locators in the top, middle, or bottom positions. Middle placement proved least effective, as it clashed with primary headlines and visuals. For consumer packaged goods, top placement increased purchase intent by 20% compared to ads without locators. In retail and restaurant campaigns, bottom placement generated the highest visit intent, delivering a 9% lift over the control group.
Effects were strongest for impulse-purchase items such as candy and chocolate, where purchase intent rose by over 110%. Visual elements also mattered: using a recognizable map-pin icon boosted visit intent by 16%, while high-contrast designs added an additional 10% depending on the category. These adjustments, though subtle, demonstrated clear potential to reshape audience engagement with digital outdoor ads.
Yet including third-party branding, such as a supermarket chain or dealership, in the locator may reduce the advertiser’s prominence. This risk could diminish brand visibility, especially for emerging brands vying for attention. The balance between utility and brand focus therefore remains critical in locator design.
Most industry discussions about digital out-of-home advertising have emphasized audience targeting and location precision. This study instead highlights creative execution, proving that even minor formatting choices, like locator placement, can directly alter stated consumer behavior. The results reinforce broader trends in programmatic outdoor advertising, where creative precision increasingly drives measurable performance.
Vistar Media, a division of T-Mobile Advertising Solutions, operates in over 35 markets. The research was developed in collaboration with Omnicom Media’s analytics team and published alongside a detailed breakdown of the findings. Martine Hammink, the company’s vice president of Creative Studio & Creative Solutions, observed that seemingly minor creative decisions, such as where to place a locator, yield demonstrably significant impacts on audience reactions. The study provides brands with data-driven recommendations for optimizing their outdoor advertising strategies.
