System1 and JCDecaux UK’s OOH Of the Month
OOH OF THE MONTH May 2025
Each month in this feature we’ve been spotlighting individual Out Of Home ads which have the “OOH factor”. They stand out on one or other of System1’s Test Your Ad Out Of Home metrics and carry creative lessons for other brands wanting to make excellent poster or digital billboard ads.
But it’s also worth taking a step back and looking at the big picture of Out Of Home effectiveness. That’s what System1 and JCDecaux are presenting at Cannes this year, with new research bringing together testing of over 100 global out-of-home campaigns. It’s a study that puts some hard commercial foundations under the best practice for out of home work, showing that emotionally engaging and clearly branded Out Of Home ads don’t just stand out. They also deliver twice the commercial benefit of average work.
This month we’re looking at four ads, all of which deliver on emotional engagement, exceptional branding, or both.
First up we have a UK ad for the World Wildlife Fund, part of its “Prescription For Nature” campaign. The campaign finds a clever way to show the mental health benefits of getting out and about and seeing the natural world, with a doctor’s prescription recommending “Twenty minutes to be taken EVERY day” and a picture of some baby ducklings.
This is the highest scoring emotional ad this month, with a 4-Star Rating on Test Your Ad predicting strong potential for long-term brand growth. Analysis of viewer comments shows it’s a combination of the extremely cute ducks and the overall concept of nature being good for one’s health that’s driving this positive response. The ad is clearly branded and keeps things simple, with a search suggestion as the call to action rather than a direct ask for money.
Our second ad for Flora in the UK goes more directly for brand recognition, with a humorous approach that gets attention but divides viewer opinion. The ad stars Gordon Ramsey, holding up a delicious looking chocolate cake which he’s made using Flora margarine as a butter substitute. “Skip the cow” is the slogan. Flora is a classic brand but the ad is doing a good job bringing its reputation and marketing up to date, showing off its new niche in a world where dairy-free and vegan cookery is more popular.
Emotionally the ad lands a little above the UK average, with a 2.7-Star Rating, and the main sticking point being viewers’ divided opinions on Gordon Ramsey himself! It’s a risk of using such a well-known celebrity in your Out Of Home ad, but it does attract attention, and the ad gets a strong Brand Fluency rating. Ramsey gets people to notice the ad, but doesn’t distract from the brand, and only 8% of viewers failed to identify it as a Flora ad.
Moving to Brazil we’ve an ad for Heinz tomato ketchup aimed squarely at a young audience, with an image and slogan which makes a play on the idea of “drip” as fashion sense and also as literal drips from a ketchup sachet. A man’s face with a gold tooth is tearing open a Heinz packet with his teeth – “You on drip without losing the sauce” is how the slogan translates: no stray ketchup spills are going to dent your cool.
Some of the audience love the idea; some don’t get it or don’t like the man’s grill. But almost all of them recognize the brand. This is another ad where the Fluency of branding is very strong and is helping the ad stand out for a universal audience even if the actual target is narrow.
Finally IKEA in Germany provide a poster which manages exceptional Fluency and a strong emotional connection. The advert shows a happy toddler using an IKEA sofa for support as he makes his first steps, grinning with excitement. “Supporting first steps” is the slogan.
IKEA’s ad gets a good 3.3-Star Rating and an exceptional 98% Brand Fluency score. Of all the ads we saw this month it’s the one which balances engagement and branding the most successfully. As well as the very clear, human emotion of the child learning to walk, IKEA have been clever in not simply advertising their sofa, but also placing some of the toys they sell around the room, like a large octopus. It makes the picture feel less like an ad and more like a candid family scene.
Each of these ads finds different ways to the OOH Factor and reminds us that even if your out of home ad doesn’t strike a universal emotional chord you can still do extremely well on branding. For the wider picture of how Out Of Home advertising works best and what creative elements are most successful, check out System1’s existing work with JCDecaux and reserve a copy of the new Cannes research as soon as it’s available.
Credits
WWF
Uncommon
Flora
Pablo
Heinz
IKEA
Ingo The Agency
- Advertisement -
