Insights into a Dynamic Media Landscape
We gather the latest in OOH, DOOH, and prDOOH, from new formats and campaign ideas to trends, measurements, and industry events. Using cities as a platform, we share perspectives and knowledge that help you create communication that stands out, gets noticed, and truly makes a difference.
Welcome to our hub for news, insights, and events. Here, we share current observations, analyses, and inspiration from our network in Sweden and around the world. Whether you work in strategy, creativity, or media buying, you’ll find content that offers new perspectives and ideas.
Maximizing Picadeli’s Visibility during the Stockholm Marathon with Programmatic DOOH
Combining one of Sweden’s largest sporting events with data-driven technology has unlocked new possibilities. Together with Picadeli and the media agency Scream Gothenburg, we embraced programmatic out-of-home (prDOOH) advertising to its full potential, and the results exceeded all expectations.
The Stockholm Marathon brings together thousands of runners and a massive audience along the city streets. For Picadeli, the challenge was how to best capitalize on this celebration to maximize brand visibility and reach their target audience right at the heart of the action.
A Strategic Approach to a Mobile Audience
To meet this challenge, we implemented a programmatic digital out-of-home (prDOOH) campaign. We strategically selected premium screens along the entire marathon route, providing Picadeli with a presence as dynamic as the race itself—before, during, and after the runners passed by.
By leveraging this technology, we ensured that Picadeli’s messaging was displayed at precisely the right moment, optimized for the specific audiences gathered along the route.
Real-Time Data-Driven Measurement
Historically, one of the greatest challenges in out-of-home advertising has been quantifying the value of “live surges”—the influx of additional audience members during major events. To address this, we utilized VantageOOH, founded by Sebastian Larsson, to measure the actual impact in real time.
The results provided clear, empirical evidence:
“The outdoor currency is based on historical audience data, which makes it possible to use programmatic DOOH to identify occasions and locations with significantly more impressions than the currency indicates. This can be leveraged by advertisers to achieve a higher effective reach in their campaigns. The results of the case show very positive outcomes and serve as a great example of when programmatic DOOH is used in the right way,” says Örs Ovegård Szasz, Head of Programmatic at JCDecaux Sweden.
The Future of DOOH is Programmatic This case study demonstrates the power of combining strategic placement with real-time data. By proving the value of mobile audience flows during a live event like the Stockholm Marathon, we have taken a significant step forward in how we approach efficiency and ROI in out-of-home advertising.
We are proud that this collaboration is now highlighted as a best-practice example in VIOOH’s global case study library. Read the full case study here: https://blog.viooh.com/case-study/picadeli
Do you want to learn more about how we can help your brand appear in the right place at the right time? Please contact us at [email protected].
An extensive project to modernize information and commercial displays at several of Stockholm’s busiest subway and commuter rail stations has commenced. This initiative is part of a long-term upgrade of public transport infrastructure and will be carried out in stages through the autumn.
The project involves replacing older, analog surfaces with new digital technology in partnership with JCDecaux, enabling faster and more flexible communication. These new displays will generate significant annual revenue for SL, contributing to the funding of the public transport system. Furthermore, the digital infrastructure provides SL with greater flexibility to quickly reach passengers with traffic information during disruptions or other vital public announcements.
“For us, this is about developing a functional and flexible infrastructure for public transport, where different needs must interact over time. These spaces are fundamentally commercial, but they are also a crucial part of how we communicate with passengers when it is needed most, such as during traffic disturbances or other events. At the same time, this investment generates significantly higher revenue for SL than it does today—approximately 600 million SEK per year. It is a vital component in developing and financing public transport in Stockholm,” says Suss Forssman Thullberg, Head of Communications at the Traffic Administration (Trafikförvaltningen).
Installations will be carried out at night, one station at a time, to ensure minimal impact on passengers and to maintain a safe work environment. In total, the modernization covers 12 subway stations and two commuter rail stations, where existing analog surfaces are being replaced by a significantly smaller number of larger, digital formats.
“We are making extensive investments in the subway environment that will enhance the visual appeal and bring Stockholm’s transit environment into the present. By transitioning from many smaller analog surfaces to fewer, more advanced digital formats, we are creating both better experiences and higher quality in our communication,” says Magnus Heljeberg, CEO of JCDecaux Sweden.
As part of the modernization, JCDecaux is collaborating with Kulturhuset Stadsteatern to use the new digital displays for cultural content throughout the summer. The initiative allows Kulturhuset Stadsteatern to reach a broad audience with information about their activities and performances at no cost, with the goal of engaging more Stockholmers and commuters in their daily lives.
“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to showcase the fantastic work of Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm’s subway stations, and we hope that even more people will be inspired to experience our cultural offerings,” says Malin Dahlberg, CEO of Kulturhuset Stadsteatern.
The rollout is taking place incrementally, one station at a time, and is expected to be completed by late summer.
Facts
600 analog units on track walls are being dismantled. The total number of surfaces will be greatly reduced and replaced by approximately 75 digital screens.
The current 1,200 escalator signs will be replaced by half that number of digital screens.
The new digital surfaces are expected to generate 600 MSEK in annual revenue for SL, tripling current advertising revenue.
Stations undergoing modernization: T-Centralen (subway + City Line), Slussen, Medborgarplatsen, Skanstull, Gamla Stan, Gullmarsplan, Hötorget, Östermalmstorg, Rådmansgatan, S:t Eriksplan, Fridhemsplan, and Odenplan (subway + City Line).
About SL
Every day, nearly 800,000 passengers travel with SL. SL holds the overall responsibility for ensuring that all residents and visitors in Stockholm County have access to a well-developed, accessible, and reliable public transport system. SL operates buses, subways, commuter trains, local rail lines, and commuter ferries throughout the region. We keep the Stockholm region moving, 24 hours a day.
About JCDecaux
JCDecaux Sweden is part of the global JCDecaux Group and offers a network of outdoor advertising surfaces in the country’s largest cities. JCDecaux is a world leader in the design, installation, and maintenance of street furniture and partners with cities worldwide to improve the public environment. Through an innovative business model, JCDecaux provides essential infrastructure, such as bus shelters, smart city information panels, and automated public toilets. With a focus on aesthetics, sustainability, safety, and digital innovation, JCDecaux contributes to the vibrant and accessible urban environments of the future.
About Kulturhuset Stadsteatern
Kulturhuset Stadsteatern is for every Stockholmer, founded on the principles of freedom of speech and artistic freedom. Kulturhuset Stadsteatern is located at Sergels torg, in Skärholmen, Vällingby, and Husby, and during the summer months, it reaches all of Stockholm through Parkteatern. Throughout the year, it offers a wide range of performances, concerts, exhibitions, discussions, and creative workshops, as well as four unique libraries for all ages. With 2.5 million annual visitors, Kulturhuset Stadsteatern is one of Sweden’s most visited cultural institutions.
When is it worth going beyond standard OOH formats?
Out-of-home (OOH) advertising, both traditional and digital (DOOH), is typically built on standardized formats and sites. This provides predictable reach, clear pricing, and straightforward planning. However, when is it justified to step away from the standard and work with Innovate and special builds? The answer depends on the campaign’s role in the media mix, the complexity or novelty of the communication, and the type of outdoor environment you wish to leverage.
Multiple analyses indicate that creativity and standout solutions act as a multiplier for OOH effectiveness. EMC Outdoor refers to a five-year study from industry colleagues at Clear Channel Outdoor and Kantar, which shows that OOH can, on average, deliver 13.3% higher “ad awareness” compared to other channels when the creative execution fully utilizes the medium’s potential.
Source: EMC Outdoor, “Creative Effectiveness in OOH: The ROI Multiplier for Success.”
In collaboration with JCDecaux, Mi3 describes how creative quality in OOH is a decisive factor for business impact, and how a framework based on System1 methodology links strong creativity to improved campaign outcomes.
Creative activations—so-called “Innovates” and “Special Builds”—are primarily used when OOH needs to do more than simply add reach. Here, the goal is to find a solution where the location and the physical construction itself deepen the idea. This can include three-dimensional installations, modified bus shelters, or expanded and customized standalone units. In some cases, a holistic approach is taken through a takeover, such as a Station Domination, where an entire location or series of sites is transformed into a cohesive experience. Read more about our Innovate solutions [here].
Industry and campaign reviews from oOh!media repeatedly highlight how special builds, DOOH 3D activations, and large-scale creative interventions contribute to higher brand fame and social amplification, especially when physical installations are combined with digital screens and online activations.
Source: oOh!media, “2024’s Most Unmissable Out of Home Creative Campaigns.”
Major media agencies also emphasize that creative and visually powerful OOH is essential for cutting through in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. One Day Agency, for instance, points out that campaigns with a strong creative idea and visual impact are particularly effective at capturing attention and building memory.
Source: One Day Agency, “Our examples of effective OOH advertising.”
The IAB has compiled several DOOH and OOH cases demonstrating how exposure in outdoor environments can drive tangible effects, such as increased foot traffic—effects that are often amplified when the site itself is eye-catching or integrated into its environment.
Placement becomes extra critical when moving beyond traditional standard formats. Traffic flows and location dictate not only how many people are exposed, but also how long they remain near the campaign. Multiple DOOH strategy guides emphasize that sites where people move more slowly or wait—such as transit hubs, central squares, or major transfer points—provide longer exposure times and better conditions for absorbing both the campaign’s core idea and specific advertiser details.
Source: Placebased, “Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) Advertising Guide: Strategy, Statistics & Best Practices.”
An example of this is a Stockholm activation where a bus shelter was transformed into a bar. The shelter itself was rebuilt with a bar counter and atmosphere, while the digital Digisize surface displayed a video of a bartender mixing drinks. For passersby, it appeared as though the bartender was actually inside the shelter, interacting with the environment. Here, the combination of a physical special build and a digital screen became the core of the idea, creating both high attention and strong brand recall.
Internationally, there are many similar examples where bus shelters and street sites are converted into experiences. Pepsi, for example, conducted a well-known bus shelter activation in London where a digital screen was used to create an “augmented reality” experience directly within the shelter, leading to extensive social sharing and PR value. Read more via [Grand Visual].
Innovate solutions are particularly well-suited for major product launches or when a brand requires a clear physical manifestation. Media and specialist agencies often argue that high-impact (D)OOH formats are most justified when the goal is to build brand fame, spark conversation, and drive extra attention around a new product, repositioning, or major campaign.
To determine if an Innovate activation is justified, you must weigh the cost and complexity against the role (D)OOH plays in your overall media mix. When a campaign aims to achieve more than mere visibility, and there is a clear idea that truly leverages the site, stepping beyond standard formats becomes a natural choice. In other cases, well-planned standard sites and networks go a long way—a sentiment echoed in various industry reviews, where standardized OOH solutions are described as the “backbone,” while special builds act as “amplifiers” when objectives are set higher.
3P data, or third‑party data, comes from external sources and is typically aggregated and anonymised. It is used to strengthen and broaden your own view of the target audience. In an OOH/DOOH context, this often includes geodemographic data, interest profiles, purchasing power, traffic flows, and mobile movement data showing how different groups move across times of day and days of the week.
In out‑of‑home media, this type of data takes on particular significance. OOH and DOOH are physical assets in fixed locations, at transport hubs, stores, workplaces, commuter routes and everyday environments. Third‑party data makes it possible to understand which people actually move through these places, when they do so and for what purpose. This allows you to link campaign planning to concrete flows in the city, rather than relying solely on high‑level demographics or generic assumptions.
As cookie‑based targeting in digital media becomes more constrained, location‑based 3P data becomes especially important. It enables you to build reach and frequency against relevant audiences via physical inventory, without depending on cookies, logins or personally identifiable data. In the out‑of‑home channel, this means you can target, for example, “young urban families”, “premium shoppers” or “daily commuters” based on their actual movement patterns and everyday environments, not just their online behaviour.
In the media mix, 3P data is primarily used to scale up. You start from your 1P insights and then use third‑party data to find lookalike groups in the urban environment, prioritise the right areas and optimise (D)OOH investments towards actual presence in everyday life. For OOH, this means you can select the right locations: where similar audiences live, work, shop and pass by. For DOOH, it means you can manage messaging more dynamically, activating specific screens, time windows and locations where third‑party data shows that your most valuable audiences are present. In this way, out‑of‑home becomes a scalable, data‑driven component of the customer journey that both builds reach and amplifies the segments you already work with in other channels.
Backlit out‑of‑home isn’t just a technical format, it’s one of the most effective ways to secure visibility around the clock. The combination of light and print makes the message stand out even as ambient light shifts from morning to night. To get the full effect, it’s not enough to book the right site; you also need to think about artwork, materials and seasonality.
Why backlit formats are so widely used
In shelters, bus stops and other street furniture, the poster typically sits in a backlit cassette, mounted behind glass and lit from within. Major OOH operators and industry guides highlight these illuminated formats as particularly strong for consistent visibility, because the internal light source stabilises contrast and colour when surrounding light conditions change.
That makes the artwork critical. Images that are too dark can feel heavy in daylight, while visuals that are too light may look washed out when the light is switched on. This is why dedicated colour profiles for backlit printing with higher colour saturation and careful control of black, are recommended in international print and OOH guidelines.
Materials designed for light
Backlit posters are usually printed on transparent or semi‑transparent films that allow light to pass evenly across the surface. This reduces patchiness and keeps text and logos readable at distance – a recurring theme in technical specifications for backlit film in large‑format printing.
In networks where the same campaign runs on both backlit and non‑illuminated sites, you may need two optimised versions of the same creative: one for illuminated units and one for standard paper panels. That helps ensure a consistent visual experience across environments.
Season and light conditions
Seasonality has a clear impact. In autumn and winter, when darkness falls early, backlit sites in shelters, city information panels and standalone cassettes gain a distinct advantage. Industry recommendations often call for greater use of illuminated formats during these periods, precisely because contrast against the surroundings is so strong.
In summer, with longer days and stronger daylight, clear imagery and simple readability become more important than sheer brightness. OOH best‑practice guides emphasise strong contrast, limited colour palettes and clean typefaces for good legibility in sun‑exposed locations.
Where the format adds most value
Backlit units perform best where people move slowly or wait – at public transport hubs, key pedestrian routes and entrances. International city‑DOOH studies underline dwell time as a key factor: the longer people stay, the more they absorb the message.
In some areas, static backlit sites are combined with DOOH screens. In these cases, illuminated static posters provide continuity and brand presence, while DOOH adds movement and time‑specific messaging, a layered solution often described as best practice in white papers on integrated OOH/DOOH campaigns.
Creative uses of light
Creative OOH solutions, such as JCDecaux’s Innovate formats, can leverage backlighting in more advanced ways: light frames, transparent layers and 3D elements that add depth and impact. International “special build” case studies show how the interplay of form, material and light can create memorable installations in the streetscape.
In such projects, print quality and material choice become even more important, because the light interacts with multiple layers rather than a single flat surface.
Strategic implications for media planning
For media planners, backlit out‑of‑home is therefore not just a technical variation but a strategic variable. When planning campaigns across seasons and environments, you need to factor in light conditions, traffic flows and dwell time, and how illuminated formats work together with other OOH and DOOH in the area.
Used well, backlit OOH delivers stable, robust visibility that strengthens the overall campaign and complements both classic static OOH and digital screens in the media mix.
Search, social and out‑of‑home (D)OOH) play different roles in a campaign but deliver their best results when they are planned together. Search captures active demand, social builds relationships and dialogue, while out‑of‑home creates broad, physical presence that makes the brand easier to choose when a need arises. The question is not which channel is “best”, but what role each channel should play in the overall mix.
Search is ideal when demand already exists or can be triggered quickly – situations where people are actively looking for a solution, a brand or a category. Here, intent is both clear and measurable: you can see exactly which keywords people use, what they click on and what they do after the click, which makes search particularly effective at the point where someone is close to purchase or wants to dive deeper into a specific offer.
Social is powerful when you want to drive engagement, storytelling and audience segmentation over time. The channel is well suited for building relationships and emotions around the brand, testing messages with different target groups and receiving direct feedback through comments, shares and reactions. It therefore works best when the goal is to maintain an ongoing dialogue rather than simply trigger isolated clicks.
Out‑of‑home (D)OOH acts as a visually consistent backdrop in people’s everyday environments – something they pass day after day on their way to work, home, school and leisure activities. Through out‑of‑home networks, where different formats such as Metro, shelters, bus stops, street furniture and standalone advertising panels are bought in curated packages, your brand is established in public space, independent of platforms and algorithms. Studies from IPA and JCDecaux show that campaigns including OOH not only reach more broadly, but also generate clear uplifts in digital response, such as increased search volume and higher overall campaign effectiveness when OOH is combined with social media. Nielsen data (reported by MarketingCharts) further indicates that almost half of those who see (D)OOH go on to conduct an online search for the brand, and around four in ten continue to social media, illustrating how (D)OOH primes both search and social.
When planning combinations in the media mix, you should start from the customer journey. (D)OOH can build early‑stage recognition and mental availability. Social amplifies the story and provides room to explain and elaborate. Search captures those who are ready to act. In practice, we often see that search volume and click‑through rates increase in areas where (D)OOH is active, demonstrating how the channel “primes” the others: it makes the brand more familiar, so people more frequently search for it and click through in social and search. Various effectiveness studies (reported by marketingiib.com) show that out‑of‑home often lifts brand‑related searches by approximately 10 to 50 per cent, consistent with the view that (D)OOH primes digital channels rather than replaces them. Nielsen‑based analyses (reported by verticalimpression.com) show that campaigns including (D)OOH can, on average, increase performance in other digital channels, with up to around 80 per cent higher ROI in search, 56 per cent in paid social and just over 30 per cent in online advertising overall.
With DOOH and prDOOH (programmatic Digital Out‑of‑Home, i.e. programmatic buying of digital outdoor screens) you can also time‑optimise messages in the same environments. Through data‑driven DOOH, it is possible to synchronise screen messaging with tactical activity in digital channels, for example by increasing out‑of‑home presence in specific locations just before a time‑limited online campaign. (D)OOH placements around stores or priority zones can therefore be effectively combined with locally tailored social ads and bid adjustments in search.
Creative (D)OOH activations – which we at JCDecaux refer to as “Innovate” – can serve as the hub of the campaign. A 3D outdoor execution or a local takeover campaign becomes something people talk about in social media and can drive searches for the brand or offer. At the same time, standardised formats and networks such as Eurosize National or Digisize Commute 500 maintain reach consistently in the background.
When you combine multiple channels in the media mix, each element is allowed to do what it does best, which both increases total impact and reduces the risk of the campaign becoming dependent on a single channel. In summary, search, social and (D)OOH should increasingly be viewed as complementary in the mix. (D)OOH secures breadth and physical presence, social deepens and differentiates, and search converts purchase intent into action. When roles are clearly defined and media budgets are allocated according to these functions, it becomes easier to choose the right formats for reach and effectiveness instead of letting individual channel KPIs dictate the overall strategy.
Maximizing Summer Impact: Why Summer Campaigns Are Among the Year’s Smartest Investments
Summer is sometimes incorrectly perceived as a period of lower market activity. However, data from Tillväxtverket (the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth), Outdoor Impact, and NEPA proves the exact opposite: summer is one of the most strategically advantageous periods for brands looking to build visibility where people move the most. A combination of record-high tourism, sustained strong reach, and highly favorable pricing creates unique conditions for a high ROI.
Many marketers traditionally scale back their investments during the summer months, believing that the target audience becomes difficult to reach. But the numbers speak for themselves: summer is not a period of inactivity, it is a period of intense movement and high purchasing power.
1. Record-Breaking Tourism and Exploding Consumption
According to official accommodation statistics from Tillväxtverket, tourism in Sweden has not only recovered post-pandemic but has surpassed previous record levels. The sharpest increase is seen precisely during the summer months.
Guest Nights: During the summer of 2025, the number of guest nights in commercial accommodations increased by over one million compared to the summer of 2024. International tourists are driving this growth in particular (+8.8%, totaling 9.4 million guest nights during the summer).
Top Destinations: Stockholm and Gothenburg account for nearly half of all guest nights in Sweden. During the summer months, Gothenburg is the largest destination with 5.5 million guest nights, followed by Stockholm at 5.2 million.
Purchasing Power: Tourism consumption reached new record levels in 2025. Approximately 40% of total tourist expenditure (approx. SEK 1.9 billion out of a total SEK 5.4 billion) goes directly to purchases of retail goods such as clothing, footwear, groceries, and fuel.
For advertisers, this translates into a massive audience of high-spending consumers who are on the move and open to new purchasing opportunities.
2. NEPA Metrics: Equally Strong Impact During the Summer
Source: JCDecaux, NEPA surveys 2019–2026, 1,136 campaigns
Our comprehensive database of NEPA measurements (based on 1,136 campaigns between 2019 and 2026) shatters the myth that advertising is less effective during the summer. Campaigns deliver an equally strong—and in some cases, stronger—impact during the months of June through August compared to the rest of the year.
Sustained Reach and Appreciation: Core KPIs such as Observation (41%), Relevance (65%), and Liking (56%) remain at the exact same stable levels as the full-year average.
Increased Awareness: Certain metrics even trend upward during the summer. Awareness increases from 70% to 72%, and Consideration rises from 55% to 57%.
Driving Action: Action-oriented KPIs such as Purchase Intent (43%), Likelihood to Try (48%), and Recommendation (43%) remain highly robust. Summer campaigns drive interest and action to the exact same extent as usual.
Conclusion: Messages successfully break through and are well-received, even when people are more mobile and have altered travel habits. Summer campaigns drive both interest and action just as effectively as the rest of the year.
3. Strong Summer Reach (VAC)
Our VAC data (Outdoor Impact R17) shows that reach is maintained at impressively high levels, even during the peak summer weeks (weeks 27–32):
Source: Outdoor Impact R17
Metro Digisize: Shows a natural decrease of 21% as commuting declines, yet still delivers a powerful reach of over 6.2 million VAC per week.
Digisize National & Bus Shelter: Displays minimal changes, with only 11% and 9% lower VAC respectively compared to the reference week.
This proves that when commuting patterns shift to summer activities, campaigns still find their target audience and achieve broad reach in the urban environment.
4. The Best Pricing of the Year – Lower CPM and Deep Discounts
What makes the summer season an exceptionally strategic win for marketers is the price tag. While reach remains stable, JCDecaux’s summer offers kick in, making the effective cost per mille (CPM) extremely advantageous.
Through our summer discounts, CPM levels drop dramatically compared to the autumn and winter seasons (weeks 33–53):
Source: JCDecaux Pricing Data / Outdoor Impact R17
Capture the Momentum: Flexibility with Programmatic DOOH
Summer in Sweden is packed with hundreds of public events, festivals, and concerts that draw massive crowds to the cities.
With Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising, you can achieve broad reach with relatively modest budgets. Furthermore, by utilizing programmatic solutions, you gain the flexibility to optimize your messaging for the right location at the exact right time—for instance, in direct proximity to the summer’s largest public events.
Want to learn more about how to capitalize on the best prices of the summer and reach millions of relaxed, buying-ready consumers? Contact your sales representative today!
This morning, in collaboration with Sveriges Annonsörer (Brand Marketing Sweden), we hosted a breakfast event filled with actionable strategies, compelling case studies, and inspiration.
Dr. Niklas Bondesson (Advisor and Partner at NoA Consulting and Researcher at Stockholm University) shared the research behind why a strategic “no” to the wrong things creates the space to say a powerful “yes” to communication that actually drives results.
– “The recipe for success in maximizing impact today is all about having the courage to say no. No to too many channels, campaigns, and assets. This frees up resources for what truly works – the well-thought-out, well-produced, and creative,” says Niklas Bondesson.
Alexei Grinevski (Senior Media Strategy & Execution Lead at TUI) took us behind the scenes of TUI’s marketing strategy. He demonstrated how they build a robust media mix, using Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising as a core pillar to secure both broad reach and a strong visual presence.
-“It was a pleasure to participate in JCDecaux’s creative breakfast and offer an insight into the travel industry’s communication challenges, and how we at TUI work to solve them using D/OOH. Out-of-home media is an incredibly important communication channel for us, and it’s truly exciting to see how it constantly evolves and offers advertisers ever-greater opportunities,” says Alexei Grinevski.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us to start their morning, and an extra warm thank you to our fantastic speakers, Niklas Bondesson and Alexei Grinevski, for sharing their expertise!
Summer mingling at its best!
Thank you to all our fantastic clients who celebrated the start of summer with us at our after-work event. Check out the photos below to see some of the highlights from the evening.
The takeover marks the start of JCDecaux’s implementation of its new strategy for Stockholm’s public transport system.
“It is a historic moment for JCDecaux Sweden as we now enter the metro to elevate the media experience in public transport. We are fully committed to creating maximum value for the market. The modernisation of the advertising assets is now beginning, station by station,” says Magnus Heljeberg, CEO of JCDecaux Sweden.
Construction of the new advertising formats, which will be unique in Europe, begins this week. The work will progress step by step during the spring and summer to create a more modern and effective advertising and information environment for both passengers and advertisers.
Facts: JCDecaux takeover
– Current scope: JCDecaux has assumed responsibility for all advertising space at 14 top-performing stations in Stockholm.
– Reach: These stations account for approximately 92% of total passenger flow in the metro.
– Investment: A total investment of SEK 150 million in the new infrastructure.
Priming is one of the most significant—yet least visible—mechanisms explaining why OOH and DOOH often generate greater impact than “last-click” models reveal. When people first encounter a message in the public sphere, their brains are “pre-set” to notice it when that same message reappears on their mobile, in social media, or on a website. The effect is manifested as improved performance in other channels, not necessarily as a direct line item in the OOH report.
JCDecaux, in several projects with Lumen Research, has demonstrated how this priming effect works in practice and why it is becoming increasingly vital in a cookieless future.
What is priming in a marketing context?
In psychology, priming describes how an earlier exposure influences how we interpret and react to later stimuli, often without us being conscious of it. In marketing, this means:
An initial contact with a brand (e.g., an OOH exposure) makes the brain faster and more inclined to notice, recognize, and react to the same brand later.
The effect is not just about “liking” but primarily about mental availability—the brand feels familiar and is easier to choose when the need arises.
When this first contact occurs through out-of-home advertising situated in people’s natural, everyday environment, it creates a visual memory that other channels can build upon.
JCDecaux x Lumen: Proof that OOH primes digital channels
JCDecaux UK commissioned Lumen Research to conduct an attention study titled “Primed and ready for the cookieless future” to test a clear hypothesis: if you expose people to a message on digital out-of-home (DOOH) first, does it increase their attention to the same message online? The study shows:
Exposure in DOOH increased the likelihood of noticing subsequent digital ads with the same creative execution.
The combination of OOH/DOOH and digital advertising can create an amplifying effect, where “2+2 equals 5,” compared to showing the same digital ads without visual priming. This is a concept further detailed by Mike Follett, MD of Lumen Research, for The Media Leader.
The effect stems from visual recognition, not individual-based tracking. This makes priming a powerful tool in a world where third-party cookies are becoming less reliable due to browser blocking, stricter privacy legislation, and shifts like Google’s Privacy Sandbox.
The priming chain: From street to screen
A simplified journey looks like this:
First contact – Public screen: A consumer passes a DOOH screen in a transit hub and sees a brand campaign, clearly branded with a logo, color palette, and key message. The motif is registered both consciously and unconsciously.
Second contact – Private screen: Later that day, the person scrolls through social media or reads news online. When a banner or social ad with the same visual identity appears, it feels more relevant and is easier to notice. The Lumen study shows that this prior DOOH exposure increases the actual attention time spent on the digital ad.
Third contact – Search or retail: When the need arises and the consumer searches for the product, clicks an offer, or stands in front of the shelf, the brand is “top of mind.” This increases the likelihood that that specific brand is chosen.
Priming in a world without third-party cookies
As browsers like Safari and Firefox have long blocked third-party cookies by default, and Google moves toward more privacy-centric solutions in Chrome, the logic that long dominated digital advertising—”follow the person”—is becoming more expensive and less reliable. JCDecaux and Lumen suggest an alternative logic: follow the attention, not the individual.
OOH/DOOH creates broad reach and strong visual memory without using personal data. When the same creative is mirrored in digital channels, it captures attention because it feels familiar, not because the recipient is technically tracked.
What does the priming effect mean for ROI, ROAS, and ROMI?
Because the priming effect is largely realized in other channels, OOH risks being undervalued if one only looks at its own click data. With proper analysis, however, the connections are clear:
ROI (Return on Investment): When OOH/DOOH is in the mix, total campaign ROI often improves because more digital contacts become effective.
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): Priming can cause search and social campaigns to achieve higher ROAS in areas or periods where the OOH campaign is active compared to areas without OOH support. In practice, part of “digital ROAS” is actually a result of visual priming from OOH/DOOH.
ROMI (Return on Marketing Investment): When viewing marketing as a whole (brand + performance), OOH/DOOH becomes a central investment to raise the total ROMI.
How to use the priming effect in planning and measurement
Plan OOH/DOOH as the first contact: Define the role of OOH/DOOH as the “priming engine” in your strategy, aiming to create mental availability and a visual memory before a digital activation. Ensure creative consistency (logos, colors, key visuals).
Sync public and private screens: Run DOOH and digital campaigns in parallel rather than in sequence to amplify the priming effect between public and private screens. Use DOOH networks near key purchase situations (e.g., commute routes, retail hubs) and follow up with mobile and desktop in the same geographies.
Measure beyond the last click: Compare ROAS in digital channels in areas with and without OOH presence. Conduct A/B or geo-split studies to isolate the extra effect contributed by OOH priming. Integrate OOH/DOOH exposure into Marketing Mix Models (MMM) to capture both attention and sales impact.
Conclusion: OOH and DOOH should rarely be judged in isolation. A smart (D)OOH strategy is one of the most effective ways to make other channels perform better. When planning your next campaign, ask yourself: How can we use OOH/DOOH to prime the audience so that every subsequent digital contact is worth more? This is where the true power of out-of-home advertising lies.
How Outdoor Impact 2.0 Works
Measuring out-of-home advertising is fundamentally about moving beyond counting how many people pass by, to understanding how many actual contacts the advertising creates. Outdoor Impact 2.0 is the industry’s unified model for measuring OOH in Sweden. It allows us to calculate reach, frequency, and GRP for out-of-home advertising in a way that is comparable to other media.
Everything begins with traffic measurement. We start with traffic flows and record how many people pass a site during a specific period. These flows indicate potential, but they do not represent actual contacts. The next step is to calculate Opportunity To See (OTS), which describes the theoretical number of exposure opportunities. From there, we move toward Opportunity To Contact (OTC), taking into account how many people are actually in a position to perceive the advertisement.
The key to Outdoor Impact 2.0 is Visibility Adjustment (VA). Here, the raw traffic figures are adjusted: distance, angle, size, height, and surrounding visual noise are all factored in to determine the probability that someone will actually notice the site. The result is Visibility Adjusted Contacts (VAC). This is the model’s central contact metric and the foundation for calculating reach in (D)OOH.
Once VAC is calculated, the model can determine both gross reach and net reach—the total number of contacts created by the campaign and the number of unique individuals reached. We derive frequency by setting gross reach in relation to net reach, and GRP indicates the campaign pressure within the target audience. Additionally, we use Coverage Rate to describe what proportion of the target audience the campaign reaches for a given investment.
Outdoor Impact 2.0 is based on updated traffic data, higher geographic resolution, and shared standards for how out-of-home advertising is measured. The model is adapted for both traditional OOH and DOOH and handles everything from individual premium locations to large, broad networks. For those planning their media mix, this means that out-of-home advertising can be weighed against other channels using the same types of KPIs: reach, frequency, and GRP. Outdoor Impact’s documentation provides a concrete example where a weekly flow of approximately 170,000 passersby is reduced to around 88,000 OTS contacts, and then further down to VAC when visibility and speed are factored in. This clearly demonstrates how the model proceeds step-by-step from raw traffic flows to more realistic contact metrics. Source: Outdoor Impact.
In summary, Outdoor Impact 2.0 provides a shared, data-driven language for measuring out-of-home advertising. We move from traffic flows to VA-adjusted contacts, gaining a stable foundation to plan, compare, and optimize (D)OOH investments in a structured and transparent manner.
