Outdoor advertising company, VAST Billboards, has launched new research revealing that nearly three in four regional New Zealanders take action after seeing a digital billboard advertisement.
The finding comes from VAST’s new Regional Voice study ‘Beyond the Big Three’, an independent survey of 467 respondents across 12 regional towns.
The study also found that four in five respondents, 79 per cent, pass a digital billboard daily or several times a week. A further 62 per cent say they went on to look up the brand online after seeing a digital
billboard.
Gary Rosewarne, head of growth strategy at VAST Billboards, said the findings reflect how audiences are moving seamlessly between physical and digital environments.
“What’s interesting here is how connected the behaviour is. People see a message on a digital billboard, then they reach for their phone. It’s not offline versus online, it’s one journey. In regional towns especially, those repeated daily routes mean brands stay top of mind. And when something stays top of mind, it tends to shape decisions.”
In regional towns, digital billboards sit squarely in the flow of daily life. Commutes, supermarket runs and school drop-offs mean consistent exposure, week after week and those who pass digital billboards more often, are significantly more likely to take action.
Forty-nine per cent say they often notice digital billboards in their area and that they influence their brand and product choices.
Fifty-seven per cent say advertising matters most in everyday purchasing decisions, and that further over indexes for those that often notice digital billboards.
“Advertising matters most in the moments that drive the bulk of spend,” says Rosewarne. “Everyday purchases, fuel stops, supermarket runs, local errands. That is where digital billboards sit in regional life. They are high-frequency by design and that frequency is what triggers follow-up action.”
The study also highlights the commercial rhythm of regional towns: 90 per cent say their area becomes busier or sometimes busier during holidays and event periods.
“This is the start of an ongoing Regional Voice programme,” Rosewarne said. “We’re building a long-term body of insight around how regional audiences think, spend and respond, so agencies
and brands can plan with greater confidence.”
