In the six months to June 2014, well over half of smartphone owners had seen or heard advertising in a shopping centre or mall (59%) or noticed big billboards (54%) in the last seven days, and around four in 10 noticed posters or small billboards (41%). Around three in 10 noticed ads at train or bus stations (29%) or on the sides of busses or trams (28%), and one in four saw them on motorways/freeways (25%).

Other commonly noticed outdoor ads among smartphone owners are those on taxis (24%), bus or tram shelters (23%) or free-standing poster panels (23%).

However those without a smartphone are less likely to notice all types of outdoor ads: 72% of people with a non-smart mobile phone and only 53% of people with no mobile phone at all, notice outdoor ads during the week.

Percentage of people noticing outdoor advertising types by mobile phone ownership

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), January 2014 – June 2014. Smartphone Owners n= 4512, Non-Smartphone Mobile Owners n = 2846, Non-Mobile Owners n=788.

Advertising in elevators and foyers, public toilets, gyms, sports stadia, airport terminals, as well as in-store radio, are each also much more likely to be noticed by smartphone owners than non-owners.

Michele Levine, CEO, Roy Morgan Research, says: “It turns out smartphone owners aren’t just walking around with their heads down, peering at screens. Smartphone owners notice more outdoor advertising than others, suggesting that the integration of outdoor and digital in marketing campaigns could indeed provide a promising advantage for marketers. New ‘geo-tagging’ or location-specific targeted campaigns are examples of these.