Leading digital outdoor media company QMS has unveiled the results of its latest neuroscience study, underscoring the powerful impact of dynamic content on audience engagement and long-term memory encoding. This revelation follows the recent British & Irish Lions rugby partnership campaign with GIO and Nine Entertainment Co’s The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH).
The study, conducted in collaboration with Neuro-Insight, evaluated consumer responses to GIO’s sponsorship across Sydney’s digital street furniture network. The campaign strategically placed GIO brand creative ads next to GIO-branded real-time SMH rugby editorial content, creating a unique advertising environment.
The findings emerge as QMS gears up to introduce its fully digital Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games Network. This new platform will deliver real-time news, updates, and information to Australians during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, leveraging QMS’ extensive digital assets, including national large format billboards and street furniture networks in major cities like Sydney and the Gold Coast.
Study Highlights: Enhanced Memory and Engagement
The Neuro-Insight study revealed that the new GIO content strategy achieved significantly greater effectiveness, with a 20% increase in long-term memory encoding compared to the benchmark set by Neuro-Insight. Additionally, the study recorded 11% higher engagement levels and a 21% rise in emotional intensity.
Christian Zavecz, QMS chief strategy officer, emphasized the importance of aligning brand messages with culturally relevant moments and quality editorial content. “Our dynamic content Neuro-Insight study clearly highlights the fact that when brands align themselves within culturally relevant moments and quality editorial, the impact is significant,” Zavecz stated.
Strategic Implications for Advertisers
The study’s results are particularly relevant as QMS prepares to launch its Winter Games Network, which is expected to reach 80% of metropolitan Australians. This initiative offers brands an unparalleled opportunity to connect with audiences at scale, utilizing dynamic content to drive engagement and memory retention.
Mark Condon, GIO’s marketing manager, praised the approach: “This was a smart way for us to connect GIO with culturally relevant moments, and the response proved just how effective that approach can be. It’s a great signal for how we activate the brand moving forward.”
Expert Insights on Contextual Advertising
Neuro-Insight chief commercial officer, Peter Pynta, highlighted the advantages of contextual alignment in advertising. “These results clearly demonstrate the power of contextual alignment. This content and advertising ecosystem not only boosts engagement and emotional intensity but also enhances long-term memory encoding, driving stronger brand impact than standalone ads,” Pynta explained.
For brands in highly competitive categories, this approach delivers meaningful differentiation.
Building on a Foundation of Success
The recent study adds to a growing body of research by Neuro-Insight across QMS’s digital out-of-home portfolio, reinforcing the quality outcomes brands and agencies can achieve. Previous studies have shown that QMS sites generate above-benchmark effectiveness, including a 24% uplift in long-term memory encoding across the City of Sydney network compared to global benchmarks.
As QMS continues to innovate with its digital platforms, the company is poised to offer advertisers more opportunities to engage effectively with their target audiences. The integration of dynamic content and strategic placement within culturally relevant contexts is proving to be a game-changer in the advertising landscape.
Looking ahead, the implications of these findings suggest a shift towards more integrated and contextually relevant advertising strategies, promising enhanced brand visibility and consumer engagement in an increasingly competitive market.
