Emc易倍体育

By , Senior Research & Insight Manager & , Executive Producer

Picture this... It鈥檚 your birthday, and a loved one hands you a bouquet of flowers or a box of artisanal chocolates. Lovely, right? You smile, thank them, and maybe even snap a photo for Instagram. It鈥檚 sweet, but let鈥檚 be honest - you saw it coming. Now imagine this... It鈥檚 a random Tuesday, you鈥檝e had a fairly average day, you get home, kick off your shoes, and suddenly鈥攚ow!鈥攕omeone hands you the same gift. No occasion. No warning. No national flower-giving holiday or world chocolate day in sight.听Your first reaction? Pure delight. Or, depending on the person, maybe even: What did you do?听

Either way, surprise is the game-changer. It amplifies emotion, making the moment more memorable, more special, and far more likely to stick in your mind.听

The same goes for advertising. When something appears exactly when and where you expect it, it鈥檚 nice鈥攂ut easy to forget. But when an ad catches you off guard, disrupts your expectations, and delivers something fresh? That鈥檚 when it sticks. That鈥檚 when it matters.听

Our study into creating Powerful Posters has led us to guide advertisers to keep it Simple, Sensible, Striking and Succinct. This exploration into the emotions conjured up by creative outdoor solutions means that Surprise is the 5th S.

Sir John Hegarty, one of the most influential figures in the advertising industry,听once said, "The most powerful thing you can do in advertising is to surprise people." And nothing sparks surprise quite like an OOH special build. In fact, special builds are 38% more likely to evoke surprise compared to an average TV, print, and standard OOH ad*.听

^{Ben & Jerrys, one of 10 specials build feature in the System1 research study mentioned above}听

Surprise is an emotion intensifier听

But why should surprise be the desired outcome? Tania Lunia, a psychology researcher and author, says "the power of surprise is that it pulls us out of autopilot and makes us pay attention". In a world of mundane commutes and overstimulated minds, delivering cut-through to consumers is key.听

Surprise acts as an emotion intensifier, and studies show how surprise can amplify them by approximately 400%.听

This was proven to the be the case for a recent Asahi OOH campaign, where the special build element of the campaign elicited stronger positive emotions (+79% vs +57% for standard OOH) while the complimenting standard OOH was used to drive frequency and build momentum.听

Surprise builds mental availability听

Mental availability is the marketer鈥檚 holy grail - the ease with which a brand comes to mind in a buying moment and neuroscience reveals that surprise plays a key role in enhancing it. Here鈥檚 what鈥檚 happening in our brains when we encounter something unexpected:听

1. Attention - Our brains are hardwired to notice the unusual or novel, which is logical from an evolutionary perspective, so we can react to something dangerous quickly. So when an ad presents something unexpected, it naturally draws our focus.听

2. Emotional Response - The amygdala kicks in, triggering emotions like excitement or fear. The brain quickly decides if the event is thrilling or threatening.听

3. Processing - The prefrontal cortex steps in to analyse the situation. It helps us make sense of the surprise and figure out how to respond.听

4. Reward & Pleasure - If the surprise is a good one, we get a dopamine boost鈥攖he brain鈥檚 reward chemical. This reinforces the positive feeling of the surprise. It鈥檚 the emotion intensifier.听

5. Storing the Memory - The brain compares the surprise to past experiences and stores it as a new memory, helping the brand come to mind in the future.听

In just 1/25th of a second, surprise can shift the brain from noticing to remembering. That鈥檚 why standout formats, like special builds, drive a 21% lift in memory encoding.听

Surprise drives social currency & industry exposure听听

When something sparks a strong emotional reaction, people want to share it. That鈥檚 the foundation of social currency - we post things that earn us likes, comments, and attention. The more surprising or creative a special build is, the more likely it is to be shared, sparking a ripple effect across audiences. Each share brings in new eyeballs, fresh engagement, and wider reach.听

Surprise doesn鈥檛 just drive social sharing - it grabs the industry鈥檚 attention too. Just look at the Outdoor Media Awards, where categories recognising creativity and special build innovation consistently attract the highest number of submissions year after year. Creative surprise has become a badge of honour, with marketers proudly showcasing standout builds as hero visuals in campaign case studies and award entries.听

Winners from the OMA's will be announced on the 12th of June, so keep your eyes peeled to see which brands in the Installations and Experience category stopped people in their tracks, and took the judges by surprise!

The lasting power of surprise听

Just like a surprise gift on an ordinary Tuesday, the most memorable ads are the ones we don鈥檛 expect. They break the routine, spark emotion, and linger in our minds long after we鈥檝e walked past them. In outdoor advertising, surprise isn鈥檛 just a nice touch, it鈥檚 the difference between being seen and being remembered.听

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^{*Sources: System 1 Creative Solution OOH testing, Tania Luna:听Surprise, Embrace the Unpredictable and Engineer the Unexpected, Ipsos Thinking outside the billboard}