A new industry study has revealed that more than seven in every 10 Nigerians surveyed have taken commercial action after seeing an outdoor advertisement, highlighting the growing influence of Out of Home (OOH) advertising on consumer behaviour.
The findings are contained in the Nigeria OOH Consumer Penetration and Audience Behaviour Study 2026, unveiled at the fourth edition of the Location Marketing Conference and Awards (LOMA).
The study surveyed 1,800 respondents across 12 Nigerian cities, including Lagos, Abuja, Asaba, Port Harcourt and Enugu, examining how outdoor advertising influences consumer awareness, engagement and purchasing decisions.
Speaking at the unveiling, the Chairman of the survey’s Oversight Committee and Business Unit Director of +Acuity Ltd, Emmanuel Adediran, said the findings provide measurable evidence of how outdoor advertising translates into consumer action.
According to the study, discussing a brand with others was the most common response to outdoor advertisements, with nearly four in 10 respondents reporting such behaviour. Searching for a brand online followed, accounting for approximately three in 10 respondents.
Despite attracting nearly three quarters of Nigeria’s national Out of Home advertising expenditure, Lagos reportedly accounts for only about six in 10 of the measured audience attention, recording the lowest billboard visibility among the cities surveyed.
In contrast, Asaba, Enugu and Onitsha were identified as cities with substantial, high value audiences, presenting potential opportunities for advertisers seeking to expand their reach beyond major commercial centres.
The report also highlighted a significant gap in advertising coverage within market areas.
According to the findings, approximately eight in 10 Nigerians visit markets weekly, yet market environments account for less than three in 10 reported Out-of-Home advertising exposures.
The study suggests that advertisers could benefit from paying greater attention to these high traffic locations to reach consumers more effectively.
The Convener of the LOMA Conference and Awards, Kingsley Onwukaeme, described the report as timely, noting that reliable audience data would help advertisers and media owners measure campaign effectiveness and improve returns on investment.
At the conference, Group General Manager of Abiok Publicity, Oiakhina Emperor, delivered a presentation titled Building a Legacy Brand Through Operational Excellence, emphasising the importance of trust, consistency, reputation and effective organisational processes in building sustainable brands.
Emperor explained that while business success is often measured through revenue, visibility and market share, a lasting brand legacy depends on values and systems that continue to deliver results beyond the individuals who established them.
He identified purpose, people, process, performance, progress and perseverance as six essential pillars of legacy-building, warning that compromising on operational standards could gradually undermine business performance and institutional credibility.
Also speaking at the conference, Technical Partner at CJtronics, Abdulwahab Adeyinka, highlighted the growing role of technology in transforming traditional outdoor advertising into intelligent, data-driven networks.
In his presentation, The Intelligent OOH Ecosystem, Adeyinka explained how connected hardware, the Internet of Things (IoT), smart sensors and cloud-based software could improve advertising delivery, monitor equipment performance and provide more accurate audience measurements.
He also highlighted programmatic digital Out of Home advertising, which enables automated advertising purchases, targeted content delivery and audience impression tracking through digital platforms.
The study was conducted by Research Brooks in partnership with TMKG Consulting, with the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria and other industry bodies participating in the audit panel.
The findings are expected to contribute to ongoing discussions about audience measurement, investment decisions and technological innovation in Nigeria’s outdoor advertising industry.
Written by Enitan Mudashiru
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