The seven second test for hoarding creative

When you approve outdoor creative, it is easy to judge it while sitting close to a screen. The seven second test forces the advertiser's real question: what will a moving person take away before the board is gone.

Run the test honestly

Show the artwork to someone who has not seen the campaign. Give them seven seconds, then hide it. Ask what brand they saw, what the message was and what they were meant to do. If they cannot answer those three things, remove rather than add.

What usually fails

• Two offers competing for the same attention.
• A small logo placed in a busy corner.
• A long headline that needs reading twice.
• Fine print carrying the main point.
• A photograph without a clear focal point.

Build one reading order

Start with the dominant visual or line. Make the brand the next thing the eye sees. Put the action last and keep it short. If every element is shouting, nothing is heard. Outdoor rewards editing more than invention.

Next, check colour, contrast and glare on the actual print substrate.