What Global Street Art’s research with Lumen and System1 means for brands planning campaigns in Western Australia.
A mural gives people something to watch while it is being made. There is an artist at work, an image taking shape and a reason to look again on the next walk past.
That is part of what draws us to hand-painted out-of-home advertising at Made You Look. The finished wall carries the campaign, while the craft behind it gives people another reason to take an interest.
Research from Global Street Art, working with Lumen and System1, adds evidence to that appeal. We have brought the key findings together in MYL’s research overview, alongside our approach to creating campaigns for Western Australian audiences.
Five times the attention
Lumen and Global Street Art’s 2026 Art of Attention Study reported that murals earned five times the attention of standard OOH, measured in attentive seconds per 1,000 impressions.
That measure captures the time spent looking at advertising on a common basis. It accounts for how often people look and how long they look for.
For brands and agencies, the finding strengthens the case for considering attention alongside reach when choosing outdoor media. A placement needs to give the creative enough time to register. We see a well-chosen mural as an opportunity to make that encounter count.
Made You Look mural at Karrinyup Shopping Centre for Perth Scorchers (BBL)
The craft changes the experience
In separate research on an Estrella campaign in 2023, System1 and Global Street Art found a 23% stronger emotional response to the mural than to a static ad using the same artwork. This was a measure of emotional response, rather than a 23% increase in recall.
For us, that is a reason to give the artist a central role in the campaign. Their style, skill and interpretation help determine how the brand comes to life at the scale of a wall. Those choices deserve attention from the first creative conversation.
A story that belongs in its location
Local relevance starts with understanding the audience and the place. At MYL, we bring the wall, artist and message together with that in mind.
Our Strong Spirit Strong Mind mural in Karratha is one example. Working with artist Hope, local young people and community organisations, the artwork drew on ideas about connection to Country, culture and community. The people the campaign was speaking to helped shape what went onto the wall.
That approach informs how we think about brand campaigns too. The location should influence the creative, and the artist should have room to contribute. We want the finished work to feel considered in the setting where people encounter it.
P&N Bank x Perth Wildcats Mural at Karrinyup Shopping Centre by Made You Look
The painting is part of the campaign
A mural also gives a brand material to work with throughout production. Artist footage, close-up details and progress updates can introduce the campaign before the finished artwork is revealed.
Photography and film then give the work a life across the brand’s own channels. A reveal can support a launch, while a short film can tell the story behind the image and the people who made it.
Our approach is to plan that content early. Knowing which moments to capture, how the footage will be used and where it will be shared helps connect the physical wall to the wider campaign. Social coverage and PR need a plan of their own.
AC Milan x Emirates Pre-Season Campaign by Made You Look
Put a wall into your next WA campaign
The research gives brands a useful reason to consider hand-painted advertising within a wider media plan. For MYL, the practical work is finding the right location and developing an idea that makes full use of it.
We work with brands and agencies across Perth and regional WA on site selection, artist matching and creative development, through to approvals, painting and campaign photography and film.
Have a campaign coming up? Let’s put a wall to your brief.
Research attribution. Attention: Lumen and Global Street Art, Art of Attention Study, 2026. Emotion: System1 and Global Street Art, Estrella campaign, 2023. These are external research findings, not measured MYL campaign results or guarantees of performance. View Global Street Art’s published findings.
