It found that when asked to recall an ad seen on TV for the first time the previous day, only 3% of survey respondents could accurately describe the creative.
However, among cinemagoers exposed to the same ad, accurate recall was eight times higher, at 25%.
Based on that finding, the association concluded that across five target audience groups, including 15 to 34-year-olds, cinema advertising can be as much as three times more cost-effective than TV advertising.
The research, undertaken for the association by RedBlue Research, also selected three brands - Lexus, Brylcreem and British Airways - to test the effectiveness of cinema ads.
It found that brand awareness was 20% higher among cinemagoers exposed to the brand's ad, while enjoyment of the ad was 12% higher among cinemagoers compared with TV viewers of the same ad.