The research, commissioned by CBS Outdoor, found that despite being one of the most high-profile forms of interactivity within the media industry, only 5.8% of respondents had heard of NFC in the context of outdoor advertising and only 1.4% of them had actually used it.
More than 9,000 people across six European countries were questioned about outdoor advertising. They were asked which forms of interactivity (including augmented ads, Bluetooth and QR codes) they had heard of and, separately, used.
The most well known form of interactivity was QR codes, which 39.8% of people said they had heard of, but the most widely-used form was a promotional text code in an ad, which 14.5% of respondents said they had used.
The research was conducted online by Kantar Media on behalf of CBS Outdoor and at least 1,000 people were involved from each of the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.
Qualitative research sessions with 25 people from each of the six countries found that audiences wanted more than just information and expected incentives for interacting with outdoor advertising, either monetary or entertainment.
The benefits of successful engagement were demonstrated by the fact 55% of people with a social media profile said they had used social media to share information or offers while they are out of home. This rose to 74% among early adopters with a social media profile and smart devices.
Anna Reeves, international marketing director at CBS Outdoor, said: "Advertisers can get caught up in technology but if you are only linking to a website address it is not as effective. Successful campaigns focus on money or entertainment.
"Advertisers can get caught up in technology but our research found if people were just taken to a website they were disappointed. We wanted to put a marker in the sand and to work with clients to develop our proposition."
The study also found that 51% of all respondents said they were more likely to pay attention to out-of-home media than any other form of advertising and 74% of the respondents said they expected big brands to advertise out of home.
Just over half (53%) of adults agreed mobile technology allowed them to make purchases easier when out and about. This rose to 68% among smart device users, 74% among tech advocates and 86% among early adopters.
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