The Point of Social
Why Out-of-Home makes social media more effective
Social media doesn’t just happen on the sofa. It happens while people are out in the world, commuting, shopping, socialising and experiencing things in real time.
Out of Home (OOH) advertising, with its high reach and time spent, exists in these same moments, creating a natural synergy with social, especially for younger audiences. Yet most social media planning still assumes an at-home audience. So, we’ve set out to understand how people really use social today, and what that means for how it should be planned to better connect with people on the move.
What’s The Point of Social?
The Point of Social is a new joint industry research study, developed in partnership between Bauer Media Outdoor, Global, JCDecaux UK, Ocean Outdoor, and Posterscope. It explores how social media behaviour differs out of the home vs being at home, and what role OOH advertising plays in making social advertising more effective.
Designed to better understand real-world behaviour and uncover how context shapes attention, engagement and action, consumer research by Norstat tracked 1,150 heavy social media users aged 18-65 through an online survey and a bespoke one-day mobile diary, comparing social media behaviour out of the home with at home. Hover over the sections below to explore key findings from the research.
"We don’t often relate social behaviour to the context or environment someone’s in, but time of day and location can fundamentally change user mindset."
Total Science UK at Dentsu
"If we can prime people with Out of Home and then build on that on Social, there’s a huge opportunity for brand storytelling."
iProspect
"It’s about planning to a moment, to a need state, and adapting to location, culture and context."
Arla Foods UK
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Missed the session? Or just short on time? You can watch the full webinar on demand. Just press play and explore the insights at your own pace.
Social gets physical...
The physical retail environments of high streets, malls and supermarkets naturally encourage social-led purchasing exploration while consumers are out of home. Our DOOH networks are perfectly positioned to create powerful dual-screen synergy, amplifying both attention and intention. It’s like dropping a giant smartphone into the centre of the shopping experience, seamlessly connecting social behaviours with real-world retail moments.
Bringing it together: Think Social. Think OOH.
Out of the home is when social behaviour is at its most active and commercially valuable. But it’s also when social advertising is least effective. OOH advertising bridges that gap, reaching people in these moments, building attention in the real world, and priming them before they engage with social.
The result is simple: more attention, stronger engagement, and better outcomes for social campaigns.
Get straight to the point
Download the complete Point of Social deck to explore:
- The full research findings
- Detailed behavioural insights
- Practical implications for planning OOH and social together