Audience research
Part of Match out of home advertising research methods to the buying decision
How do out of home advertising customer interviews shape a buy?
A practical listicle on running out of home advertising customer interviews in England, from question sets and consent rules to scoring the answers.
What to take away
- Electronic marketing rules have applied since 2003 under PECR, so settle consent for any email or text follow-up before you recruit.
- Interviews explain behaviour and language, but they do not measure reach or frequency.
- Six to eight interviews per segment is usually enough for themes to repeat.
- Weight answers by the decision behind them, not by how quotable they sound.
What counts as a customer interview
A customer interview is a structured conversation with one person, run against a written question set. In out of home advertising two groups repay the effort: people who buy or plan the space, and people who see the ads.
Set inclusion criteria before you book anyone. A respondent should have made, influenced or lived through an out of home decision recently enough to recall the detail. Choose a window in months and apply it to every recruit.
This list is written for England, where local planning authorities control site consents. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run separate planning systems, so reword site questions before using them in Belfast or Glasgow.
Where interviews sit beside other evidence
Interviews carry the why. Measurement data carries the how many. Keep them apart in your report, because a good quote cannot stand in for a reach figure.
If you are building the full method, the audience research guide for England covers sampling, fieldwork notes and the gap between stated and observed behaviour.
Check the rulebook as well. The ASA's overview of its regulatory role explains that the CAP Code covers non-broadcast advertising, which includes posters, digital screens and transport formats.
Many campaigns pair a site with digital activity. Google Ads lists display and local campaigns in its campaign type guidance, which helps when a buyer asks what happens after the poster goes live.
Read the alternatives before writing questions
Buyers answer in comparisons, and they often mention the other site without naming it. The out of home advertising competitor research note on mapping rival locations helps you ask which sites were genuinely on the table.
A question set that holds up in a real buying conversation
Good questions ask for a decision, not an opinion. Keep the set near a dozen prompts and let silence do some work.
Questions for buyers and planners
- What was the last out of home campaign you approved, and who else signed it off?
- Which two or three sites did you compare, and what decided it?
- What did the quote include that you had not expected?
- What would make you reject a proposal without replying?
If you plan to follow up by email or text, the ICO's guide to PECR sets out the consent rules, including the narrow soft opt-in for existing customers.
Questions for people who see the ads
- Where were you when you last noticed a poster or screen?
- What did you do next, if anything?
- Which part of the message can you repeat back?
Keep this second set short. People who are not buying media will not sit through twenty prompts about formats and rates.
How to weigh the answers
Score each answer on four things, and flag where two respondents contradict each other.
- Did it describe a real decision, with a site and a rough date?
- Was the reason about audience, price, format or timing?
- Could you reuse the respondent's own wording in a proposal?
- Does the answer change what you would recommend next quarter?
Decision table: which method fits the question
| Situation | Choose | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| A renewal lapsed and nobody will say why | Interviews with the person who signed the last contract | A wide survey before you know the questions |
| You are testing early creative routes | Interviews with 6 to 8 people who match the audience | Quoting interview comments as reach figures |
| You need reach, frequency or footfall numbers | Measurement, traffic and sales data | Interviews used as a substitute |
| You want to know which rival sites are in the frame | Competitor mapping plus buyer interviews | Asking buyers to rank your own options |
| You plan an email or text follow-up | Consent wording checked against PECR | A purchased contact list |
Common questions
How many interviews should I run?
Aim for six to eight per segment and stop when new answers repeat old ones. Two segments means roughly a dozen conversations.
Can interviews replace audience measurement?
No. Measurement gives scale, interviews give reasons. Report them separately so nobody mistakes a comment for a count.
Should I pay the people who see the ads?
A small thank-you or a charity donation is normal for members of the public. Buyers giving you commercial time often expect nothing.
Do I need a script, or a discussion guide?
A discussion guide keeps the session on track without turning it into a questionnaire. Write your prompts in order, then let the answers decide the sequence.
