June 29th, 2026
Do Look Up: the attention exchange between OOH and social at SXSW London
Craig McFarlane
Client Partner
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I recently attended SXSW London, where I hosted a roundtable discussion, Do Look Up, exploring the evolving relationship between Out of Home and social media.
Despite the unseasonal summer rain, the overall event was full of energy. A strong line-up of speakers, including Michelle Obama and Sadiq Khan, helped create a noticeable sense of intrigue and excitement, not to mention cross-industry collaboration throughout the Truman Brewery and wider venues.
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The roundtable session focused on one of the most powerful intersections in media: the partnership between premium Out of Home and social content. At Ocean, we see this as a natural evolution of the channel, underpinned by a decade of research into attention and neuroscience that demonstrates how physical and digital environments work even more effectively together.
More recently, this thinking is being brought to life through our work in the creator space, in partnership with Creator by Infinitum. Through this year’s launch of Ocean Creator, we’re exploring how brands can extend the impact of their OOH campaigns into social environments, pairing high-impact screens with creator-led storytelling designed for cultural relevance and shareability. Our roundtable built on this idea, exploring the role creators play in shaping campaigns that don’t just capture attention in the moment, but continue to resonate as they move across platforms. And when you combine this with the reach, trust and premium signalling of iconic OOH, that’s when the magic really happens.
The roundtable was attended by creators, landlord partners, journalists, motion designers and international creatives, which led to a diverse mix of perspectives.
One of the first topics explored was collaboration models between brands and creators, particularly around when creators should be brought into the briefing process. Unsurprisingly, there was a broad agreement that there is no single formula, but earlier involvement tends to unlock more effective and authentic outcomes.
Authenticity emerged as a consistent trend throughout. The most effective partnerships were those where creators were able to retain their own voice and interpret the brand, rather than simply execute against it.
Looking ahead, the group explored where the space is heading over the next three to five years. Out of screen AR and advances in VFX were highlighted as key growth areas, alongside increasing experimentation at the boundary between physical and digital storytelling.
Another important point raised was the rise of AI-driven and brand owned avatars, which could extend brand presence beyond campaign windows and operate as always-on digital identities – a modern evolution of the brand mascot.
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If there was one clear takeaway from the conversation, it was that the lines between physical and digital media continue to blur. The most effective campaigns are no longer built for a single channel, but designed to travel across environments, combining the scale and impact of OOH and the authenticity and cultural reach of creators.
