New research commissioned by oOh! Media suggests a third of commuters are travelling to and from work outside of rush hour, creating new dynamics in terms of audience engagement for marketers.

Own the Journey 2.0, undertaken by Pollinate, polled some 2,000 Australian commuters and found 1 in 3 weekday workers are travelling to work outside peak hour. On the way home, 42 per cent of commuters are beating the crowds again, travelling between 3 and 5pm. 

Just over a third are using their commute to listen to podcasts or music and a quarter view it as "an opportunity to take time out, relax and enjoy the trip," said oOh! chief customer officer David Scribner, suggesting that creates opportunities for brands. He said the research offers "insights that marketers can draw on to connect with their audiences when they are in a positive mindset and therefore more easily engaged with."

The survey also suggested commuters are also being engaged by out of home ads.

“41 per cent of commuters exposed to an oOh! format in the week prior to the research being undertaken did a “Google Search” he said.

Own the Journey 2.0 also found:

• 71 per cent of commuters who had seen at least one oOh! format in the last week say they noticed ads for the same product/service across different outdoor formats. Half of this audience reacted positively. 
• Almost half of all commuters (48 per cent) use at least two modes of transport for their commute, with walking, trains and buses playing a major role for those using multi-modal transport.
• Only 16 per cent of people dislike their commute.
• Half of all commuters see travelling time as “me time”, while 37 per cent see it as relaxing, yet students view commuting as ‘doing time’, with 52 per cent using it to be productive.
  • The top activities people undertake on the commute to work beyond focusing on driving are: 
  • Listening to music or podcasts (34 per cent), 
  • Thinking about what needs to be done (29 per cent), 
  • Relaxing/day-dreaming (28 per cent), 
  • Checking emails (28 per cent) and 
  • Browsing social media (22 per cent)
• 13 per cent of commuters use the time to shop – either for products and services (8 per cent) or groceries (7 per cent).

"It is clear from the commuter behaviours that there is significant opportunity for advertisers to drive engagement" through time, day and location targeting, said Scribner.