Shoppers and advertisers are waking up to a simple truth: closeness matters. New research from Blockgraph and the 4As shows how planning media around households that are near stores, service areas or facilities produces measurably better campaign outcomes, so marketers can stop guessing and start investing where it counts.
- Core finding: Households within a brand’s conversion radius are significantly more likely to respond to ads than those farther away.
- Practical step: Start with locations where outcomes happen, stores, service zones or facilities, and map households inside a conversion radius.
- Media mix note: Linear and connected TV scale reach among proximity-qualified households, while digital and OOH reinforce near the point of decision.
- Operational need: Deterministic household identity is required to reliably link business locations to real addresses; this makes proximity actionable at scale.
- Sensible metric: Prioritise markets by proximity density, how many households are close enough to convert, rather than by demographics alone.
Why proximity suddenly matters for planning and spend
The headline finding is straightforward and a little pleasingly obvious: people nearer to where a product or service is available are more likely to buy. The new Blockgraph and 4As paper shows that this isn’t just intuition anymore; it’s something you can measure and plan around, down to households. That crisp, local feel, visualise a cluster of homes within a short drive of a store, helps explain why two otherwise identical campaigns can have wildly different results.
Backstory? Marketers have long used geography, but often at a coarse level, postcode areas or broad DMAs. Now, thanks to privacy-focused household linking and better location data, proximity can be operationalised at scale. The upshot: media planning shifts from “who” to “who, and how close.”
Three simple steps to build proximity-first campaigns
Blockgraph and the 4As propose a tidy, repeatable process: identify outcome locations, draw a conversion radius, then concentrate investment where proximity-qualified households are dense. It’s a neat checklist that’s easy to explain to clients and even easier to measure afterward.
In practice, that means mapping store doors, service boundaries or clinic locations, choosing a radius that fits the business category, and then prioritising channels that reach those households efficiently. If you sell bulky sofas, your radius might be wide; for a high-street bakery, it’s tiny. Adjust the radius to the purchase behaviour you expect.
How proximity interacts with the media mix
The research shows media do different jobs in a proximity-led plan. Linear and CTV help you build broad reach among nearby households, useful when you need scale inside a radius. Digital and out-of-home then punch through close to the moment of decision, think display near a store or a bus-shelter ad en route.
That split makes practical sense for campaign design: use TV to get known among proximity-qualified audiences, then deploy targeted digital and OOH to nudge at the point of choice. According to recent industry updates, advertisers are increasingly stacking channels this way to tie impressions to in-market outcomes.
Why deterministic household identity is the missing link
Proximity only works if you can reliably link a location to actual households. Blockgraph’s prior work on household identity laid out why deterministic links, mapping addresses to audiences, are essential for accurate measurement and privacy-safe activation.
Without that link you risk miscounting who’s actually within a conversion radius. With it, you can create “proximity-qualified” audiences, measure lift where it matters, and allocate budget by proximity density rather than crude reach metrics. It’s the difference between educated guesswork and accountable media investment.
Choosing the right radius and metrics for your category
Not every business needs the same proximity lens. The report reminds us to think category-first: quick-service restaurants and convenience retail usually need small radii; service technicians or regional installers might require much larger ones. Start by testing a couple of radius sizes and compare conversion rates.
Use proximity-based comparisons across markets to see whether similar spend produces different returns depending on local density. Track conversion lift among proximity-qualified households versus those outside the radius, and let that data steer future allocation.
What this means for agency planning and local teams
Agencies get a cleaner way to explain performance differences to clients: it may not be the creative or the platform, but whether you reached people who could actually act. Local teams gain a playbook, identify stores or service areas, map households, and bid or buy where density is highest.
Expect media sellers to increasingly offer proximity-qualified segments, and for advertisers to demand deterministic household accountability when measuring outcomes. As pressure grows to link media spend to real-world behaviour, proximity gives marketers a credible, operational path.
It’s a small shift in focus that can make every campaign hit its mark more often.
Source Reference Map
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Sources by paragraph:
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The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The article was published on May 7, 2026, and presents new research from Blockgraph and the 4As. A search for similar narratives did not reveal earlier publications on this specific study, suggesting originality. However, the concept of proximity in advertising has been discussed previously, such as in Blockgraph’s 2025 webinar on household identity in TV strategy. ([blockgraph.co](https://www.blockgraph.co/newsroom/the-identity-foundation-laying-the-groundwork-for-smarter-tv-strategy?utm_source=openai)) This prior discussion may indicate that while the specific study is new, the underlying concept is not entirely novel.
Quotes check
Score:
7
Notes:
The article includes direct quotes from Jason Manningham, CEO of Blockgraph, and Kevin Freemore, SVP at the 4As. A search for these quotes did not yield earlier appearances, suggesting they are original to this release. However, without independent verification from external sources, the authenticity of these quotes cannot be fully confirmed.
Source reliability
Score:
6
Notes:
The article originates from GlobeNewswire, a press release distribution service. While GlobeNewswire is a reputable platform for disseminating official statements, it primarily serves as a conduit for company-issued content and does not independently verify the information. This raises concerns about the independence and potential bias of the information presented.
Plausibility check
Score:
8
Notes:
The claims regarding proximity being a core driver of advertising performance align with existing industry discussions. For instance, Blockgraph’s 2025 webinar emphasized the importance of household identity in TV strategy. ([blockgraph.co](https://www.blockgraph.co/newsroom/the-identity-foundation-laying-the-groundwork-for-smarter-tv-strategy?utm_source=openai)) However, the article’s reliance on proprietary data from Blockgraph and the 4As without independent verification introduces potential biases.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): FAIL
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The article presents new research from Blockgraph and the 4As, suggesting that proximity is a core driver of advertising performance. While the content is recent and the quotes appear original, the reliance on a press release from Blockgraph and the 4As without independent verification introduces potential biases and questions about the information’s objectivity. The lack of external corroboration further diminishes the credibility of the claims made.
