How Brands Are Connecting In Real Life: Top OOH Media Trends OUTFRONT'S 2026 Advertising Trends Report

March 17, 2026

Digital disillusionment. A yearning for connection and community. And exciting technological advances. That’s what’s driving the IRL advertising renaissance that’s one of the most important emerging storylines of 2026 for media buyers and marketers.

So in this installment of our deep dive into OUTFRONT’s 2026 Advertising Trends Report, we’ll explore why out of home media and the real-life brand experiences it enables are becoming more essential than ever for large brands and small businesses alike. Feel free to recap the top 2026 consumer trends, media trends, and AI trends of the year if you haven’t already.

Top IRL Trend #1: The Attention Economy Has Us Feeling Screened Out

Our phones are making us miserable. 62% of Americans now report suffering from recurring digital burnout, and a full third of us say that we’re more burned out now than we were one year ago. We recognize that they take us out of the moment. 59% say overusing them takes away from real world experiences, and 54% say that for any activity or event, they need to be physically there to truly enjoy it. And two thirds of us feel nostalgia or fondness for a time before everything was online and digital.

SOURCES: Shift, Robert Half, Leo/Ipsos, Gartner

Top IRL Trend #2: We’re Putting Our Phones Down More

That exasperation with digital existence is reflected in our reaction: a deliberate disconnection. 42% of consumers reduced their time on at least one social media platform last year, and two of the top three things they did with that time instead were offline hobbies and in-person social activities. And heavy smartphone users – those spending at least five hours a day on their phones – dropped from 44% to 36%. We’re out here!

SOURCES: Gartner, Mintel

Top IRL Trend #3: In-Store Shopping Enhances Trust, Comfort, Confidence

This year analysts project 80% of retail sales to happen in store. That’s yet another data point reflecting our real-life renaissance. Three in four consumers say that brick-and-mortar shopping helps them feel connected to family and friends. But the store environment is more than just a social third place. It also makes 70% of shoppers more comfortable with big-ticket purchases. An identical number say that they have less buyer’s remorse on in-store purchases. And when it comes to deals, nearly as many say that they trust a real is real when they see it in-store rather than online.

SOURCES: EMARKETER, Quad/The Harris Poll

Top IRL Trend #4: IRL Media Drives Strong Business and Brand Effects

Power users of IRL advertising formats like billboards and transit – those who spend at least 15% of their budget on our medium – drive much stronger business and brand effects, including a 62% lift in brand stature and a 41% increase in market share. Combining IRL with TV or social is particularly impactful, though adding it makes a double-digit positive impact on every other part of the media mix. IRL also drives a marginal ROI of $7.58, the strongest in traditional advertising and more than two dollars above the media average.

SOURCES: Rapport/IPA Databank/Peter Field, Keen Decision Systems/Accretive

Top AI Trend #5: Creators See Huge Potential from Adding IRL to Brand Partnerships

One place where brands should absolutely be adding IRL media is to their creator campaigns. When OUTFRONT and Ipsos surveyed creators in September, a two-thirds majority told us that IRL media makes their audience more likely to support the partner brand, that it creates more opportunities for engagement, and that their fans would visit the billboard and share pictures of it. Real-world creator events are another opportunity, with 59% of those who follow creators and influencers attending at least one in-person event last year.

SOURCES: OUTFRONT x Ipsos, The Influencer Marketing Factory

Top IRL Trend #6: We’re Using AI to Empower Advertisers

When it comes to ethical and impactful implementations of AI, OUTFRONT seeks to lead by example. Our artificial intelligence initiatives include:

• Agentic trading capabilities to remove IRL media from its silo and fully integrate it into the media planning process, in partnership with Amazon Web Services and MadConnect
• Creative optimization through machine learning platform Super Optimal, which validates what works and corrects what doesn’t along 20+ different dimensions to enhance format fit, clarity, and attention.
• Interactive, collaborative digital out of home experiences that invite the audience to become co-authors, actively participating in brand systems that live and grow through engagement.

We’re excited about what 2026 holds for IRL advertising – and for IRL advertisers! What is the story you’re going to tell across our canvases this year? Let’s create that story together. And don’t forget to download OUTFRONT’s full 2026 Advertising Trends Report.

Author: Jay Fenster, Marketing Manager @ OUTFRONT

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