Refuge in the Real: Why Gen Z Embraces OOH

March, 20 2025

Gen Z is all grown up.

Well, some of them anyway. (Some of them are twelve.)

In any event, those from the ‘90s side of Y2K (ask your parents) now find themselves in the workforce – and a few are already making ripples in the advertising industry. That’s why yesterday we invited the trailblazers on Ad Age’s Gen Zers to Watch list to join us in New York City as we honored them on one of the world’s most iconic digital out of home spectaculars: The Cube at 2 Times Square.


Funny thing about Gen Z. They’re called the first digitally native generation. But you’d be surprised how analog they actually are. While Gen X and Millennials are telling each other to go touch grass, Zoomers are doing exactly that.

Or maybe it’s not surprising. After all, when you’ve lived your whole life surrounded by smartphones, streaming, and social media, the real world just hits different – and Gen Z is into it. 65% of them prefer shopping in-store to online, four out of five go to the movies six or more times a year, and a quarter of them are actively working to reduce their screen time. (SOURCE: Appinio/Posterscope).

That’s why out of home advertising is so effective at reaching this crucial demographic.

How effective is OOH for Gen Z? More than six in ten are likely to engage with interactive OOH, a rate 22% higher than the general population. Nearly half followed the advertiser on social media and 38% made a purchase (SOURCE: Appinio/Posterscope)!


Pictured left to right: Giselle Huasipoma, Jane Emma Barnett, Kelsey Dempsey, Joy Chen, Dev Chawla, Maya Iwata
Gen Z is also really into ad campaigns with a little something extra. They’re 16% more likely to tell others about OOH ads with eye-catching extensions and 9% more interested in dynamic digital creative. They also register a 9% higher level of attention when exposed to anamorphic creative and its hypnotic 3D effect (SOURCE: Ocean Outdoor).

OOH’s synergistic relationship with social media (social out of home, or #sOOH for short) is another reason billboards and transit media represent such a savvy way to connect with Gen Z: After all, 47% of them get purchase inspiration from their feeds and roughly the same number do product research on YouTube. Influencers are an important piece of the puzzle too, as 58% have made a purchase based on a content creator’s recommendation and 44% of Gen Z are open to switching brands for the same reason (SOURCES: SurveyMonkey, NielsenIQ).

While Gen Z are on the consumer cusp, out of home is a medium whose appeal transcends demographics and reaches the audiences advertisers covet. Transcend with us – contact OUTFRONT today.

Author: Jay Fenster, Marketing Manager @ OUTFRONT

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