Nearly 70% of Canada's post-secondary students fall within Gen Z, the age-group that grew up with a skip button and are not afraid to use it. 37% personally run ad blockers, and they're increasingly deliberate about which media experiences they let through.
COMMB's Student Report 2026, surveyed how Canadian students move through their day and what they notice along the way:
- 69% noticed some form of Out-of-Home advertising in the past week.
- 76% noticed some form of advertising yesterday.
- Students notice advertising at consistently higher rates than the general population.
Why Do Students Notice Out-of-Home When They Block Everything Else?
Unlike traditional digital advertising and commercials, OOH doesn't interrupt anything. It occupies the space students are already commuting through and occupying daily.
This is an audience motivated by shared experience and spontaneity. Student respondents are 81% more likely to say they want to feel a sense of belonging, 44% more likely to act on the spur of the moment, and 42% more likely to describe themselves as having a keen sense of adventure. They are also 37% more likely to be seeking a sense of security, and that is where environmental advantage comes into play. Advertising that belongs to the space a student is already occupying carries endorsement from the setting itself.
50% state directly that they prefer personalized and contextual advertising.
Do Students Act on Out-of-Home Advertising?
Based on the COMMB study findings, following Out-of-Home exposure, students are:
- 84% more likely to explicitly recommend the advertised product to their peers
- 67% more likely to download a coupon, and 64% more likely to redeem it
- 62% more likely to scan an OOH QR code
- 38% more likely to make a purchase
- 36% more likely to search online for the brand
- 31% more likely to visit a store or restaurant
Students don't just act on what they notice, they pass it along, turning a single exposure into a personal recommendation that no media budget can buy directly.
Reaching Canada's Student Audiences with PATTISON Outdoor
Students are reachable on the road to campus, in transit, in elevators, and across the environments that fill the everyday gaps between.
PATTISON Outdoor's network covers those touchpoints on a comprehensive scale, which means a campaign can follow the audience through the full arc of the day rather than intercepting one slice of it.
As Canada's largest Out-of-Home advertising company, PATTISON Outdoor brings the planning expertise to put the right message in the right environment at the moment attention is already there. Against an audience this selective, properly placed intention is not just a bonus. It's the whole campaign.
Ready to reach Canada's most receptive student audiences?
Contact PATTISON Outdoor Advertising experts today!