Major sporting events don’t just fill stadiums. They transform entire cities. Airports welcome international viewers, transit systems move them around the city, and the streets become abuzz with flowing traffic.
Outdoor advertising is all about being in the right place at the right time, which is why this summer was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Major brands jumped on the bandwagon with innovative campaigns across all mediums of outdoor advertising, and PATTISON Outdoor stepped up to what is one of largest coordinated Out-of-Home advertising efforts in Canadian history.
HOW DID INCREASED FOOT TRAFFIC BENEFIT ADVERTISERS?
Across Canada's host cities, the impact was impossible to ignore. More than 350,000 people attended the FIFA Fan Festival™ in Toronto over 23 event days, while pedestrian activity around Toronto Stadium climbed 70 to 160 percent above normal levels. In Vancouver, transit ridership reached its highest level in more than six years during Canada's match against Switzerland, with nearly 1.4 million boardings recorded in a single day with an average of 87,000 additional daily boardings throughout the tournament.
HOW DID ADIDAS CAPITALIZE ON THE BIGGEST SPORTING MOMENT OF THE YEAR?
Adidas leveraged PATTISON Outdoors’s networks in both Toronto and Vancouver to connect with audiences during the tournament, with nearly 1 in 2 residents noticing the campaign, which is more than double the typical benchmark for fashion-specific products. The campaign also drove meaningful engagement, with 77% of those exposed taking some form of action. Among those actions, 25% visited an adidas store to browse products, while 18% purchased adidas products related to the tournament, demonstrating how a high-impact Out-of-Home campaign can move audiences from awareness to real-world engagement.
AUDIENCES THAT WENT BEYOND LOCAL FANS
The tournament also attracted an exceptionally diverse audience. Preliminary data from Destination Toronto found that international visitors accounted for 37% of all visitor spending, while another 15% came from visitors from the United States. Visitors from across Ontario and the rest of Canada rounded out the audience, creating a rare opportunity for brands to expand their reach to consumers beyond their typical local markets.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO EXECUTE ADVERTISING DURING CANADA'S BIGGEST EVENTS?
Major sporting events create concentrated audiences that are highly engaged and constantly on the move. The world’s biggest tournament demonstrated how Out-of-Home advertising can help brands become part of those moments, reaching people throughout their journey rather than at a single destination.
For PATTISON Outdoor, it was also an opportunity to demonstrate the strength and scale of Canada's largest Out-of-Home network. As demand surged across airports, transit, roadside, digital, street furniture, and place-based media, our teams successfully planned, produced, and executed campaigns across multiple markets where it mattered most. The tournament reinforced our ability to deliver seamless, high-impact campaigns, even during one of the busiest advertising periods.
Whether it's an international sporting event, a national celebration, or another major cultural moment, PATTISON Outdoor is ready to help brands connect with audiences at scale, with the national reach, operational expertise, and diverse media portfolio to bring ambitious campaigns to life when every impression matters.