2026: THE YEAR FOR OUT-OF-HOME (OOH) TO SHINE
By Andrew Sinclair, Managing Director at Talon Ireland
As we approach the end of another frenetic year in adland, you can sense the universal clamber to close out the year and the shifting focus towards what will likely be an even more frenetic 2026.
We all appreciate that warp speed advances in technology demand agility, creativity, and dynamism to ensure relevance in a world that has never moved faster. And yet, moments of reflection at this time of year become increasingly important to take stock, to reflect and aide the chartering of a new course. In truth, the looming deadline to file this article, became the catalyst for me to do exactly that this week. To step back, reflect on the year past and look to what the future holds for our OOH (out-of-home) industry.
It got me thinking that there’s still so much unrealised capital in what OOH can deliver. How it’s uniquely placed to straddle the virtual and physical world and truly connect brands to ‘real’ people in real time. How it remains the leading channel for delivering brand FAME and unparallelled audience interaction. How it’s constantly evolving and continues to build on its USP as the original and greatest broadcast channel. And ultimately, how 2026 is going to be OOH’s best year yet thanks to the launch of a next generation measurement system, continued investment in digital infrastructure and the onboarding, at pace, of programmatic capabilities across key media owners.
At Talon, we’re a team of OOH evangelists, driven to showcase all the capabilities that the channel has to offer and with so many moving parts to consider, we do this under the framework of ACES – Audience, Creative, Effectiveness, Sustainable – our future proofed strategy that delivers in a market evolving fast.
AUDIENCE: BEYOND DEMOGRAPHICS
In a world where audience behaviours continue to fragment, OOH is positioning itself as the channel that can unite reach, relevance, and real-world presence in a trusted environment. Gone are the days of planning around age, gender, and broad life-stage groups. Instead, we are now in the age of optimised broadcast, a rich playing field where mass reach is blended seamlessly with the precision of contextual, behavioural and movement-based insights.
Programmatic OOH is adding further depth to our audience insights, quickly moving from what was recently deemed an emerging channel to an everyday reality. Through our DSP Optimise, we’ve been at the forefront of the conversation, championing the rise of Programmatic OOH (PrOOH) in this market since 2020.
The capabilities around automated buying is helping us deliver real time activations, dynamic creative tailored to specific audience moments, and precision timing and location control at increasing scale. With more screens onboarding in 2026, the programmatic marketplace will continue to thrive offering brands richer inventory, deeper data insights, and new opportunities for brands to activate OOH with digital like flexibility and precision.
OOH has always been about scale, trust, impact and cultural presence. And whilst they remain the bedrock, it’s quickly adding the strings of intelligence, integration and flexibility to its bow. With audience behaviours shifting, the medium is evolving with in tandem – not just to keep pace, but to lead.
CREATIVITY: OOH’S SUPERPOWER
Creativity is now stretching far beyond the classic 3D build with the entire urban environment presenting itself as a blank page – buildings, streetscapes, transport hubs and digital screens – all transforming into opportunities for ideas to stop people in their tracks. With the rise of Retail Media, the canvas of OOH has extended right to the point of purchase. These retail environments offer brands the chance to connect at the most decisive moment, turning everyday shopping journeys into creative brand experiences.
Intuitively, as our daily lives become increasingly shaped by AI, algorithms and automated content – the need for bold, human creativity has never been greater. And that’s why I believe OOH is so well placed to deliver. Although it has always been the industry’s purest canvas, turning big ideas into real-world impact and winning genuine attention, it now has to stand up and be counted.
Whilst the creative lives physically, if it does its job, it resonates emotionally and travels digitally. In 2026, amplifying those strengths is what will push the medium even further ahead of the pack and take a major step towards realising its fullest potential.
EFFECTIVENESS: A NEW ERA FOR MEASUREMENT
The much-anticipated arrival of the new JNOR system will redefine how campaigns are evaluated, now bringing digital formats fully into scope. This best-in-class upgrade will now deliver granular audience insights across both classic and digital formats resulting in sharper planning, smarter investment and clearer ROI for our agency and client partners.
Brand-building has never mattered more. As part of Talon’s whitepaper on effectiveness, Ian Whittaker’s analysis shows that shifting spend towards trusted, public media like OOH can unlock greater efficiency, build long-term brand equity, and even contribute to shareholder value — especially in a world where digital discovery is fragmented and noise levels are high.
But effectiveness extends beyond metrics; it’s rooted in trust. As AI-generated content blurs the lines of what’s real, attention and trust have become the ultimate currency. With 81% of consumers saying trust shapes their buying decisions, OOH stands out: it offers un-skippable, real-world presence and unmatched authenticity — driving a +7% uplift in brand trust, more than any other channel.
At Talon, we’ve been preparing for this future. In May 2025 we enhanced our Effectiveness Unit, launching Pulse, our real-time brand tracking platform, and Trax, our creative testing solution. These tools connect exposure to outcomes, showing brands what truly drives attention, recall, and conversion. And with Inspect, our monitoring service, we ensure campaigns deliver exactly as planned, adding another layer of confidence for advertisers.
Combined with JNOR and the continued rise of programmatic, 2026 will be OOH’s most transparent, accountable, and data-driven year yet.
SUSTAINABILITY: A GREAT STORY FOR OOH
OOH is one of the few channels with a genuinely positive sustainability story. As a medium, it reinvests in communications, funding public services, improving infrastructure, and even supporting life-saving initiatives like public defibrillators. In fact, 55% of respondents in Ireland believe OOH is a sustainable medium and the industry is working hard to keep that perception a reality.
Not only that, but a 2023 KPMG report confirms that OOH has the lowest carbon impact per impression of any major media channel. This advantage comes from its one-to-many communication model, which is far more efficient than the one-to-one nature of many other platforms.
Media owners are also taking bold steps to reduce environmental impact. Many now source energy from green suppliers, use electric fleets, and ensure certain DOOH formats, including digital roadside screens, power down outside trading hours, operating only during opening times.
Our purpose has always been ‘to deliver greater value for our clients whilst inspiring people and caring for our planet’. It’s at the heart of our business strategy, supported by a dedicated Group Sustainability Manager and a team working at ground level.
2026 marks a return to fundamentals for brands. Audience-first planning is evolving beyond demographics to mindset and moments. Creativity is reclaiming its role as the only true differentiator in a world saturated with algorithm-driven sameness.
Measurements in OOH is entering a new era with JNOR, delivering transparency and precision, while trust and authenticity continue to be the ultimate currency in an AI-influenced landscape.
Add that to OOH’s sustainability story and accelerating programmatic capabilities, the opportunity for brands to make a real-world impact has never been greater.
You just need to play your cards right.
