PML Group has emphasised the growing strategic value of Out of Home (OOH) advertising as AI-powered answer engines fundamentally alter how consumers discover and evaluate brands, according to insights shared by the company’s Marketing Manager James Byrne this week.
The shift towards zero-click information experiences, where AI-generated search results provide answers without requiring users to visit websites, is reducing referral traffic for publishers and creating new challenges for brand visibility. In this evolving landscape, physical advertising presence has emerged as a critical trust-building mechanism that cannot be replicated through digital channels alone.
Key facts
- 64 per cent of consumers believe brands seen in public spaces feel more like part of real life, according to Kantar’s IRL Advantage study
- 74 per cent perceive brands as more trustworthy when OOH appears alongside online or television advertising
- 73 per cent of adults prefer products or retailers that engage them through in-person experiences or local outdoor events, Harris Poll research found
- Three in four Gen Z and Millennials report paying more attention to ads in public spaces, compared with 56 per cent of Gen X
- Following memorable live brand experiences, 30 per cent of consumers searched for more information, looked for products in stores, or purchased later
Physical Presence Signals Brand Legitimacy
Research from Kantar demonstrates that business visibility in physical spaces communicates qualities that automated content generation cannot match. While AI systems can instantly produce recommendations and comparisons at scale, they cannot replicate a tangible presence on commuter routes, shopping centres or transport networks.
When surveyed about what public advertising communicates, consumers identified three primary associations: 41 per cent said it shows a brand has confidence to be seen and judged by everyone, 39 per cent viewed it as evidence of an established, legitimate operation rather than a temporary venture, and 38 per cent interpreted it as commitment to being part of the real world.
The advertising medium’s ability to build credibility extends beyond standalone impact. When Out of Home campaigns run in combination with television or online advertising, the cross-channel effect substantially enhances perceived trustworthiness. Recent findings on Irish consumer behaviour towards out-of-home advertising demonstrate similar patterns of engagement and action.
Real-World Engagement Drives Purchase Behaviour
Research conducted by the Out of Home Advertising Association of America in partnership with The Harris Poll reveals that real-world brand encounters influence the entire purchase journey. Nearly seven in ten adults characterise Out of Home advertising as feeling more human than online or mobile alternatives, whilst 64 per cent consider it more culturally relevant.
PML Group’s analysis emphasises that answer engines organise and recommend among existing options rather than creating new demand. Brands therefore require established familiarity and preference before consumers initiate searches. The Dublin-based media specialist, which maintains detailed knowledge of how people live, work and move through out-of-home spaces, argues that physical media reaches audiences during everyday activities in ways that digital impressions struggle to replicate.
Looking ahead to budget planning, Kantar identified four strategic priorities for technology-era advertising: treating OOH as a trust-building asset evaluated on its contribution to brand confidence and digital performance, prioritising younger audiences who show heightened attention to public space advertising, investing in interactive formats which outperform other channels on trust metrics, and reviewing media plans for potential trust gaps where impressions concentrate in lower-confidence digital feeds.
The convergence of automated search experiences and increased consumer scepticism towards AI-generated content appears to be elevating the strategic importance of verifiable, physical brand presence across Irish and international markets.
Reporting based on original coverage by Adworld.