Why Brands Need to Be on the Road This Summer: Canada’s Road Trip Revival

A record 74% of Canadians plan to vacation within Canada this year, with many opting for road trips over air travel to explore local communities, lakes, parks, and festivals. This shift is not just a trend; it is a fundamental change in how Canadians travel and spend

For brands, this means the road has become a high-value media environment offering real-world moments to reach Canadians while they are shopping, stopping and scrolling.

Recent data shows:

• 45% increase in km’s driven during summer 
• 66% of Canadians take action after seeing an OOH ad
• 57% prefer driving 5 hours or more over flying

High airfare flexibility, pet-friendly travel, and local exploration are driving this change. Road trips are boosting spending at convenience stores, gas stations, and local grocers along Canada’s most travelled routes.

Travel decisions are made in the moment. Consumers stop for snacks, fuel, and supplies in high-density environments, such as convenience stores, gas stations, and rest stops.

Brands that show up here capture

• High intent in-store moments
• Last-minute purchase decisions
• OOH exposure reinforced with mobile retargeting and Connected TV follow-ups

Adapt Media’s network covers Canada’s busiest summer routes from Toronto to Muskoka, Montreal to the Eastern Townships, Vancouver to the Okanagan and Halifax to the Cabot Trail. By combining OOH and DOOH with mobile retargeting, brands can build a complete funnel strategy that moves consumers from awareness to action while they travel.

Digital channels are cluttered and often skipped. OOH delivers real-world visibility, consumer trust, and measurable results like store visits, coupon redemptions and online searches.

Pair OOH with mobile retargeting to follow consumers from roadside to screen, keeping your brand top of mind until the purchase.

Want to build a summer campaign that reaches Canadians where it matters most

Download The Great Canadian Road Trip A Media Planning Guide for Brands to discover
– Key travel corridors and seasonal patterns
– Consumer behaviour on the road
– In-store OOH and mobile retargeting tactics that drive results
– Real-world case studies from brands like McDonald’s

Put your brand in front of Canadians on the move and turn summer travel into measurable performance.

Road trip advertising is important in Canada because the country has vast landscapes, long travel distances, and high car ownership. It targets mobile consumers, supports local tourism, and effectively reaches travelers on popular routes like the Trans-Canada Highway.

OOH works with mobile retargeting by capturing mobile device IDs near outdoor ads and retargeting those users with digital ads later. This method links physical ad exposure to online behavior, increasing brand recall and improving campaign attribution through location-based data.

Brands that benefit most from road trip advertising include fast food chains, gas stations, tourism boards, car rental companies, and convenience retailers. These brands target travelers in transit, capitalize on impulse decisions, and gain visibility along high-traffic routes.

Road trip advertising is most effective in summer due to peak travel volumes, but it remains valuable year-round. Winter travel, holiday road trips, and commuting patterns still offer consistent exposure, especially near ski resorts, urban centers, and border crossings.

Download the white paper or contact Adapt Media to align your campaign with Canadian travel patterns.