International Advertising
Advertise in Canada
Advertise in Canada with One Day Agency
Harness Canada's Diverse Opportunities with Targeted Canadian Advertising Campaigns
Canada is a key destination for brand advertisers keen to engage with affluent, educated, and responsive audiences. With a population of over 40 million, it is a vast country with a unique blend of sprawling metropolitan centres and open spaces.
Recent initiatives by the Institute of Canadian Agencies have further boosted Canada's position as a hub for global advertising. These schemes incentivise brands to expand into out-of-home advertising in Canada as well as cross-channel digital and physical campaigns, making the most of the diversity and multicultural demographics they can share messaging with.
Busy, fast-paced cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal are excellent locations for advertising focused on shoppers, travellers, professionals, and visitors. With an influx of more than 18 million global tourists a year, most travelling through the four major airports, there are ample opportunities to use strategically targeted campaigns.
Why Advertise in Canada?
As a location known for its political stability, safety, and welcoming communities, Canada's consumer markets are value-focused and have great economic and employment opportunities for professionals. From an advertising perspective, this means captive audiences and interested viewers have the capacity and income to react positively to exciting brand offerings.
Contrasts between city and urban life and the vast plains of the national parks make Canada equally appealing to investors, expatriates, students, and families. The country is also a destination for higher education, with over 85,000 students studying at the University of Toronto at any one time and a 29% increase in international student numbers.
Many travel to the country to view unique attractions and focal points, such as Niagara Falls or the Canadian Rockies, mixing these sites with retail, entertainment, and sightseeing in the cities. Shopping centres in central city districts, such as Yonge-Dundas Square and the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto, sustain vast footfalls and visitor numbers.
Between Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, Montreal-Trudeau and Calgary International Airports, brands can reach as many as 109 million travellers every year, using billboard advertising and displays around lounges and terminals, roadway networks and public transport services.
Why One Day?
At One Day, we combine every area of expertise, campaign design, creative inspiration, and advertising deployment in one place for ambitious brands looking to advertise in Canada. We provide brands with professional campaign planning and research, ongoing monitoring and tracking, and activation to ensure they know precisely what returns and impressions they are achieving.
As an integrated marketing agency focused on advanced ad tech, creative excellence, and innovation, we provide a full suite of assistance as a single team traversing multiple specialisms. We create detail-oriented plans and campaigns that maximise returns and optimise your position in your sector or target market.
Advertising in Canada: Key Formats
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Billboard Advertising in Canada
Billboards in Canada positioned in the heart of busy pedestrian zones, university campuses, nightlife districts, and commercial areas are a great way to reach large audiences with each advertising placement. These high-visibility max-size billboards portray always-on promotions or strategic eye-level displays that are impossible to miss.
Some of the most in-demand billboards in Canada include those around major arterial routes, like Highways 400 and 401, which thousands of commuters and motorists use every day, and retail districts like Toronto Eaton Centre or the Montreal shopping areas, which attract tourists and locals alike.
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Digital Billboard Displays
Adding digital billboards and signage to your campaigns augments the effectiveness of your advertising with real-time messaging that can update and adapt according to the weather, user interactions or the time of day, and as a cost-effective form of promotion that is highly contextual to the viewer.
LED-illuminated billboards are an eco-friendly advertising format that performs incredibly well in areas with captive audiences or repeat visitors, including transport hubs and stations such as Toronto Pearson International and Union Station.
Latest Out-of-Home Campaigns.
See below our selected work in media planning and buying, click or tap to view.
Technology Services - International OOH Campaign
FMCG - Out-of-Home Campaign in Ireland.
Non-Alcoholic Beer - Out-of-Home Campaign & TV
Meet the Media Planning Team
Klaudia
Media Planning & Buying
Laurence
Media Planning & Buying
Scott
Media Planning & Buying
“Canada’s media landscape is diverse and forward-thinking, with audiences that value inclusivity, authenticity, and innovation. At One Day Agency, we create campaigns that resonate with Canadian values and deliver results by connecting brands with this engaged and discerning market.”
Ricardo Seixas, Founder and CEO, One Day Agency
Frequently Asked Questions.
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Several regulations and rules govern outdoor advertising, depending on the types of products or services you want to promote and where you want to advertise.
For example, Quebec has specific requirements: Ads must include a minimal proportion of French language if a brand or trademark is presented in English—or any alternative.
Most cities and provinces do not allow outdoor advertising close to schools or facilities specifically for young people. Although high-profile billboards are available in the cities and roadway networks, they cannot compromise safety, impact scenic views, or be perceived as a risk or distraction to motorists.
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Although Canada is often assumed to have a smaller market compared to neighbouring America, it is actually one of the highest-spending countries in terms of advertising—with the sixth–highest investment in advertising last year.
Combined with the US, North America represents a huge proportion of international advertising spending, and with forecasts for continued growth and schemes to promote Canada as an advertising destination and attract brands from overseas, the opportunities available look set to continue improving.
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For out-of-home (OOH) advertising in Canada, here are the top options and locations based on visibility, foot traffic, and demographic reach:
1. Urban Centres (High Foot & Vehicle Traffic)
Toronto:
Yonge-Dundas Square (high visibility, similar to Times Square)
Gardiner Expressway billboards (major commuter route)
Vancouver:
Granville Street and Robson Street (high pedestrian traffic)
Lions Gate Bridge approaches (commuter-focused)
Montreal:
Downtown and Quartier des Spectacles (cultural hub)
Autoroute Décarie billboards (major traffic artery)
2. Transit Advertising
Public Transport: Ads on buses, streetcars, and subways in cities like Toronto (TTC), Vancouver (TransLink), and Montreal (STM).
Train & Airport Advertising: GO Transit (Ontario) and VIA Rail offer large-scale exposure, while airports like Pearson, Vancouver International, and Montreal-Trudeau target high-income travellers.
3. Shopping Centres
Prominent malls like Toronto Eaton Centre, Metropolis at Metrotown (Vancouver), and Carrefour Laval (Montreal) offer opportunities for digital and static OOH ads.
4. Sports & Entertainment Venues
Stadiums like Rogers Centre (Toronto), BC Place (Vancouver), and Bell Centre (Montreal) have high traffic during events, perfect for targeting sports fans and event-goers.
5. Digital Billboards
Look for digital billboard networks managed by companies like Pattison Outdoor, OUTFRONT Media, or Astral Media. They offer flexible, dynamic ad placements in major cities and along highways.
Each option can be tailored based on your target demographic and campaign objectives.
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