By Michael Bürgi  •  June 16, 2025  •

Interestingly, XLabs is incorporating gamification elements into its offerings, such as quizzes for transit passengers, using touch screens and QR codes, explained Chad Shackelford, vp and head of digital creative at Outfront, who’s also a Cannes first-timer. An early test of the quiz technology ran around Halloween asked a variety of questions around New York-area supernatural trivia like the Jersey Devil.

XLabs’ demo, a miniature version of the lab Outfront built into its New York headquarters, will all be showcased along Cabana Row outside the Palais, and the “content” will be customized for the various agencies and brands that are signed up to check out a demo. Also on display will be augmented-reality and mixed-reality executions, dynamic data-driven creative (often geared around weather data), 3D content, and live-streaming options. 

“Based on the different brands we’re meeting at Cannes, we’ll have category-specific playlists that really determine what we focus on,” said Shackelford, a former creative director with Havas. “I want to make sure that I’m creating enough of a connection point with the brands and the categories they operate in rather than a best-of approach.”

The idea is to change peoples’ minds about what the latest DOOH activations can accomplish, and to distance OOH from other legacy media, said Brien. 

“The out of home medium, in conjunction with many legacy media, have failed to continue to demonstrate their relevance and their cutting edge contribution to both brand building and driving performance,” said Brien. “The difference between us and the other legacy media is, we’re not losing audience share — we are gaining audience share. We are connected to mobility and mobile devices. We actually have media that is increasingly recognized as as a trusted media vehicle for which to experience.”

“Outfront continues to raise the bar for innovation in OOH, leading the charge in its digital evolution,” said Brian Rappaport, CEO of OOH media agency Quan. “As the channel sees consistent year-over-year growth, brand leaders are tuning in, and taking notes … This isn’t just a shift—it’s a seismic one.”

But it’s not a cheap shift. Although Shackelford and Jason Kuperman, chief product experience officer at Outfront, wouldn’t say how much has been invested in XLabs, it’s likely in the millions of dollars. They’re more focused on what it can yield. And although Outfront’s 2024 overall revenue was largely flat in 2024 (at $1.83 billion), transit revenue grew 8.8%. to $384 million.

“It’s paid off in that we have clients who are excited about doing these things that they may not have been interested in digital out of home before,” said Kuperman, who noted the innovations also help to attract clients with lower-funnel goals, given the interactivity of XLabs’ offerings. “So they’re either buying more often, or buying larger campaigns.”

And that’s ultimately the point of schlepping to Cannes, said Barry Frey, president/CEO of the Digital Place-based Ad Association, which is the trade organization for most digital OOH companies. Tech may not be the end-all, be all, but it sure helps in this era. And he believes it helps to attract the attention of brands and agencies at Cannes.

“Our mission has always been to foment the digitization and innovation of the global OOH industry,” said Frey. “We mean 3D, AR, interactive content, creative uses of every new tech innovation and more. Outfront is delivering on what we have been evangelizing for years, and the more our OOH leaders drive this innovation, the more value brands and agencies will generate from OOH.”

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