Five Key Consumer Trends from Our Brand-New Late 2025 Advertising Trends Report

September 2, 2025

A lot can change in six months – and that’s been especially true for the last six. That’s why OUTFRONT has researched and assembled an all-new Advertising Trends Report with fifty-plus pages of insights thoughtfully compiled to help brands better connect with consumers in real life.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll run down some of the most important things to know across three categories: consumer attitudes and behaviors, media industry trends, and the latest in IRL out of home advertising.

Get your copy of the full Advertising Trends Report now – or keep reading to discover the top five consumer trends that brands and businesses need to know about.

1. Despite rising prices, consumers are optimistic about their personal financial situations.

It may sound surprising, but the majority of Americans now rate their personal finances as fairly or very good. Among those who don’t, rising prices are the leading contributing factor, and three out of four say their income hasn’t kept up with them (SOURCE: CBS News/YouGov).

But while 72% consumers are concerned about money and 65% go as far as to say they’re stressed about it, three in ten expect to be better off next year than they are now, more than double the number who said the same comparing this year to last (SOURCES: Mintel, The Economist/YouGov).

2. Authenticity and trust play a significant role in consumers’ relationships with brands.

 
As the online environment becomes more and more polluted with AI slop, bots, fraudulent reviews, and deepfakes, authenticity has become more critical than ever, with 98% of consumers saying that it’s important and nearly six in ten saying it’s very or extremely important. It’s the top-ranked factor in building brand trust (SOURCE: Atom Radar). And brand trust is ranked equally with quality and price for driving product consideration (SOURCE: Edelman). As for what authenticity looks like in practice, consistent quality and honest communication top the list for 56% and 43%, respectively (SOURCE: Atom Radar).

3. Consumers seek out brands whose values match their own, and they want those brands to take a stand.

 

In an era where every purchase has seemingly become a political act, consumers demand that brands stand for something bigger than themselves. 88% of consumers strive to support brands that share their values; when consumers share values with a brand, 84% will recommend the brand, 55% say they’re more loyal because of those shared values, and 64% will even pay a premium for that alignment (SOURCE: GWI/Givsly).

But brands that adopt values inauthentically should beware – because taking a stand and backing down from it can be orders of magnitude worse for a brand than staying quietly above the fray, which poses threats of its own – 53% feel disappointed when brands remain neutral on important issues, and the same number interpret a brand’s silence as either doing nothing or worse, hiding something (SOURCE: Edelman).

4. In lieu of milestones like home ownership that have drifted out of reach, Gen Z seeks meaning and purpose elsewhere.

 
Our traffic, the nation’s seventh worst, translates to long dwell times, while the market’s average $117K household income represents an audience with buying power.

You wouldn’t blame Zoomers for being cynical in an environment where seven in ten doubt they’ll ever own a home and only 31% expect they’ll ever be able to retire (SOURCE: Goodwill/McKinsey). But rather than going full nihilist, they are seeking out jobs with purpose as well as increasing rates of pet ownership by double digits. Gen Z is also finding – and building – community in fandoms, with two out of three saying they’ve met close friends through shared interests like K-Pop groups or anime series (SOURCE: Ipsos).

5. Reluctant to cut back on travel, consumers are quenching their thirst for adventure via road trips.

Travel is one experience that consumers seem particularly unwilling to cut back on, even in a turbulent economy. Cost is a key decision factor for travelers – the primary factor for 29%, in fact – but while average summer vacation budgets are down 7%, intent to travel is up 3%. That’s why 2025 is the summer of the road trip (SOURCE: KPMG). 53% are planning more road trips this summer and 32% plan to visit more attractions close to home (SOURCE: Campspot/Pilot).

That is part one of three! Come back to Brand Central Station next week to discover the biggest media trends for the back half of the year – or access the entire Advertising Trends Report now and collect them all.

Author: Jay Fenster, Marketing Manager @ OUTFRONT

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