Fortune cookies, the Sphere and more: How advertisers are taking OOH beyond billboards

This fall, Las Vegas is set to be home to the world’s largest spherical structure and perhaps, the world’s largest ad opportunity. The $2.3 billion MSG Sphere features 1.2 million LED lights shaped like hockey pucks that can be programmed into content — most recently, it’s been a basketball thanks to the NBA’s recent ad takeover of the sphere.

It’s the latest curious out-of-home offering and an example of expanding OOH options for advertisers looking to stand out in a competitive ad market. And brands are rising to the occasion, leveraging everything from aerial banners in the Hamptons to Las Vegas’ newest flashy entertainment venue — the MSG Sphere.

In the midst of today’s challenging economic climate, OOH ad revenue continues to creep up, accounting for $1.82 billion this year, per the Out of Home Advertising Association of America. As advertisers continue to look for ways to differentiate themselves in today’s ad landscape, bounded by a saturated digital marketplace, inflation and rising online ad costs, expect to see more creative approaches to OOH, advertisers say.

“Every business eventually turns into an ad business of some kind,” said Ben Witte, founder and CEO of drink brand Recess. “There’s going to be more interesting placements for out-of-home creative beyond the traditional billboards or wild posting or something like that.”

At present, CPMs for a static billboard can range from $8 to $12 in comparison to CPMs for non-traditional OOH channels, like aerial banners, which can run an advertiser between $5 to $6, according to Brian Rappaport, CEO of Quan Media Group.

Recess’ OOH budget currently makes up less than 10% of its total budget and has been flat in the last year, per Witte. However, that figure is expected to increase next year as the company expands its retail footprint.

Recess, along with other e-commerce and direct to consumer brands, is especially keen on OOH ads beyond the typical billboard to boost brand awareness during times of retail expansion into new locations. But it’s also a push to drum up earned media, Witte said, adding that the more creative an OOH ad is, the better chance it has at drumming that earned media up, via press coverage and social media posts.

Last year, for example, snack and wellness brand BelliWelli doubled down on its OOH spend after its “Hot Girls Have IBS” billboard campaign went viral. DTC cookie brand Deux had a similar strategy with its viral “Honk If You Like It Raw” OOH billboard campaign last summer.

Perhaps more interestingly, big-name brand Maybelline New York is leaning into faux OOH campaigns on the heels of its Falsies Surreal Mascara product launch earlier this year. Here, the makeup brand has rolled out videos across social media featuring floating mascara wands and mascara tube-shaped street cars driving through the streets of New York City. It appears as an out-of-home activation, but instead the company is calling art installations that live on social media.

There was a similar story ahead of the Barbie movie premiere, where a hologram of a giant Barbie doll was displayed in Dubai. Similar to Maybelline, the creative is a video as opposed to a real-life activation. According to the Associated Press, the stunt was created by Eye Studio, an advertising company based in the United Arab Emirates, and isn’t affiliated with Mattel or Warner Bros.

Faux OOH efforts aren’t the only creative ways brands are expanding their use of OOH. Here’s a roundup of how advertisers are taking OOH beyond the billboard:

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