You can scroll past a sponsored post. Mute a podcast. Block a pop-up. But you can’t mute a mural. Or a mirror decal. Or a sidewalk chalk message that makes you laugh out loud in public. That’s the power of OOH advertising (out-of-home advertising).
And in 2025, OOH is having a moment because it works. Brands that include OOH in their media mix are likelier to win. According to Ipsos, 58% of Effie Award-winning campaigns used OOH ads, compared to just 33% of all entries. Ads viewed as “unique” boosted memory recall by 21%. And when those ads made people feel something—or taught them something new—behavioral lift jumped by 53%.
The big surprise is that OOH advertising is also cost-effective. The same Ipsos report reveals that the global average CPM (cost per thousand impressions) is $6.41. That’s nearly half the cost of other ad formats.
And no, you don’t need a Times Square billboard to get results. Even solo business owners can make a splash with OOH advertising. I spoke to a few people who’ve done exactly that—turning low-cost placements into high-impact campaigns, like the one that turned a school science kit into a nationwide brand moment.
Want to hear more? Let’s dig in.
Wait—what the heck is OOH advertising again?
OOH stands for out-of-home advertising. Translation: Any ad you encounter outside your house. In the old days, OOH advertising primarily meant billboards. Today, though, think:
- Flyers on a café bulletin board.
- Branded mirror decals at your gym.
- The bus wraps you see on your commute.
- Light projections on the side of a building.
OOH works because:
- You can’t skip it.
- It shows up near buying decisions (grocery stores, cafés, airports).
- It makes your brand feel real because the ads are in the real world.
The following chart outlines the four major OOH media formats small businesses are using right now to get noticed offline: street-level, transit, place-based, and guerrilla OOH.
But fabulous OOH isn’t just about format. It’s about intention. Relevance. Surprise. Utility. Timing. It’s about showing up in the right place, with the right message, in a way that actually means something.
And no one gets that better than Stav Vaisman.
The rise of experiential OOH advertising
As founder and CEO of InspiredConsumer, a leading consumer engagement agency, Vaisman has helped brands like Netflix, Nickelodeon, and KraftHeinz show up in schools, rec centers, and community spaces—not as advertisers, but as contributors. The goal? To create experiences that feel less like ads and more like real-life value. “We’re not here to interrupt people,” he says. “We’re here to participate in their day.”
That participation comes to life through campaigns like Rocket Day—an OOH campaign for Arm & Hammer. InspiredConsumer distributed baking soda experiment kits to 180,000 students, and kids turned those everyday materials into bottle rockets. Parents got involved. And Arm & Hammer became part of a joyful, educational moment families still talk about. “One parent told us their daughter hadn’t stopped talking about Rocket Day for weeks,” Valisman says. “That kind of enthusiasm doesn’t come from a billboard. It comes from experience.”
Another campaign, for Nickelodeon’s Big Nate, turned classroom reading into a full-on literacy challenge. More than 800,000 students participated, reading aloud, discussing, sharing—and associating the brand with something fun, smart, and school-approved.
Vaisman’s brand of OOH works. InspiredConsumer operates in over 100 metro areas and reaches more than 50 million families. And, according to Vaisman, 97% of participating schools return year after year.
Even if you’re not working with brands as big as Nickelodeon, his OOH model translates. “The strategy works at any scale,” Vaisman says. “The magic is in the message. So don’t just promote. Contribute.”
3 OOH advertising strategies that work at any scale
How can your small business borrow a page from InspiredConsumer’s playbook? Follow these guidelines.
1. Use OOH advertising to show up in trusted spaces
“You don’t need a school network to make this approach work,” Vaisman says. “You just need to find the spaces your audience already trusts.”
Think beyond traditional ad zones. Vaisman’s team partners with schools, after-school programs, and rec centers because families already trust those environments. But this idea applies everywhere.
- A local tax firm could share tip sheets at the library.
- A business coach might hang hiring checklists at a coworking space.
- A software company could sponsor signage in a startup incubator’s break room.
Even B2B companies benefit here. According to Vaisman, OOH ads that appear where decisions happen—such as in airport lounges, conference centers, and even shared office kitchens—build instant credibility. “The goal isn’t interruption,” he says. “It’s alignment.” And that’s why InspiredConsumer embeds its campaigns into back-to-school nights, science fairs, and even take-home student kits. Its campaigns belong there.
You can do the same, even without a media buy. A little strategy goes a long way.
2. As with OOH advertising, think low-tech, high-touch
“Some of our best campaigns are the simplest,” Vaisman says. “Coloring sheets. Recipe cards. Printouts with QR codes. They work because people remember what they hold.” InspiredConsumer has turned take-home activities into brand touchpoints—mini science experiments, reading lists, even family game night packs. They’re not ads. They’re keepsakes.
Small businesses can play this game, too.
- A fitness studio could leave printed workouts at a café, with QR codes linked to videos.
- A payroll service might create a quarterly tax calendar and share it at coworking spaces.
- A cybersecurity firm could hand out digital hygiene checklists at a tech meetup.
“Make it useful,” Vaisman says. “Make it something people want to keep.”
That principle powered Dylan Toole’s barbershop campaign. Toole, founder and CEO of DMT Agency, a marketing firm known for creative, guerrilla-style OOH campaigns, placed mirror decals in boutique gyms and clothing stores. The decals had a QR code with the text: “This mirror’s good. Your cut should be, too.” Simple. Clever. Snappable. “We didn’t pay a dime for placement,” Toole said. “And once business owners saw how clean the decals looked, a few even asked for more.”
3. Tie in a cause to your OOH advertising
“Every campaign we run ties into something bigger—literacy, wellness, education,” Vaisman says. “Again, it’s not promotion. It’s contribution.” In other words, it’s not charity for the sake of marketing. It’s brand-building that actually matters.
When Nickelodeon partnered with Wet Ones to donate four million hand sanitizers to schools during COVID, the goal was safety, not product awareness. But Vaisman says the brand lift came anyway.
You don’t need a big budget to pull off this cause technique.
- A garden center could launch a Green Thumb challenge for kids at local community centers.
- A tech company might offer free digital literacy workshops at the library.
- A deli could sponsor a “Lunch & Learn” series with local non-profits, and show up with sandwiches and brand stickers.
Kennedy Cee, CEO of 9 Figure Media, backs up these ideas. “When you tie in a cause, people remember you for the right reasons. It’s a conversation starter and a credibility builder.”
And if you’re wondering how to measure any of this, take Cee’s advice. “Forget vague ‘brand awareness,’” he says. “Track what you can count: foot traffic, QR scans, sales.” One of his clients followed those measures, spending $1,500 on a subway ad and making $2,000 in additional sales the same week. That’s an OOH win.
Ready to try OOH advertising? Start here
You don’t need a billboard budget to make OOH advertising work. You just need a creative idea, smart placement, and a reason for people to care. Here are five ways to help you use your new knowledge to get started:
- Start small, but smart. Choose one OOH placement where your audience already is. A single, well-placed ad beats five forgettable ones.
- Design for delight. Your ad should help, teach, entertain, or spark a reaction. Think conversation starter, not corporate monologue.
- Make it interactive. Use a QR code. Hashtag. Coupon. Sticker. Whatever makes a click, or a snap, or a scan.
- Track what you can count. Foot traffic. Sales. Promo code redemptions. Survey responses. Forget fuzzy metrics—measure what moves.
- Collaborate locally. Partner with another business to co-create, co-promote, or just split the cost. A shared audience multiplies reach.
“OOH doesn’t need to be fancy,” Pogy says. “It just needs to be seen. And if it makes someone smile—or stop and snap—you’re halfway there.”
Your customers are already out in the world. Your ad should be, too. It’s time to stop talking at people online—and start showing up where they live, work, and play with OOH advertising.
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