Charlie Day says your out-of-home campaign needs to take a bigger swing

“A good campaign probably has a little bit of risk,” said “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” star Charlie Day at this week’s OOH Media Con 25. “You’re much better off taking the risk and taking the swing on something that could be wildly successful.”

These risks, like e.l.f. Beauty’s iconic “So Many Dicks” campaign or “Abbot Elementary’s” larger-than-life diorama can make the difference between an unremarkable out-of-home (OOH) campaign and a memorable one. “A good billboard is a nice piece of art,” Day said.

Source: Rhubarb Agency on Instagram

Bold campaigns win big on social

OOH ads don’t just live on the streets anymore—they’re made to be shared. “The ability to share on social has really increased the value of out-of-home,” said Carrie Drinkwater, chief investment officer at Carat.

“I think in our medium you really have to take risks for it to be impactful, because it’s such a big, bold medium,” said Anna Bager, president and CEO of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA). The most effective campaigns are the ones that get photographed, posted, and discussed online, multiplying their reach.

Some 40% of US adults say they have shared items from an OOH ad to social media after seeing the ad, according to October 2024 data from The Harris Poll. OUTFRONT has dubbed this phenomenon of OOH content going viral organically “social out-of-home,” noted senior vice president of national sales Marc Miller.

For example, Pop artist Charli XCX’s iconic lime green “brat” wall was pivotal in making her 2024 album viral, as fans trekked to Brooklyn to take pictures in front of the installation.

OOH rises above other legacy media

While the growth of many traditional channels has slowed, OOH is on the rise—especially in its digital formats. “It’s probably our fastest growing channel within our mix,” said Megan Smith, director of media strategy at Tecovas. Big brands continue to commit serious budget increases to OOH:

• Nike boosted its OOH spend by 443% year over year, according to Bager.
• Samsung added $10 million to its OOH investment in 2024.
• Hubspot’s head of brand paid media, Jonathon McKenzie, said that OOH accounts for about 40% of the company’s ad spend in North America.

“Outdoor is really a barometer for where culture is at,” said Pat LaCroix, executive vice president of media and growth at MissionOne Media.

Billboards build brand legitimacy

OOH has faced challenges due to difficulty with measurement. But for Day, who now co-owns Four Walls Whiskey, the appeal of billboards has never waned.

“I still get excited about being on a billboard,” he said. “I once did a movie with Ice Cube called 'Fist Fight' because I knew they would have billboards all over Hollywood.”

As brands race to fill every inch of digital space, marketers are finding that real-world presence “legitimizes the brand,” according to Caitlin Mack, vice president of marketing at Lesser Evil.

OOH can help younger brands like Lesser Evil or Four Walls Whiskey graduate from niche to national. “There’s a permanence to it,” Day said. “In some ways it says, 'you’ve made it.'”

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