OOHGuide

Out-of-Home Advertising Examples: 12 Great OOH Campaigns by Format

Updated 2026-10-21

Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is any ad people see outside the home: billboards, transit, street furniture like bus shelters, place-based screens and digital displays. The best examples below show what each format does well, from a 2005 billboard that lit up when people walked under it to digital screens that change with the weather.

For billboard-only examples, see famous billboard advertising examples. New to OOH? Start with what is out-of-home advertising.

Out-of-home examples at a glance

Campaign Format The idea
The Economist "Lightbulb" (2005) Interactive billboard A bulb lit up as people walked underneath
Spotify's David Bowie station Subway takeover A tribute "museum" in the station near Bowie's home
MoMA's Brooklyn station (2009) Subway takeover Replicas of famous artworks for the price of a fare
Degree's renamed stations Subway takeover Stations renamed for how hot they get
Pepsi Max "Unbelievable" bus shelter (2014) Street furniture, AR Aliens and robots appeared on a "window"
McDonald's Summer Coolers, Qatar Digital billboards Ads triggered by the temperature
McDonald's UK weather boards Digital billboards Live weather shown with fries
British Airways "Look Up" (2013) Digital billboards A child pointed at real planes overhead
Apple "Shot on iPhone" (2015) Billboards and posters Customer photos as the ad
Spotify "Thanks 2016, It's Been Weird" Billboards Funny lines from real listening data
Chick-fil-A cows (1995 to today) Billboards Misspelled "Eat Mor Chikin" signs
Wall Drug Roadside billboards Hundreds of miles of signs for free ice water

Billboards

1. The Economist: the lightbulb that turned on (2005)

The Economist ran a simple red billboard with a single lightbulb that switched on when someone walked beneath it, a visual pun on the magazine's reputation for bright ideas. Created by AMV BBDO, it won multiple international awards, and The Drum has ranked it among the best OOH ads ever (The Drum).

The lesson: one idea, executed cleanly. The board barely needed words.

2. The billboard classics

Many of the most famous out-of-home ads are billboards. We cover these in detail in billboard advertising examples:

  • Chick-fil-A's cows painting "Eat Mor Chikin" on billboards since 1995
  • Wall Drug's hundreds of roadside signs pulling travelers to a small South Dakota town
  • Apple's "Shot on iPhone" billboards built from customer photos
  • Spotify's data-driven year-end lines
  • Burma-Shave's rhyming roadside signs read in sequence

Transit advertising

3. Spotify: a David Bowie museum in the subway

Spotify turned the Broadway-Lafayette subway station in New York, the stop near David Bowie's home, into a tribute with more than 40 artworks and ads. It even used the station's 150-foot structural beams, which had never been sold as ad space before (D&AD case study).

The lesson: a "station domination," where one brand owns every surface, turns a commute into an experience. Picking the right station gave it meaning.

4. MoMA: art for the price of a subway fare (2009)

The Museum of Modern Art took over the Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street station in Brooklyn with replicas of famous works from its collection, so riders could see the art for the price of a MetroCard swipe. The MTA called it a station domination (Second Avenue Sagas).

The lesson: the ad was the product. Showing your best work where people already are can beat any slogan.

5. Degree: subway stations renamed for the heat

Working with New York's MTA, deodorant brand Degree temporarily renamed well-known subway stations based on how hot they get in summer (MediaPost).

The lesson: tie the message to exactly what the audience is feeling in that place, at that moment.

More on the format in transit advertising and bus advertising costs.

Street furniture

6. Pepsi Max: the "Unbelievable" bus shelter (2014)

For all of March 2014, Pepsi Max turned a bus shelter on New Oxford Street in London into what looked like a clear window. It was actually a screen showing a live camera feed of the street, with computer-generated surprises added, like a giant robot, flying saucers and a tentacle monster. Created by AMV BBDO with Grand Visual, it won more than 20 awards, including a Bronze Outdoor Lion at Cannes (LBB Online; Famous Campaigns).

The lesson: street furniture reaches people at eye level while they wait, which gives it time to surprise them. The video of reactions spread the campaign far beyond one shelter.

See billboards vs street furniture vs place-based and bus bench advertising.

Digital out-of-home (DOOH)

7. McDonald's Qatar: ads that turn on when it's too hot

Saatchi & Saatchi Qatar used temperature-sensitive programmatic digital billboards for McDonald's Summer Coolers. The screens first showed the current temperature with the question "Too Hot?" and then promoted the cold drinks. Media owner Elan Media reported 7% sales growth for the Summer Coolers line, with Frappe drinks up 88% (Campaign Middle East).

8. McDonald's UK: the weather, told in fries

In the UK, Leo Burnett London created digital boards that showed live weather using McDonald's food, such as a fry-based thermometer for temperature and fries spilling from a carton for rain (markt-kom).

9. British Airways: "Look Up" (2013)

British Airways' digital billboards in London tracked real flights overhead. When a BA plane passed, the screen showed a child pointing up at it with the flight number and destination. More in billboard advertising examples.

The lesson from all three: digital screens can react to real-world data, like weather, time and flights, so the ad feels live. Many digital billboard operators and programmatic platforms can trigger creative this way. See what is DOOH? and digital billboard costs.

Place-based media

Place-based screens and posters sit where people spend time: gyms, bars, office elevators, gas pumps, EV chargers, doctors' offices and campuses. The best place-based ads match the message to the moment, such as hydration ads in a gym, a lunch special in an office elevator at 11 a.m., or a nearby store promotion on a screen where drivers are parked and charging.

See the place-based section of billboards vs street furniture vs place-based for formats and networks.

What great out-of-home ads have in common

  1. One idea. The Economist's bulb, Degree's station names, Chick-fil-A's cows. None needs explaining.
  2. Context. The best OOH uses the place: the station near Bowie's home, the temperature in Doha, the plane overhead.
  3. Few words. Roadside boards get seconds. See billboard design tips.
  4. A reason to share. The Pepsi Max shelter's reaction video was viewed millions of times online, far more people than ever stood at that bus stop.
  5. Consistency over time. Chick-fil-A and Wall Drug built recognition over decades.

How a local business can borrow these ideas

You don't need a Cannes budget:

  • Own a location. Like a mini station domination: several boards or benches along one road near your business.
  • Use digital timing. Buy digital slots during the hours that matter, like breakfast, commute or weekend, and change the message by time of day.
  • Be specific to the place. "Next exit," "two blocks ahead," a local landmark or a local joke.
  • Keep it to one line. Your name, one idea, and one clear next step.

Frequently asked questions

What are examples of out-of-home advertising?

Billboards, digital billboards, bus and subway ads, bus shelters and benches, airport displays, wallscapes, and place-based screens in gyms, bars, elevators and gas stations. Famous examples include the Economist's lightbulb billboard, Spotify's David Bowie subway station and Pepsi Max's augmented reality bus shelter.

What is the most famous out-of-home ad?

There's no single answer, but often-cited examples include Chick-fil-A's "Eat Mor Chikin" cows, the Economist's 2005 lightbulb billboard, British Airways' "Look Up" and Pepsi Max's "Unbelievable" bus shelter.

What is an example of digital out-of-home advertising?

McDonald's temperature-triggered Summer Coolers billboards in Qatar, which Elan Media said drove 7% sales growth for the drinks, and British Airways' "Look Up" screens, which showed real planes overhead.

What is a station domination?

A transit campaign where one advertiser buys most or all of the ad space in a station, as MoMA did in Brooklyn in 2009 and Spotify did with its David Bowie tribute.

Plan your own out-of-home campaign

Read how to plan an OOH campaign, compare types of billboards and OOH advertising, estimate costs with the billboard cost calculator, or request quotes from local operators.

Sources

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