Why FOOH Advertising Should Be Part of Your Marketing Strategy

Today’s consumers have access to countless online platforms that are packed with endless streams of content. While this allows brands and businesses to connect more directly with their audiences, it also makes it increasingly challenging to find effective ways to stand out. This is where Fake Out of Home or FOOH advertising comes into play.

This new short-form advertising is a result of the growing demand for organic content that stands out in a crowded market, and it’s so effective that a good FOOH ad can receive ten times the views, shares, or comments compared to a brand’s usual social media content. And this is why plenty of brands have already tapped in.

Check out this FOOH ad on Instagram, which has over 3 million views and 147 thousand likes on Instagram:

From its cost-effectiveness down to the creative freedom it provides, we’ll break down the top reasons why you should consider integrating fake-out-of-home advertising into your next marketing strategy. This article will also provide clear examples from brands who’ve utilized this approach and the results they achieved from doing so.

What is FOOH Advertising?

Fake out of home, or FOOH Advertising, is the latest creative advertising approach that involves combining raw video footage of well-known worldwide locations or spots with 3D CG (computer-generated) objects. These videos, usually around 8 to 15 seconds long, go viral on social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube shorts, Instagram or Meta reels, or other platforms that support short-form content.

FOOH is also sometimes referred to as CGI ads or CGI marketing and is a new-age take on OOH (Out of Home) advertising. And contrary to traditional OOH ads that only exist in the physical space, CGI ads are purely digital. These ads appear to blur the lines between reality and fiction because the main goal is to elicit a shock response and incline an online audience to like, share, and comment on a post. A special thing about FOOH Ads is, that they’re likely to go viral organically – which is something that speaks to large brands that struggle to stand out in today’s oversaturated online space.

Take a look at this Fake Out of Home ad from Hyundai in our FOOH Library:

Interested in learning more about FOOH Adveritisng? Read our guide to Fake Out of Home Advertising article here.

5 Key Advantages of FOOH Advertising

FOOH advertising offers several distinct advantages over other advertising methods, making it an increasingly popular choice for brands looking to stand out. Here’s why CGI marketing is becoming a go-to strategy in modern marketing campaigns:

1. Attention-grabbing

FOOH advertising is cleverly designed to stand out in overcrowded online spaces. The hyperrealism and surreal nature of these ads often trigger a double-take reaction from online audiences, making them stop scrolling to figure out if what they’re seeing is real or not.

This “shock factor” instantly guarantees that your ad grabs attention. And with today’s novelty-driven audience, this uniqueness gives your brand a serious edge in a sea of generic content. People crave something fresh, and FOOH advertising delivers that in spades, ensuring your message isn’t just seen but also remembered.

2. Increased social media engagement

CGI marketing thrives on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or Youtube, where users value content that entertains them without being too contrived, pretentious, or promotional. As filmmaker Martin Scorsese once said, “The most personal is the most creative.”

When a user outside the target market group stumbles upon your FOOH ad and pauses to inspect whether what they’re seeing is real, those precious few seconds can move them to comment, like, comment, or share your ad.

This creates a rippling effect in fueling organic engagement, encouraging others in their network to stop and take notice as well. As more people interact with your FOOH ad, the social media algorithms take notice and start pushing your content to even more users, and this can lead to your FOOH ad going viral organically.

3. Creative freedom

With fake-out-of-home advertising, you’re basically awarded the ability to challenge reality however you want. CGI marketing allows you to let your imagination run wild. You can insert objects into real-life footage, create humongous caricatures in real-world locations, or even animate products to interact with their environment.

Want to see your drink perched on the Leaning Tower of Pisa or a train going through your mascara wand in the metro? The only limit is your imagination.

With FOOH, you get the chance to work with skilled and creative artists and studios, which opens up new possibilities for unexpected and unique concepts that might not have been possible with traditional advertising methods before. These professionals can help bring your craziest ideas to life, while still making it seem effortless and seamless. This guarantees that your vision not only stands out but also still feels incredibly authentic and engaging to audiences online.

4. Flexibility

Working with CGI ads means you have the flexibility to adapt your content quickly to trends and current events. And with how trends last faster these days than ever, this is a game-changer. When a viral moment or a hot topic surfaces, you can create your FOOH ad around it in as quick as a couple of weeks – significantly shorter than the turnaround of other advertising formats.

This means your brand can stay relevant and capitalize on current conversations, increasing the chances of your ad going viral and resonating with audiences while the trend is still hot.

5. Cost-effectiveness

Contrary to other marketing initiatives, FOOH offers a significantly lower cost. CGI ads offer multinational companies a larger scale of reach, with less cost. There’s no need for physical installations or expensive locations, making it a more budget-friendly option. And because these ads live online, you can reach a broader audience without the

logistical costs tied to real-world ad placements, allowing you to maximize your ad budget while still delivering high-impact content that feels grand and immersive – without breaking the bank.

5 Examples of FOOH Advertising Done Right

We can talk about the advantages of FOOH advertising all day, but nothing beats seeing it in action. Here are five examples of viral CGI ads:

1. Nike Dunk Ghost and Void x RTFKT

What would the future of footwear look like? This Nike collaboration FOOH ad gives us a glimpse. It starts with a man stepping into a sleek, high-tech space and placing his Nike shoe on a futuristic upgrade machine. He selects the Nike Dunk Ghost (G) design on a nearby computer screen, and with a simple button press, the shoe dissolves, beginning its transformation.

The highlight of the viral fooh ad is the upgraded shoe gracefully floating on a wireless charger, blending technology and style seamlessly. With over 500,000 likes, this CGI ad is a prime example of how effective FOOH ads can be at grabbing attention and engaging online audiences in ways never done before.

2. Porsche Taycan

Picture this: a race track looping around the Eiffel Tower like a roller coaster. That’s exactly what happens in this fun viral CGI ad for Porsche Taycan. As two guys walk up to the iconic tower, they see Taycan models racing along the track, twisting and turning upside down.

Amazed, they quickly whip out their phones to record the action. With over 800,000 likes and a thousand comments, this viral fooh ad shows how effective FOOH ads can be, bringing the thrill of the Taycan to life in a way that gets people talking.

3. Maybelline Sky High Mascara

In this fun FOOH advertising for Maybelline, a group of friends is driving through Cape Town when they spot a giant eyelash billboard for Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara. A huge mascara brush applies the product right on the eyelash, making it look super real. To top it off, a plane flies by, adding even more excitement to the scene. With over 400,000 likes, it’s clear that these creative CGI ads grab people’s attention and get them talking.

4. Fenty Sephora Savings Event

In this fun Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin ad, a Sephora store in NYC gets a cool twist with a giant roller coaster slide. Huge Fenty products zoom down the slide and into the store, making it feel like shopping is part of the adventure. The ad invites people to “slide up” to Sephora to check out their favorite beauty items. With 280k likes, it’s clear this eye-catching FOOH ad did its job in getting a lot of attention in a crowded online space.

5. BOSS Fernando Alfonso Helmet

What’s more eye-catching than a giant BOSS helmet cruising through London? In this clever FOOH ad, a double-decker bus passes by Selfridges, and a black cloth pulls back to reveal a massive BOSS Fernando Alonso helmet on top. As it moves through the streets, people can’t help but stop and stare, captivated by the bold display against the cityscape. With over 120k likes, this ad shows how successful FOOH advertising can be at making a huge impact using a brand’s image, in this case, proving BOSS knows how to turn heads in style.

Need more successful examples? Access the biggest FOOH Ad library here and check out the most creative ads out there – all for free.

Why Embrace FOOH Advertising?

FOOH advertising is one of the best ways to cut through all the noise online. With fun, hyper realistic visuals using 3D technology that bring outworldly ideas alive, FOOH ads grab attention and naturally encourage netizens to like, share, and comment. It’s flexible, cost-friendly, and lets you jump on trends fast, making it easy to stay relevant and memorable.

FOOH isn’t just a passing trend – it’s a fresh, smart way for brands to stand out and make a real impact. If you’re aiming for a memorable campaign that delivers results, FOOH could be the game-changer you need in your marketing arsenal.

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