Real life is the new primetime

There’s a growing appreciation for real-world experiences. A theme that keeps popping up across industry events, conversations with clients, and in my own social circles. People crave connection. Real life is a medium too; in fact, it’s the original social network, and after years of Zoom calls, we want to be out in the world again. OOH is perfectly placed to meet people there, on their commute, on a walk, or on their coffee run. And when done right, it can turn a mundane Monday into something memorable.

So, what does effectiveness look like in OOH today? The first core principle of advertising effectiveness is reach: to be effective, you need to be able to reach real people. Delivering the right message to the right people at the right time and doing it in a way that actually sticks.

ROFLMAO

Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of doom and gloom in the world today. Leo Burnett’s PopPulse research talks about the ‘crisis-hangover’ from Covid, the cost-of-living crisis, and political chaos… It’s all very heavy for consumers. That’s why humor is having a well-deserved resurgence. And OOH is the perfect playground for it.

Humor drives emotional engagement across all ages. It’s not just about being funny, it’s about being human. Kantar research shows that brand differentiation is declining because everyone’s playing it safe. But humor cuts through. Think of Compare the Market. Talking meerkats in a price-comparison category? Genius.

Even McDonald’s is leaning in; its CMO recently spoke about the last 20 years of the brand, and quoted the company’s founder: “We’re not in the burger business, we’re in show business.” After years of hammering value messaging, the fast-food chain pivoted to joy, emotion, and yes, humor. The result? A huge boost in brand love and long-term growth.

Precision vision

If there’s one brand that’s nailed the art of effective OOH, it’s Specsavers. Its long-running platform, ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’, is iconic. It’s consistent, it’s funny, and it’s flexible enough to evolve with time.

Specsavers has done it all: sideways billboards, Rick Astley singing the wrong lyrics, and campaigns that sparked national conversations. But here’s the secret sauce: it’s not just about the stunts. It’s about the foundation. Specsavers plays the long game. As the brand’s head of media, commercials, and insights recently touched on, Specsavers is family-owned, so it’s not chasing quarterly earnings. That gives it the freedom to plan long-term, invest in creativity, and take smart risks. The brand has nailed one of the three principles required for advertising effectiveness, ‘brand building’. As marketing expert Les Binet says, to drive sustained growth, you need to build mental availability. And Specsavers does just that.

Its most recent audiology campaign, ‘Ok hearing is not ok’, is a great example. It’s tackling a serious issue – people waiting up to 10 years to get their hearing tested – but it does it with warmth and wit.

One of the reasons Specsavers consistently delivers is that it’s cracked the code on bringing media and creative together, with research showing that 60-70% of media effectiveness is driven by creative. The brand has a great in-house team, strong external partnerships, and, crucially, the time and space to collaborate.

Too often, brands expect Cannes-worthy ideas in three days with five agencies in the room. That’s not how great work happens. Specsavers gives us and its other agencies time to think, test, and get it right. And because it has built a clear brand world, it can reuse and remix assets without starting from scratch every time.

Love at first insight

It’s really important as an agency partner that we have a recipe for success, so we can put our best foot forward and deliver effective work for our clients. Despite all the tech and tools, the fundamentals of agency-client relationships haven’t changed. It’s still about trust, honesty, and shared ambition. Yes, AI is shaking things up. But the best agencies will always be the ones that bring creativity, strategy, and a human touch.

Clients don’t just want outputs; they want ideas. And agencies that can help navigate the AI shift, while staying focused on what really matters, will thrive.

A great media mix is broad, it’s balanced, and it’s built around your audience. Specsavers serves everyone from kids to grandparents, so it shows up everywhere, from billboards to CRM emails. But it doesn’t spread itself too thinly. It invests meaningfully in the platforms that matter, and ensures every channel plays a role.

OOH is an anchor and a trusted ingredient in its media mix. It’s helped build visibility, trust, and cultural relevance. And when paired with smart digital, social, and owned media, it’s helped Specsavers become unstoppable. And like with its crashed van OOH activation, the brand has proven that the real aim isn’t just to advertise, it’s to become part of the culture.